《I Became a Magical Cheat Loli Witch》 Vol. 5 - Ch. 133 - Yuishia’s visit to the Chapter 19-T/N: Sorry guys, I kind of messed up a bit in the earlier chapter. Ancient Dragon was called Grandfather, not Master. I apologize for the mistake. I have fixed the earlier chapter. Though using same I accepted the request of the Dragon Grandpa. Though, it wasnt something that could be done in a jiffy. For now, I woke up the unconscious Yuusha after seeing off the Dragon Grandpa who returned to his burrow. Haaa! A giant dragon Am I alive, Chise-san!? Calm down. He was an extremely intelligent dragon. We had a pleasant conversation. He was a kind dragon grandpa. Im glad~ I almost thought I was a goner there~ I guess this kind of event was too stimulating for a 17-year-old girl, eh? I thought so while heading for the settlement of the floating island. There, we built a cabin in the corner of the village after talking with Shael and Yahada so we could install a in it. Chise-san, isn''t this house a bit too small for us? I think its going to be tough living here. Yuishia said worriedly while looking at the stone cabin Teto built with her earth magic. Dont worry. This isnt where we''re going to live Teto, I''m taking it out. Roger-nanodesu! I addressed Yuishia to ease her worry and then took out the from my magic bag. We only managed to collect the valuable items before making our escape, and Yuishia was looking at one of those items a square door magic tool. Chise-san, Teto-san. This object was in the main room of our old house, wasnt it? What is it? Its a . A magic tool which can let you transfer between a pair of gates. When you pass through it, the scenery will be like whoosh and change. is high-grade magic, isnt it? There are hardly any, or maybe not even one magician who can use it in any country, no? A magic tool which can make it possibl ah, Kuro-san! She hadnt even finished her words when Kuro slipped past her legs and jumped into the and vanished, making her yelp in surprise. Almost reflexively, she immediately ran to look behind the transfer gate to check for signs of Kuro. Kuro-san disappeared! Come, lets register your mana on it. Teto''s hungry, lets quickly go back and have lunch! Teto and I pulled Yuishias hand to let them touch the transfer gate to register her. With this, she could now use the transfer gate at any time. Alright, time to return. Inhale Haa~ I am going! Yuishia tightly shut her eyes and passed through the transfer gate. Teto and I pulled her hand and returned to our mansion in the . < < < Welcome back, Master, Teto-sama, and dear guest.> > > And when she gingerly re-opened her closed eyes, she was full of surprise again at the unexpected scene of a row of maids bowing their heads in welcome. Were home, Baretta. This girl has become my disciple from today onward. Ah, yes! Nice to meet you! Yuishia, who finally collected herself, bowed her head. Baretta, too, performed a graceful bow in response. Yuishia was surprised when she saw Chise being treated as if she were an aristocrat, and then looked around at the mention of the word Mansion. It was then that she realized she was in an unfamiliar room, and confirmed she was also somewhere else after looking at the scenery outside of the window. Amazing! We really transferred to another place! It''s amazing, Chise-san! And the clouds are overhead! I guess seeing the presence of clouds above us must have made it quicker for her to accept reality since the floating island was located far above the clouds. Somehow, her reaction gives me a fresh feeling. Hmm? Its about Majou-sama, so its natural! I felt a fresh feeling seeing her surprised appearance at the revelation of my abilities which I usually kept hidden. Though for Teto, I seem to be an omnipotent person. Selene always wore the expression of Well, thats just how Okaa-san is~, but Yuishias expression made me understand that it was more than shocking enough for an ordinary person. I guess Im going to see a lot of similar reactions when we use the for the migration from the floating island. Then a flustered Yuishia, unaccustomed to being treated respectfully by Baretta and the others, said to me, Chise-san, theyre calling you Master, so are you an aristocrat? No way, so you are working as an adventurer while hiding your identity? Im not. Now or in the past, Im just a commoner. While speaking, we left the room and headed for the dining area under the guidance of Baretta and the maids. Sounds great. Is everything here alright? We returned here once while Yuishia was taken to the Suzurlands residence to prepare for our trip to the floating island, and we left after giving instructions on what to do in what situation in case our trip lasted for a long time. Though, I didnt think we would be back within a day. We did! Anyway, Teto wants to have dinner quickly! We left the rented house in Lovile, so were going to live here for a while with Yuishia. Well, I''ll explain everything later. At the long table in the dining room, Teto, Yuishia, and I took our seats. Alongside us, several other mechanoids who already acquired souls, including Baretta, sat together to have dinner. Service dolls who have yet to acquire a soul didnt need to eat so they took turns in serving dinner. Lets eat. Thank you for the food. Thank you for the food-nanodesu! S?a?ch* Th? ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. We started eating with everyone, and amidst that, Baretta and the other mechanics were having conversations in extremely stiff, mechanical tones. Though it may not seem like it, their individual quirks were subtly different, which I have become accustomed to enough to notice. Teto was completely focused on her meal, though Yuishia, who seemed to be restless in a different environment, made me smile wryly. And then, I began to explain the situation to Baretta while sipping on some post-meal tea. So, about our trip to the floating island I talked about how we managed to get into the floating island, and our encounter with several mythical beasts, and the two demonic races: the Angel and Dragon-Demon races. Then I told her about our meeting with the Dragon Grandpa, the owner of the floating island who governed them, the history behind the birth of the floating island, how the two races came into existence, and lastly, his request. Yuishia, who had fainted at the sight of the Ancient Dragon, looked like her whole common sense was falling apart as her expression was constantly shifting while she listened to me speak. Yeah, fortunately, there are very few people who live in this , unlike other places. While this place might rival a small nation in size, the only ones living here were two whimsical adventurers, me and Teto, and we were usually out on a journey. The main ones living here were Baretta and the 20 maids who were managing the whole . There are also some working golems but, there will still be plenty of empty land after the addition of 100-something mythical beasts and 350-something members of the two demonic races. Whats the problem in it, Baretta? with a barrier magic tool. However, when it comes to creating an environment truly conducive to the survival of these creatures, we still have a long way to go.> Certainly, Baretta and the rest of the members were planting trees following the Natures Route strategy to connect with the forest in the southern outskirts of the wilderness, but there was still much work to be done. Youre right. However, my plan isnt to migrate all of them at once. I''m thinking of taking it slow, shifting them here slowly over 10 or more years. Moreover, the Dragon Grandpa should also know there was no need to worry about the lifespan factor if the sea mother goddess Luriel already told him about my . No, you dont need to apologize. In fact, as you said, we do need to conduct surveys on their living habits. Thats why, come with us when we visit the floating island next time and you can conduct a survey there. We also need to have a discussion about it with the Dragon Grandpa, after all. After that, I talked to Baretta about administrative things. Meanwhile, Teto and Yuishia were C, Chise-san and Baretta-san are having a serious talk, but its so hard to understand Teto-san, do you understand? Teto doesnt understand difficult things! But everything will be fine if we leave it to Majou-sama! A, ahaha, I see Yuishia let out a dry chuckle while caressing Kuro, who was perched on her knees. Really, why am I even here? And in a plan thats in the unit of decades, it''ll be too late for me to go anywhere. You''ve acquired the skill, so you won''t grow older appearance-wise as quickly as you may think, Yuishia. Though it''ll depend on your mana capacity, by the time its over, I think you will at most look like an Onee-san in her twenties. With so many things happening in a single day, Yuishia had completely forgotten about the Slow-Aging skill. 17-year-old Yuishias growth and aging will undoubtedly be slowed down due to the skill''s effect. Now that she was my disciple, and has also acquired the slow-aging skill, I guess it was the right time to talk to her. There are still many things you dont know, Yuishia. Like why I asked you to come and live together with us on the first day we met Why did you take me in? It wasnt just to help you out with the household chores? I quietly shook my head and began to talk about the factor she possessed. Vol. 2 - Ch. 36 - Elven adventurer Rafilia I quickly get out of the bed, go to the guild and then read books in the library. To finish my reading, I spent a whole week going to the library in this town.Teto and I, who came to a dungeon city and went to the guild''s training center and library without even diving into the dungeon, were accepted as conspicuous in the best sense. "Teto-san, welcome! Today, as well, then!" "Yes, nanodesu!" Teto, who often went to the training center, was overwhelmingly tough and seemed to be doing something like a 100-man kumite against the adventurers. Also, maybe it was because of the sports club-like energy, but even the ones who first tried to solicit Teto have now felt like her juniors. (T/N: Pretty sure she''s referring to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-man_kumite. Basically sparring with 100 people in a row, where every person you face is neither injured nor tired. You can spar against one person multiple times, too.) In contrast, I was living the best life --- comfortably reading. There were a lot of books I was reading for the first time, and the spellbooks in the bookshop taught me some things about various skills. As my primary method of attack, [Origin Magic] was already sufficient, however the information about magic tools that could be found in various folktales and anecdotes was considerably useful. As long as I had sufficient mana, I would be able to replicate it using [Creation Magic]. For example, [Amulet of Reciprocal Curse] is something I recently created. It''s a consumable magical tool that prevents magical curses like brainwashing, charm, and enslavement while also returning it to the opponent twice. To make one of these consumables that Teto and I were now wearing, I had to use 30,000 mana which I took from a stored power in a [Magic Crystal]. I wanted to make other magical tools with such distinct effects like weapons, armors, and so on, but the more complicated the results were, the more mana I had to use and right now, my mana is overwhelmingly not enough haah. Occasionally, I went shopping with Teto in the dungeon city and lived a comfortable life that you couldn''t get while in the middle of a journey. Just like that, two weeks have passed. Ever since then we haven''t done any sort of vacation, hobby, or dungeon attack planning. But as big a surprise as it is, just as we were about to start the dungeon capture, an incident occurred. S?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. This accident happened while I was reading a book in the guild''s library when a loud, unfamiliar noise reverberated from Teto and the adventurers she had become friends with at the training center. "What was that? Is it possible that someone used magic?" As I was rushing from the guild''s reference room window to the loud noise that had come from the training center, a dense cloud of smoke enveloped the room as the inner wall of the guild''s training center collapsed. On the other side, a girl who seemed to be an adventurer could be seen holding a mighty bow. "You''re...an elf? Moreover, did you put [Spirit Magic] on your bow and arrow? When I put mana into my eyes and looked at the elf, I could see the wind spirits around the bow and arrow, supplying it with mana. Incidentally, while [Origin Magic] produced natural phenomena with its own mana, [Spirit Magic] was different. It passes mana to the spirits which would then reproduce them with high efficiency. Might I just say that in terms of mana efficiency, the spirits --- who are better at handling mana than any race, when acting their magic consumption will be low but have high efficiency in terms of power. "I have defeated you, so join our party as promised!" After saying that, Teto rose from within the rubble beyond the elf girl''s sight. "Ow, ow, nanodesu! In a mock battle, attacks that can injure aren''t allowed nanodesu! It''s dangerous nodesu!" "Wha!? But that''s my trump card!" (T/N: ؚһ literally certain kill blow, but this is probably more in-line with what she means.) There were no external wounds because of the protection from physical strengthening, but her training clothes were still in tatters. "It''s a relief that Teto wasn''t hurt. I''ll go check if there are any troubles over there." As Teto and the elf girl continued their fight, I dashed from the library to the training center. That said, normally Teto would be fighting her opponent head-on, unlike now where she''s running with an elf girl chasing after her. "Next time I''ll make you admit defeat with my trump card!" "Stop nanodesu! I promised Majo-sama I wouldn''t involve outsiders nanodesu! And that I wouldn''t compete with people who wouldn''t do it safely nodesu!" "Then just admit your defeat and join our party!" "Not a chance nanodesu!" While saying this, the elf girl pursued Teto relentlessly. If Teto kept moving so as to not involve the adventurers who had come to the training, that elf girl would force her into the corner of the training center. "Prepare yourself! Are you gonna accept your loss?! Or will you choose to take this attack and lose again!" "I hate both nanodesu!" Teto, who refused the offer, felt the rising of spirit magic in the elf girl''s bow and arrow. "Teto! ------"Rafilia! What are you doing?!"------" A man''s loud voice overlaid with mine --- attempting to stop Teto and the elf girl from fighting. When that voice echoed throughout the training center, the elf girl trembled and gingerly turned her head. "Arsus-san" (T/N: 륵) "Oi, what are you doing, willfully bothering other adventurers on purpose!" The arrival of the honorable warrior known as Arsus caused the adventurers who were stationed at the training center to become anxious. Beside him, was a man who looked like a scout, a young female magician, and a man who looked like a priest. (T/N: 1 chapter in and I''ve already memorized the kanji for "training center". Incredible) "It''s because we need people to join our party right now! And if I win, she''ll join us!" "I said I would consider it if you beat me, but I didn''t say that I would join your party nodesu" Very well said majo-sama! Teto''s words blocked the words of the elf girl. After hearing that, Arsus smacked his forehead and heaved a sigh while looking up at the sky. "You! That''s a stock phrase for refusing parties! And it''s like you''re trying to forcefully make her join our group! Besides that, I''m guessing that you''ve also forcefully involved other adventurers, right?!" Arsus scolded the elf girl, looking like a leader-like adventurer. I didn''t like the loud, angry yelling that vibrated through my head but the common sense he was talking about left a favorable impression. In the meantime, Teto had decided that the match was over and put her hand on the wall that had been struck and collapsed, fixing it with earth magic. "My apologies, a member of our party has greatly bothered you. You''ve even fixed the wall I was planning on having this one pay the repair costs for" "Majo-sama said I should clean up when I''m done with my tasks nodesu. That''s why you should restore things so it doesn''t inconvenience the next person nodesu." Teto said with a friendly smile. The adventurer called Arsus muttered that she was a very capable young lady, while staring at his party''s elf girl with confusion and disappointment in his eyes. "Ah, crap, this thoughtless elf who only beats me in age is inconveniencing you" "I''m still 67 years old! That''s already considered young in our kind!" "I don''t mind nodesu. The spar that was different than usual was fun nodesu" The young 67-year-old elf argued against the words of the leader adventurer, but Teto ignored it and responded to them maturely with a smile on her face. After their bickering, Arsus broached the main question at hand. "Unfortunately, Rafilia has been quite overbearing. And so, I would like to formally ask you this time, would you join our party as a frontline tank?" This time they invited her politely and normally, but Teto''s answer was...... "It''d separate me and Majo-sama so I don''t want to nodesu. Ah, Majo-sama nanodesu!" After clearly refusing, Teto, who had found me, rushed over. "Teto, good work. ------[Clean] [Heal]" I don''t think she was injured, but I''ll use cleansing and recovery magic anyways. However, magic couldn''t fix Teto''s tattered clothes, so I took out a change of clothes from the magic bag and gave it to her. "Teto, please change your clothes. It seems you won''t be able to train anymore today." "Yes, nanodesu." While Teto was running to the changing room with her change of clothes, I applied the usual cleansing and recovery magic to the adventurers who had been fighting with Teto and met with the adventurer named Arsus. "My name is Arsus. I''m the leader of [Sword of the Dawn], and I''m an A-ranked adventurer." (T/N: ΄ Akatsuki no Ken) "My name is Chise, and I''m a witch. I''m a C-rank adventurer who''s in a party together with Teto." We introduced ourselves as fellow leaders. "I''m sorry, I wasn''t aware of that poaching-like behavior of hers. Would it be alright if we had a quick small chat?" "Sure. As long as you apologize for the inconvenience and pay for my lunch." "Roger that! Everything is Rafilia''s treat today!" "That''s tyranny! Tyranny!" Vol. 2 - Ch. 37 - A-rank party [Sword of the Dawn] Once I had cleaned up the things in the guild''s reference room and Teto had also finished changing clothes, we quickly met with the members of [Sword of the Dawn] in the guild''s bar."Excuse me. I''d like this and that for lunch nanodesu!" "I''d like the standard stew set and juice to drink." Because of Rafilia''s punishment for making a fuss, Teto didn''t hesitate to order a meal at her expense. The [Sword of the Dawn] were, on the other hand, busy ordering... "Oh! This one''s good, so let''s start with it, along with a beer!" "I''ll order a beer as well! And a suitable snack to go with it." "Hmm, I''ll take this, this, and this. Along with salad and wine" "I''ll also take a meal and water, no alcohol." "Nooooooo! You guys, if I''m paying up can''t you restrain yourselves?!" ... As good as you could say their relationship was, the elf girl still became a little teary as she felt like her wallet is now going empty. "So, as you were saying?" Because I wanted to listen to the discussion sober, I brought it up right before the drinking started, hoping that the leader, Arsas-san, would respond seriously. "It was a while ago that we went to exterminate monsters at another location and came back today. During that time, I could clearly see our week point. I was thinking of searching for a guy who could handle the attacks of the monsters in front of us, a tank that is suitable for being our sixth member." "So that''s why you invited Teto" Teto, who had stuffed her face with meat, tilted her head in response to our stares, as if to ask, "What?" "That''s right. We apologize for any inconvenience our careless elf has caused you. I''ve completely given up on soliciting that jou-chan. If you split up a good party, you''ll just be resented" "That makes sense because Teto will never leave me, and I will never leave her." With that said, Arsus-san bitterly smiled while staring at his food. Perhaps dissatisfied with their leader''s decision, the elf girl puffed up her cheeks and narrowed her eyes. "Even though an A-ranked party went through the trouble to invite you, isn''t that quite the attitude?" "You, quickly repent!" "Ouch! How mean, is this something to hit me over?!" I calmly listened and watched their bickering as I silently ate my meal. Apparently everyone except their leader, Arsus-san, seemed to be a B-ranked adventurer. "So, are there any other candidates for the position of tank?" "Not yet, I was wondering whether I should earnestly search for one or if all else fails, just raise a good-looking D-rank guy." After hearing him say that, I quickly glanced at the witch, Lena-san and the elf, Rafilia. They appeared to be the party''s main long-range attackers. The priestly-looking monk could perform some restoration magic as well as physical attacks with his mace, and the scout-like man could also lock people down by buying time. (T/N: Lena --- Also note. I''m not missing a -san on Rafilia. Our Chise just refuses to refer to her politely) As it was right now, the party''s balance was good as it was, with the A-ranked Arsus-san also serving as a tank. However, if a main tank joined them and he was able to attack with his full power, their explosive power would increase even more. But then again------ "Jealous......" As I looked down at my chest, which resembled a flat cliffside, I couldn''t help but wonder why the chests of different witch jobs came in such a wide range of sizes. Her mature charm complemented her cloaked figure, as did her black open-chested mermaid dress. (T/N: A mermaid-type dress is basically a wedding dress. Except this one is black.) "......I also wanna be big" "Majo-sama is just the right size nanodesu. Very easy to hug nodesu" "Right, right, Chise-san, was it? You''re still growing." Having said that, Teto, who was beaming widely, and the young witch, who was smiling gently, patted my shoulder. But some people just don''t understand. "Hmm. At any rate, She''s just sticking to the swordsman Teto to raise her rank, right?" Teto, who had been smiling widely, instantly became expressionless and began emitting an air of bloodlust in response to Rafilia''s remarks. "Majo-sama------" "Teto, stop!" "Hngg... okaaay" Teto became disheartened when I told her to stop, but her bloodlust caused Arsus-san to instinctively draw his sword and prepare for battle. As expected of a high-rank adventurer, his reaction time was admirable, but I continued to tightly hug the depressed Teto until she settled down. "Rafilia. You''re certainly powerful, but your assessment of your opponent is lacking. Even if you''re a B-rank, you have the perception of a D-rank. Chise-jou-chan is concealing her own mana, but it is comparable to that of a court wizard." The court magicians who served their countries were among the most powerful forces in each country. Defeating monsters to raise their level and studying magic their entire lives for the sake of increasing their mana by a single point, it was said to be at least 10,000 and many have claimed to have 30,000 or 40,000. Nevertheless, the amount of released mana was suppressed so that it wouldn''t be revealed but no matter how much it was suppressed, only the most elite adventurers were aware of the true extent of one''s mana. "That''s basically it. My mana is currently around 15,000" "Incredible. You have a lot of potential if you have that much mana while still young. Mine is 12,000. That monk has 7,000 and Rafilia, who is an elf, has 15,000 mana like you." "Wait! Don''t just declare my amount of mana without asking! Besides, I''m still growing, so it will increase! " That similar witch also mentioned her mana. She had the potential to become a court mage with her mana of over 10,000. "Hey, hey. Your amount of mana is impressive, but what can you do with it? Since you used [Clean] and [Heal] at the training center, is it water and light? Incidentally, my specialty is fire and darkness" "I guess I use a lot of wind in my attacks? Unlike fire magic, I don''t have to worry about damaging materials or the spread of fire. Also, since I''ve been traveling I use a lot of barrier magic" "I got you. It is certainly convenient when gathering materials. And since you two girls are on a journey, such magic is absolutely necessary!" For some reason, that witch and I were somehow able to hit it off. Following that, we continued our light conversation with the high-ranking explorers, and when we had finished our meal, Teto and I got to our feet and left the table. "All right, it looks like we''ll be going home. Starting tomorrow, we are going to begin the process of capturing the dungeon." S?a??h th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Well, it''s been nice! If we ever meet in the dungeon, let''s cooperate!" After I finished speaking, I made a bow to Arsus-san, who gave me the meal and left the guild to return on our rented apartment. And then, when we finished eating out in the evening and tried to use the bath in the apartment, we once again encountered Arsus-san and the others who happened to be coming back home. Apparently they had also become tenants at this rental apartment, and as a result it was our first meeting with our neighbors. Vol. 2 - Ch. 38 - Dungeon challenge for the first time in a while This would be our first attempt at the dungeon, [Ancient CityApanemis].(T/N: ѥͥߥ Apanemis) Map, check; equipment, check; consumables, check. Are we missing anything else? Everything is good nanodesu! Then, lets advance to the 10th floor as soon as possible. After that, well just go with the flow With that, we greeted the gatekeeper and challenged the dungeon capture. Despite the fact that it was a dungeon open to anyone with a level of D-rank or higher, monsters that are D-rank would only appear on the 5th floor and up. It seems that only small-fry monsters that even a child could beat would appear on the 1st and 2nd floors. After examining the map, Teto dealt a single blow to a monster and placed the dropped items and magical stone into the magic bag. "I''ve heard of it before, but its still strange. This plains-style dungeon." The dungeon that we captured before was a cave-type dungeon that was previously undiscovered by the world. As a 5-floor dungeon, the scale was quite small, but this dungeon appeared to be quite large. The floor we were on had a wide view and a clear blue sky, and it appeared to be an open floor with a limited range of possibilities. Its awfully easy to explore. Lets go Using the map as a guide, we descended to the 5th floor using the shortest path and encountered the monster known as the gatekeeper, which blocked the passage at every 5th floor. Majo-sama, Im going nodesu! En, do your best. Guess Ill also[Wind Cutter]! Coordinating as a group was troublesome, but since Teto and I were able to defeat it with one blow, it was considered as a complete annihilation. Well if I were to take it seriously, a powerful magic spell could instantly destroy it. "I wonder if the stone golem possesses a greater overall strength. It was a boss that had assimilated with and protected the dungeon''s core, so I guess it''s only natural that it would be superior. Saying that, we quickly descended to the 6th floor of the dungeon. In the skies of the dungeon plains, the movement of the pseudo-sun provided a general sense of the passage of time, but I occasionally stopped to check the time with a pocketwatch I had created using [Creation Magic]. "It''s almost time for lunch. Let''s have lunch in the safe zone on the sixth floor." Agreed, nanodesu! We made small talk with Teto and occasionally looked at the map of the dungeon until we got to a watering hole, also called the safe zone. We also saw adventurers resting who had won the fight with the 5th-floor gatekeeper. After beating a gatekeeper in a dungeon with 5 or more floors, you could sign up for the transfer circle if you gave mana to the transfer circle in the safe zone of the floor. If you passed mana through after that, it seems like you would be able to move between the dungeon entrance and the transfer circle. Teto and I greeted the other adventurers with a nod, touched the dungeons transfer circle, registered, and then headed to a separate area for lunch. "Let''s aim for the tenth floor next" Roger, nanodesu! By focusing mana on my eyes and ears, we moved down the quickest route while utilizing wind and earth magic to sense the terrain''s surface and a map obtained from the guild to keep a look out for enemies. Even at this level, a single swing of Teto''s magical sword caused the creatures to fall to the ground repeatedly. As we passed by an adventurer who turned back from the hunting ground to head for the transfer circle on the 6th floor, we challenged the 10th floor gatekeeper. This time its ogres, huh. Let me do it this time Understood nodesu! Teto retreated, and as I floated slightly off the ground using suspension magic, I observed the three ogres. Previously I was only able to deal damage to a persons skin with [Wind Cutter], but now it was different. [Laser]! As soon as I aimed the end of my staff at the ogres, a focused beam emanated from its tip. The beams of light fired at the speed of light pierced an ogre''s heart, burned it to ash, and left a gaping circular hole in the ogre''s chest. Then, nexta sweeping [Laser]! The ogre didn''t bleed even though a hole on its heart had burned out. It took a step with its natural strength, but in the next second, a ray of light was swung sideways and went through its neck. This caused all of the ogres'' necks to fall to the floor of the dungeon. So, its like that. I''m unsure of its effectiveness against enemies with high heat and magic resistance, but wasn''t that a bit overpowered?" It is easy to detect it at night because of its reliance on light, but it''s a quiet magic with a strong penetrating power. The aim was also inflexible and it fired straight ahead, so accidently striking an ally could be lethal. "Since it has a high fatality, I wonder whether it would be best to create and use fire metal with [Metal Shot], compressed water with [Water Cutter], or a spear of explosive fire with [Burst Lance]." It would be preferable if I first increased the amount of mana I could put into [Wind Cutter] to boost its cutting strength. Or, if you just want the cutting power, the black magic that uses the space elements to create a separation between an opponent''s neck and body is likewise effective. Haahh Its hopeless. Im thinking of dangerous magic spells one after another. For now, lets just register for the transfer circle of the 11th floor Understood nodesu! Then we registered for the transfer circle on the 11th floor, broke out from the dungeon, and visited the guild. Oh, isnt that Chise and Teto? How was the dungeon challenge today?" We met Arsus-sama and the others in the guild, probably because our return times were similar. We passed the 10th floor to accustom ourselves before leaving S?a?ch* Th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Ridiculous as usual. Well, do your best not to die. We are currently exploring the 24th floor!" The map purchased from the guild definitely only had 20 floors, so they were probably the top adventurers in this town. Well, we intend to gain money gradually and increase our ranks after that. Then, see you later!" Good night, nanodesu~ We sold a portion of the materials and magical stones obtained from the dungeon located behind the guild. In the Dungeon City, points would be awarded based on the tier of the dungeon-dropped item. "Well, I''d like to advance to B-rank, but there''s no rush. Let''s proceed at our own pace" My pace is the best nodesu (T/N: ޥک` literally my pace as taken from English, so doing things at your own pace ._.) Well, our pace was progressing at a speed impossible for ordinary people, but we werent overdoing it so it was fine. With that, we were able to advance to the 11th floor of the dungeon on the first day. Vol. 2 - Ch. 40 - A scene of delivering goods at the guild In the morning I slipped out of Tetos arms that were tightly hugging me as usual and got ready.Teto, wake up so we can go to the guild. Hai nanodesu~ Then Teto, who got out of bed slowly, asked the familiar dining room for the breakfast menu, and we went to the guild. I had been in the dungeon for a few days, so I was determined not to work hard today. Good morning. Can I give our report? Oh, Chise-san, Teto-san, welcome back. Did you come back from the dungeon just now? "No, we got home last night, but I''m sending a report today." I went by at the start of the day, when it was less busy, so I have a lot of time to talk to the receptionist. We reached the 21st floor of the dungeon yesterday. Re-really!? Only the two of you defeated the land dragon! Yes, if you want proof, here''s the land dragon''s blood and magic stone." In front of the surprised receptionist, I took out the magic stone and the small bottle containing the land dragons blood from the item box. Wh-what are you going to do with this? The guild is buying it, but A gaze that was quietly begging me to sell it was given, and so I looked towards Teto. What do you want, Teto? Hmm. I want to keep the magic stone nodesu En, I thought Teto needed to eat it. She probably couldn''t eat it all in one bite, so she would have to break it into small pieces. Yeah. I want to use the blood of the land dragon for my hobby as well, so I won''t be selling it this time. "Ah, the magic stone costs 5 small gold coins, and the blood costs 3 small gold coins..." I made out the receptionists muttering, but defeating a land dragon was worth a good 800,000 yen. Well, dont be discouraged. I''ve gotten things that were on other lists of things to get. Ahh, an angel! The goddess of salvation is here for clients who want to buy cheap. Majo-sama is as cute as an angel and as kind as a goddess nodesu! Teto, dont tease me. And you, do your work seriously! I urged the receptionist to guide me to the collections counter, where I took out my collected material from the 16th to 20th floor. To begin with, I mostly got the things I was asked to get, but I also got some other useful things, so please exchange those. Oh, could you return half of that herb? I want to use it myself S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Etto, Chise-san, do you plan to use the blood of the land dragon you killed earlier and this creepy plant in some kind of shady magic ritual?" The strange plant that screamed "Kyeeehh" was probably a Mandragora, which I had to quiet down in order to harvest. I gave the receptionist a suspicious look as I pulled a few more poisonous-looking mushrooms and herbs with strange colors out of a magic bag. Something like that, theres no way, right? These are materials for cures and preventative medicine for colds. I thought I should practice making them. Th-thats right. Cold medicine Well, even if I called it a cold medicine, it would kill all pathogens and illnesses and make the person feel better. In my previous world, it was said that if a medicine that could deal with the symptoms of every illness was born, it would earn a Nobel Prize, but in this fantasy world, it seems to naturally exist as a magic potion. And the preventive medicine didn''t seem to be a vaccine, but rather a drug that boosted the immune system for a set amount of time. Since it''s a fantasy world set in the Middle Ages, it seems like plagues happen from time to time. I think I''ll use this when it''s done because epidemics are scary. "But, Chise-san, if you can make medicine, can you make potions?" "Yes, I know the basics pretty well." Then, if you make one, bring it to the guild! Well buy it for 2 silver coins! Is that okay? Dont you need permission from the guild that manages medicine or something like that? It wouldn''t matter if you forgot about it or used it yourself in a small village but when it comes to a big town, the potions that people can use have to be managed for each land. Was what I thought, but the receptionist explained the reason why. Since theres a dungeon, theres always a high demand for potions but we don''t have enough materials to make it. I suggested training new alchemists and gathering herbs, but its a difficult progress to make. Having learned of the situation, a staff member at the purchase counter warned the receptionist. Hey, idle talk isnt allowed. S-sorry. Then, Ill make a purchase assessment of these collected things. Please wait a moment. That being said, I remembered something and stopped the receptionist from going back to her own work. Wait a minute. Come to think of it, there was one other thing ...What is it this time? After I beat the land dragon on the 20th floor and showed off a lot of materials and herbs I had found, the receptionist was afraid of what I would bring out next, but I didn''t care. "I found a treasure chest in the dungeon, and when I opened it, I got two magical tools." Ah, congratulations. Id like to discuss selling off this [Earths Hand] magic tool. When they heard it, the people who had been gathering at the guilds bar simultaneously turned around and raised their bodies. Th-thatsreally I took a quick glance at the bar and found out that most of the people who greatly responded on what I said was C-rank sword fighters. [Earths Hand] only halved the sense of weight for the person who held the tool, but the mass of the tool itself would not change. If your sword is lighter, you can swing it faster and do more attacks. You could also increase the weight of the sword itself to make your blows stronger. (T/N: AKA get a new sword that has twice the weight of your previous sword without any downsides, not doing fraudulent stuff like what our Witch-sama and Teto are doing) When I actually took a magic tool coveted by sword fighters out from my magic bag, a commotion stirred in the guild. I want to sell it, but how much would it be? E-Ehmmmm The receptionist looked at the staff member at the purchase counter to ask for help. The person at the purchase counter responded with a hopelessly bitter smile that made the guild shake with anticipation. "The price of this kind of magic tool changes from time to time, and because dungeon items work well, they are very expensive. I guess the purchase price would be at least 2 gold coins? Its cheaper than I expected Although it was a magic tool linked to the offensive ability of an adventurers vanguard, she replied to my question with a sweet smile. Certainly, if you wear it the sword feels light and it will enhance the ability of a vanguard sword fighter, but this is not a magical tool that has a direct attack power like a magic sword, but a supporting magic tool. Please understand. I see. Then, what if I were to put it up for auction? In that case, nobles and knights would participate in addition to adventurers so the price would go up, but the payment would not be available immediately and the auction fees must be deducted. From the perspective of the guild, I understood that magic tools sold to adventurers at auctions would be sold at higher prices to increase their own profits. Then I would like to sell it for money on hand. (T/N: Wanted to use cash but uhh. Its all coins, so maybe coinage? Still sounded weird though) Understood. And the other magic tool that came out of the treasure chest, will you be using it yourself instead of selling it? I had forgotten since the impact of the [Earths Hand] was so strong, but I had sold one of the magic tools that came out of the treasure chest without hearing about the other one. Thats the main issue. I want to know how cursed items are taken care of." Is it definitely a cursed equipment? Its a necklace that wraps around your neck and strangles you when you hold it in your hand. The receptionist screamed at my words. If you dont make direct contact, the curse wont work, and if you wear anti-curse equipment it will pop open. Right now I have it wrapped in a cloth and kept in a stone box. If you gave it to a noble as a birthday present, the curse on the equipment might kill them, but I think it would be better for the world if the curse was removed. So thats how it is. However, if you could purify it at a church and the like, it can be purchased as a magic tool. The guild can buy it, but since I dont know what kind of magic tool it originally was, the price is set at 5 silver coins. Still, since the church''s offerings or donationsthe so-called "purification fee"were 3 small gold coins, you could lose money if you were unlucky. But if you asked a wandering wizard to fix it, the curse might not be lifted, or you could get hurt by the part of the curse that was not fixed. For the time being, Id like to request the church to purify it Understood. That being the case, Ill prepare a map of church-related establishments. With that said, I received the map and waited for a while until they bought all of the materials. And the price was 4 small gold coins, which included the reward for completing the collection request, so I made a small amount of money. The stuff we found on the 16th through 20th floors is a lot cheaper than it should be, but we mostly sold the magic tool, so it''s still enough for us. Well, if we sold the magic stones we found, we could make more than one large gold coin, but Teto eats them, so I set those aside. "I''ll use the reward to pay the fee to clean the cursed equipment and pay for my living expenses right now." Understood. Then, I''ll take care of the request, so please take out your card." The request to finish collecting was taken care of for Teto and me. "This is still amazing. To move up to C-rank in a single year with a 100% request completion rate, " "I only try to do things that I know I can do. Plus, I like it better when collection requests are dealt with after the fact. After all, its like picking the request based on the results of our adventure, rather than going on an adventure to fulfill a request. With that, well be going now. Well come again nodesu! Goodbye nanodesu! I settled the results we achieved in the dungeon up until yesterday and left the guild. After that, we looked at the map, which showed us where several churches were and we went to the church that was closest to the guild. Vol. 2 - Ch. 41 - The church’s purification magic This is the church.Although it had a simple appearance, it might have been designed as an emergency evacuation site or a temporary medical facility, since it had thick walls and a garden. When I entered the open church, there was an image resembling the goddess Liliel who reincarnated me. The goddess Liliel seemed to be one of the five great goddesses, seeming to have the nature of an earth goddess as well as a goddess of fertility. She has the same name and personality as the goddess who reincarnated me, and there are stories of her coming to earth in the past through human avatars. When I looked up at the idol, an elderly priest greeted me from the back. (T/N: since its 5 goddesses specifically, Im not sure if its earth goddess here as one of the 5 elements or just mother goddess. Though mother goddess still refers to Mother Earthmight change in future chapters if we learn that the other goddesses dont have elements) He had a gentler expression on his face; similar to that of a church father than the priest-like adventurer in Arsus-sans party. Oya, are you a customer? Welcome, welcome. Nice to meet you, Im Chise, an adventurer. This is Teto, whos also a member of my party. Please take care of me nanodesu! Teto''s bright voice rang through the quiet church, and the priest narrowed his eyes and looked at her with a warm smile. Chise-san and Teto-san, was it? What kind of business do you have today? To be honest, when we were exploring the dungeon, we unexpectedly found a cursed item. We would like to consult you regarding it. I see. Let''s have a conversation in this room over here." I told the priest who led us to a guest room the same story I told in the guild and took the cursed equipment sealed in the stone box out of the magic bag. Its in here I see for a cursed equipment, this is a relatively common item. What would you like to do with it? If you carry such a cursed item, it might invite disasters upon you. If possible, I was hoping you would be able to purify it with the churchs power. I took out 3 small gold coins and put them on the table as payment for the purification, and the priest nodded. Alright, lets do it He immediately opened up the lid of the stone box and lined up the ritual implements on the table. [Lord, with my mana, purge the corruption of this world. Purification] I dont have much respect for God, but I could somehow understand the magical principles behind the purification in front of me by passing mana through my eyes. Cursed equipment emitted black mana. Supposing this was bad mana that interfered with the equipments own mana, then by disentangling it, it would become harmless. Every time the black mana was undone, various colored mana would melt into the air and disappear. (I caught the image. In addition to [Clean] which disassembles dirt, the magic of purification disassembles the mana of the target.) As I thought about it, the priest slowly nodded to confirm that the accessories had been cleaned. I was able to purify it properly. Ill return it to you now. Thank you again. Can I check it here? Yes, of course. Go ahead. I took out the appraisal monocle and checked it. [Crisis Detection Necklace] - This magic tool informs its owner that danger is approaching when the gem of the necklace glows red. Thank you very much. The curse has been properly resolved. I see. For future reference, what sort of magic tool did it become? Its called a [Crisis Detection Necklace]. It seems that the gemstone glows red when danger approaches Nonetheless, I feel the design is a little too flashy. I finished my work, carefully wrapped the item in a cloth, put it in a magic bag, and the priest led me to the church''s front door. On our way back, a boy was standing at the church''s door. Father, is it true that an adventurer is coming! Ah, Dan. What are you doing? The priest gently told him to stop, and the boy raised his face to clearly stare at the priest. Father, are the adventurers here? Yes, thats right. I was just here for a little bit, but Im going home now. "Then Nee-chan, if that''s the case! I also want to go to the dungeon with you. The same as that little girl!" Teto looks like an older sister, which is why it looked like Teto was bringing me along. Certainly, in terms of height, Im smaller than Teto and because of Tetos build and size, she looks like a leader, so right now it just looks like Im constantly leeching off of her. Im still a C-rank adventurer. The priest stopped the boy while I swore to myself that I would learn an illusion spell that would make me look the same age as Teto. Dont bother the adventurers. Becoming an adventurer is a dangerous matter. Let alone to go to a dungeon, children arent allowed What! If you dont go to the dungeon you cant earn money! Still, as your father, I cannot allow you to put yourself in danger. The boy went to the back of the church with a sad face as he ran away from the priest''s firm words and tone. Apologies. Im sorry for the inconvenience. No, its fine. What about that child? The priest called himself the boy''s father, but he and the boy were very different in age. Also, the priest and the boy didn''t look much alike. Well, maybe its the case where he looks similar to his mom or will look more similar when he grows up They are children of the orphanage behind the church I see. The child was concerned about money, but is it tough after all? "It comes from subsidies from the Lord and donations from believers, but I''m ashamed to say that I''m still worried about the future of the children...." Is that so You can see how the priest is fighting hard. Managing the orphanage might be difficult since the child had said he would make money himself. Teto, better to do hypocrisy than to not do good. (T/N: ʤƤƤ Literally do hypocrisy rather than not do good meaning that even if your good deeds are seen as hypocrisy, it is better than not doing them at all) Lets do what Majo-sama wants to do nodesu. Majo-sama isnt wrong. Thank you TetoFather S?a?ch* Th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. When I called out, the priest, who had started to look a little worried about the orphanage, raised his face and went back to how he looked before. "I don''t have much money or food right now, but please use this for the orphanage." I-Is this alright? I gave away the food I had been saving in the magic bag and the last small gold coin I had earned today. I don''t know how many orphans there are or if they are getting enough help. Still, I wanted to believe in my feelings. Thank you very much. May the goddess Liliel bless the two of you. Then, please excuse us. If anything happens again Ill come nodesu! Sent off by the priest, we left the church and returned to our apartment. Most of what I''ve earned in the last few days has gone to the church, so should I work again? With that thought, I ate dinner in the familiar dining room and went to sleep in the same bed as Teto. Vol. 2 - Ch. 42 - The boy called Dan I had money deposited on the guild card, but I felt like I had to make more, so I checked the guilds request bulletin board today as well.Since we completed the forest floors collection request, theres no request for that area. What do we do? "I want some ingredients nodesu. That, or I want to relax for a while nodesu." Yeah. Lets defeat some monsters in the forest area that drop ingredients and collect some herbs in the lower flat plains area Then, as we were walking toward the entrance to the dungeon near the guild, I heard a voice I had heard recently. Naa, take me to the dungeon! How stubborn! Someone like you would just be a hindrance! Even if I look like this, Im an F-rank! So thats whyouch! The boy who begged a pair of adventurers to join their party fell onto his backside with an annoyed shake of the arm. He felt guilty about using violence against a little child, but even so, the child was getting in the way of entering the dungeon and so he entered the dungeon with a frustrated click of the tongue. Uuu, ouch, ouch You, are you okay? You are, the adventurer Nee-chan from yesterday. He got up with a few tears in his eyes, maybe because he had hurt his hand when he fell backwards and scraped it. Hora, take your hands out. Haa, w-what is it? Dont worry about it[Water] [Heal] Using water magic to clean the palm of his hand and recovery magic to heal it, the wound became clean and closed in no time. This isthe same as Father. You might think Im like an extra for Teto, but Im still a C-rank Majo-sama is amazing desuyo! With a DON DON she can drop thunder nodesu! Teto tried to spread my awesomeness by saying that, but the boy was confused by Teto''s explanation of sound effects. To begin with, tell me what happened ......You, what can you do? Ill help you if I can. Well, I dont have any intention of putting a child into danger With that said, he sulkily turned his gaze away, but still took brief looks at us. Can you believe in us? So, I went to a nearby food cart and bought some skewers and juice, and then sat down at a table set up for adventurers outside. "My name is Dan, and I live in an orphanage. It looks like our orphanage is getting difficult to run as we don''t have enough money to operate it. The lord occasionally gives money, but it''s not enough." "How old are the kids and how many are there?" "Right now, my brother and sister, who are both 16 years old, are helping the priest and the apprentice sister. My other brothers, who are 15 years old, have moved out because they''ve become independent. There are 10 from 12 to 14 years old, 9 aged to 11 years old, and 23 who are even younger. (T/N: The apprentice sister refers to a religious sister. The other ones are all sibling relationships. Was considering leaving as Onii-chan and Nee-chan but those are real clunky in this paragraph in particular) Since many of the adventurers'' parents have died, or to protect them from cruel relatives, or because their parents left them Some kids could find foster parents who would take them in, but that kind of case is rare. "So tell me why you wanted money? And why did you try to enter the dungeon? "I want to make my life better and be happy with Father. I also want the kids to have a better life. I thought it would be easy to make money because if I went into the dungeon and killed monsters, my level would go up and I''d be stronger than I am now. I let out a sigh at that childishly risky idea. What has been hidden is probably something left behind by a senior adventurer who graduated from the orphanage, a collection knife. To challenge the dungeon with only that much preparation, it was like intentionally going to be killed. Since such children were endless, a person was placed to manage the entrance of the dungeon, and it seemed like D-rank and below were not allowed. "Then why did you talk to the adventurer if you knew you couldn''t get in?" Theres a way to enter the dungeon even if youre D-rank or lower In spite of this, Dan, the boy, talked about a hole in the system. Even if your rank as an individual was D or lower, you could still go into the dungeon if the average rank of your party was D. Since it was rare for people like Teto and me to have a magic bag, a person called a porter was added to the party to carry the bags that were needed to take over a dungeon. It looks like E-rank adventurers piled up the work to go up to D-rank by learning how to fight as adventurers and the basics of camping while carrying their gear. But isnt that dangerous? Since its an E-rank used for carrying luggage, it seems like the reward could be lowered unreasonably. Also, if the people in the party are malicious and attract monsters, you might be left as a decoy while they run away. In addition, you could be kidnapped as a slave, or killed for pleasure by someone who approaches you in a dungeon with a gentle face Eh It looks like he hadn''t thought of this, and the boy was shocked. Well, for a small boy, its unlikely that he will be able to carry an adventurers luggage, and rather the adventurers who had refused so far may have had the good sense of preventing children from being in danger. Then, what should I do? ...... Haa, it cant be helped. Ill give you a hand. Majo-sama, its not time for a bath No, that doesn''t mean (T/N: Chise says һѤޤ, which means to take off ones clothes for the sake of someone else, so to put effort into helping someone. Literally, though, it means to shed a layer of clothes.) After I said that and looked at Teto, I made a suggestion to the boy. Nee, do you guys collect herbs? Eh? Well, since we can only register up to the G and F ranks, the only work we receive is to collect herbs. S?a?ch* Th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Then how much money do you think you could make by creating potions without selling the herbs to the guild? In response to my question, the boy folded his fingers and began counting. But Dan, who wasn''t very good at reading, writing, or math, started to scratch his head. I-I dont know. I think Ill get a lot of money, but I dont know how much a potion costs. I see. For collection of common herbs, its 2 large copper coins Un. That''s how much I always get. Take everyone and search for that. You could make 3 potions from the same amount of herbs. The price of a potion is 3 silver coins If the injury was small, it would cost less, but the church''s healing magic would cost about 3 silver coins. Its the same as Fathers recovery magic. If its 3, then thats an amazing 9 silver coins! The shape of Dan''s face changed when he realized that. "With the same amount of herbs, you could make three potions. The price of one potion would be 3 silver coins." But thats what it means to get a job. Its more profitable to sell processed products than to sell them as raw materials. Thats why people try to study to have a good life It would be hard for children to understand that so, I suggested something to Dan. "I won''t take you to the dungeon, but I will show you how to make money." Really? "Yeah, this town always seems to be short on potions. If that''s the case, you can collect herbs, turn them into potions, and sell them. Using that method... the boy opened his eyes wide, but then immediately looked down. Its impossible. No one would teach us orphans how to use that method. Because there were so many family businesses and it was hard to become a disciple, the number of skilled workers, like alchemists, never went up in any town. Because of this, the number of skilled workers in a family business doesn''t tend to grow. I will teach you how to make potions Realy!? (T/N: intentional misspelling, my man switched to Katakana out of excitement and said it wrong) "Yeah, just talk to the priest and tell him. If it doesn''t work, I''ll think of something else." With that said, I changed my plans of exploring the dungeon and went to the church with the boy Dan. You two are yesterdaysand, and that child Good afternoon Father. Can you hear me out without getting angry with this child? Then, I told the priest what had happened today in front of the dungeon and how dangerous it was, but for the sake of the boys intent, made a suggestion. They are good at collecting herbs. So, if we could train an alchemist from them, it might help the orphanage become more self-sufficient in the future. ......Thatsright. Thats what this child does We know. Father, for the sake of making money for the orphanage, I will bow my head. Haah... so you did notice after all. Certainly, Ive been asking for donations, but to display such a shameful appearance, its embarrassing Father, its not shameful or embarrassing! The priest let out a tired sigh and laughed as if he was in trouble. with Dan immediately objecting. The priest was adored that much. "I know. I want to take Chise-san on her offer. But you must promise me that aside from teaching, the children must be safe. Yes, I understand. For the sake of the children, Im going to get the adventurers guild or someone even higher up involved. I didn''t want to say too many dangerous things because the boy was there, so when I told the priest that, he nodded happily. There are various preparations that are needed to make. Also I will have a talk with this child so please accept it for today. Dan seems to need a little sermon. Understood. With that Eh, waiNee-chan, wait The priest urged us to leave with a gentle smile, and gave a slightly pressured smile to the boy. After leaving the room while feigning ignorance, it seems the boy was earnestly lectured by the priest about today. (T/N: the so-called pressure is translated from Shiatsu. Though for me, Shiatsu was way more pain than pressure. Such is life. And having constantly bad posture.) The topic of orphanage relief fortuitously arrived at me, and it was different than going into a dungeon. Get angry with adults and grow up well, Dan. Vol. 2 - Ch. 43 - Planning for a favor After entrusting Dan to the priest, we returned to the guild.Teto, Im going to sell this. Is that okay with you? Teto has already eaten the head part, so Majo-sama can do whatever she wants nodesu~ Teto has really put up with it after considering I would help the orphanage. I thought I had to make up for it this time, so I went into the guild and went to the receptionist at the counter. Hello. I have a bit of a consultation to make. Is that alright? Yes, what is it? Have you thought about selling the magic stone and the land dragon''s blood from yesterday?" Something like that. Can you prepare a private room? When the receptionist and the counter staff led us to the room, I quickly put something on the table. Naa?! A big magic stone! This isnt a land dragon! Then is it a high-ranking monster?! N-No way! Did Chise-sans group defeat them?! For a monster like that to appear this would make a great uproar! I told the guild staff, who were about to freak out, in a calm way what was going on. This is an heirloom magic stone that has been handed down through my family. It might be somewhere around A-rank in scale. Ill be selling it to the guild. Actually, rather than that I plan to give it to the guild for an accommodation (T/N: Asking for a favor instead of money. Not suspicious at all) Wh-What?! This k-kind of bribery is not allowed! Well, at first glance it does look like Im asking for an illegal act like raising my rank but how could that be? I wouldnt stoop low for that. Hmph! What are you saying? Id like you to buy potions if we have them. Im in contact with a boy from the orphanage that I have a bit of a connection to. I was thinking of teaching that child how to make potions. Hee, orphanage? Potions? The church from yesterday?! The two guild workers started to worry that they couldn''t decide on their own. "......I-I can''t make a decision so quickly. Let me inform the guild master first." "Yes, thank you. I''d also like to talk to the guild master if that''s possible." With that, Teto and I waited there. Not too long after, a man came inside the private room. You guys, whatre the ridiculous things yall are starting? (T/N: Hard to put it in translation, but this guy talks like a gangster) A deep, resonant voice and a well-trained body, as well as the ability to release mana by strengthening the body to intimidate us. Since this was the case, I used all of my mana to return the intimidation back. The same was true for Teto, and if anything, Teto dropped the calm expression on her face and started to let out mana in all directions. The receptionist and the person working the sales counter were shaking so hard that they were huddling in the corner. Their teeth were chattering so loud that it could be heard all across the room. So, we dispelled our auras in unison. Sorry, my bad, I wanted to try out that sort of appearance. They said a C-rank brought an A-rank magic stone, so I got to test it out What bad taste. And that magic stone is my heirloom, so its not like I subdued the monster myself. I had actually killed the water hydra and taken its head, but they wouldn''t have to know that. So, can you give me more details regarding this favor? Yes. For the sake of helping an orphanage I have a connection with, Im planning on teaching the children to make potions and encourage them to become independent. "That''s a crazy thing to do. First of all, it takes skill to do [Concoction]. The talent for [Concoction] was not the talent to make potions, but the ability to infuse things with mana. Instead of making things happen with mana like a witch, it was a talent that made the healing herbs, called catalysts, work better and turn them into a potion. In order for a mana to be put into a potion, a certain amount of mana was required. If they cant learn [Concoction], theres no way you can help the orphanage. No, they can absolutely learn it. ...To say so much, is there such a talented person? The guild master was convinced of such, but unfortunately I havent actually seen such talent. However, in the worst case, even if none of the children were suitable, I could create a [Concoction] skill orb with [Creation Magic] and secretly give the skills and mix [Seed of Magic] with the food to increase their amount of mana. (E/N: Is it just me? Ive thought of this in a long while but what if Majo-sama could just mass produce or just simply create gold coins using her magic. Wouldnt that be super cool? And also very efficient?) (T/N: I think Chise was talking about uhhh. Not cheating like that. And causing hyper-inflation isn''t great >.<) From the guilds standpoint, no matter who makes the potion, well buy it. For an orphanage I can buy it at a high price, but I havent actually received a request, so Id guess youre asking for something else? Maybe because Teto and I returned the intimidation, but the guild master in front of me who seemed to be a retired high-rank adventurer treated me like an equal partner. "All I want is for the kids to be safe." Safety? "Yes, safety. Up until now, the kids'' only job has been to gather herbs outside of town. If they can be put together to make potions, the importance of those children is very high. We wouldnt know if they could be kidnapped and imprisoned to make potions. On the other hand, they could be welcomed by people who claim to be the child''s real parents and take the children in as their foster child. The safety of a child separated from the orphanage cannot be protected. Thats why I want the guild and the guards to work together to keep the kids safe. And it doesn''t make sense to just try and save only one orphanage. I want to make a good example so that you can save other orphanages too." YouIn the shape of a child, but more like a hag (T/N: Babaa. Not sure what to use here because the only other term I can think of is well. Witch.) (E/N: or old woman XD) He looked at it with a lot of suspicion, but that''s probably because of how different I look from what I''m talking about. Well, I don''t really remember my past life well, but if I had died at a good age, being called a hag might not be wrong after all. Also, if my mana kept going up in this world, my aging would slow down, so the difference between how old I look and how old I am would get bigger. The guild master then put his arms across his chest and groaned. Protecting children? Does that mean that the escorts will always be stuck to the children in the orphanage? Its impossible. How long can that continue? The guild master said to protect in a simple manner as an escort, but I shook my head. Thats not the case. Having a trusted adventurer lead, teach the correct method of collecting herbs, and talk in an indirectly friendly manner. If theres those sort of adult eyes, its also a deterrent to those idiots, and if they can identify the other person even if kidnapped, the guards can rescue them in the name of maintaining security. "Of course, isn''t that also a way to protect?" Also, when the children graduate from the orphanage and become independent alchemists, the demand for medicinal herbs would increase and the herbs outside of town wouldnt be enough. If that happens, theyll have to search for herbs around the 1st or 2nd level of the dungeon. Even in the plains of the dungeon, you could find general medicinal herbs, and since it was a dungeon, they could grow back quickly. Only people with a D or higher rank can go into the dungeon, but I also said it would be nice if children could, with help from the adults, kill monsters on the first and second floors and level up to get more mana. Besides that, I want you as a guild to tell the lord that you dont want to reduce the money going to the orphanage just because the orphanage can make potions and become independent Whys that? If the orphanage becomes independent, wouldnt they not need that money? What if the orphanage loses the knowledge of compounding that was given to it? Until then, there will be no money coming in. Besides, what would happen to the orphanage if people came from far away abandon their children after hearing rumors that the orphanage is independent? If they didn''t have any reserves, they would go bankrupt right away. Besides, someday it would be necessary to either rebuild or expand the orphanage, and considering that problem, you would need an endless amount of money. If you come up with any other problems W-Wait, wait! I understand what Jou-chan means. I mean, worrying about such distant future, are you some civilian serving the nobility? Once I had started thinking about ways to protect the children from all possibilities, like building an underground shelter so that even if a monster like the hydra which I fought attacked, they could escape. The guild master quickly stopped my thoughts that had started flying away through the outer space. "For the time being, I get the story. As a member of the guild, I''ll work with you and tell the lord about your problems. S?a?ch* Th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Yes, thank you. I would, of course, teach them how to make potions, but if I had enough money, I could also teach them how to cook and sell cookies at food stands or something similar to teach them the basics of business. Or, it might be better if I turned the orphanage into a place where kids could learn a trade. For example, I could ask a retired, injured adventurer to teach a course on adventuring. I could also teach more than one compounding recipe to help kids become more independent and so on. Anyways, why do you care so much about the orphans? I dont have any parents and I was curious so I couldnt help it (T/N: Sounds tsundere. And depressing) Having said that, a strange silence fell onto the guild room. Since I was reincarnated by a goddess and came to this world, I had no parents, so my consciences meddlesomeness heated up. Besides, I was lucky enough to have the [Creation Magic] skill and survived. I think its okay to give the children a way to live. To start with, Ill make that proposal and talk about it with the church priest and lord. Ill also coordinate with the other guilds. Thank you for listening. Ill transfer the magic stone to the guild as is. Youre too generous. Even if you say so I cant pay you back. Then, after leaving the guild, we dove into the dungeon late. I didnt feel like half-mindedly picking herbs today, so I went to the 21st floor, turned back to the 20th floor, and struck the land dragon with lightning before Teto cut off its limbs and defeated it. After getting the land dragon''s magic stone and dragon skin, we went back to the guild to sell them. Since I had brought an A-rank monster''s magic stone around noon, the B-rank land dragon''s magic stone was looked at with suspicion, as if I had hunted it. But considering what I was trying to do, I needed money, so I gave it to him, got the eight small gold coins, and headed toward the town. Vol. 2 - Ch. 44 - Orphanage relief As soon as I made up my mind to help the orphanage, I stopped holding myself back.When I woke up in the morning, I went with Teto to the 21st floor of the dungeon to kill the land dragon, cashed in the money, and then bought what I needed. Teto and I only needed to spend 10 silver coins a day, so we mostly bought food and other daily needs for the orphanage, as well as books and other tools I needed to teach them. I walked toward the church while carrying them with Teto. Teto-sama, Chise-sama. Welcome, welcome s?a??h th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. (T/N: The first welcome is youkoso and the second is irasshai mashita >.>) Hello Father. These are for todays goods. Having said that, we gave the orphans the things they needed and talked about the orphanage. "The lord doesn''t mind if the orphans make and sell potions, so long as they can make them consistently, then they will make sure that the kids would be safe." "Oh, I see. Thats quite good. If it''s okay with you, I''d like you to start teaching the kids right away. Yes. Well, please take care of me. I went to the orphanage with Teto. Dan, along with a few other boys and girls his age or a little older were in there, waiting for us. (T/N: Chise has been referring to Dan as Dan shounen, or literally Dan boy. Kept it out because it sounded weird to me, but if anyone wants it back just leave a comment. Because its showing up every other line ;-;) Dan. As promised, I have come to teach you how to concoct a potion. R-reallyFather told me to wait The other children in the orphanage were still clearly confused by what I said. Well, your doubts would be bigger if you were told you would be taught by a girl your age. I wanted to use the orphanage''s kitchen to show them how to make potions, but...... The stove is broken and theres no firewood. The price of firewood is just very expensive, a-and we cant pick it up because theres no forest nearby. I also knew from going through in and out the dungeon that retired D-rank adventurers went to the forested 11th floor of the dungeon, just to cut down the trees in there, and use them as a firewood. Im going to use my firewood today. From now on Ill bring a lot of firewood. Then I taught them how to make potions from scratch. Take out the common herbs, wash them with water, cut off the dead parts with a knife, finely chop the leaves, and put them in hot water. With 10 herbs, you could make one potion. Measuring at this time was based on eyeballing measurements, which would be up to the intuition of each alchemist, but when I was learning how to make potions in the starting village, I used [Creation Magic] to make a measuring cup so I could figure out the best amount to use. "Then, for 10 herbs, fill this cup all the way to the 200 mark. And when you heat it up and think about how much steam will reduce the amount, you''ll need an extra 100. If you make two or more, it evaporates less quickly, but for now, let''s just make one at a time. In each small pot, boil the herbs and stir them so they don''t boil too much. "When you mix it, put your mana through the wooden spatula to add mana to the liquid in the pot and wish for the wound to get better and heal faster." While I demonstrated, the medicinal components seeped out of the herbs in the pot and combined with my mana to shine a light green. The amount of the potions recovery varied depending on how fresh the herbs were and how great their magical qualities are. In my case, I used freshly picked medicinal herbs and a huge amount of 15,000 mana to make potions. Even low-grade potions helped me heal almost as much as intermediate-high-grade potions. (T/N: Slightly overkill. Also, it seems that potions are designated by ingredients, not pure recovery value, so a high-grade potion could be worse than an intermediate-grade) For one of the more complicated magic potions in this world, a court magician with more mana than I have now had to keep sending mana over the course of several days. Putting that aside, I took the finished potion out of the pot and strained out the leaves with a cloth. I then put the finished potion in a bottle to cool and showed it to everyone. The child who was injuredHere, try using it. There were some children who ran around and fell, scraping their knees. Other kids had rough hands from doing housework. I let those children use the potions and realise their effects. Amazing, you really made a potion! Now, its your turn. After the demonstration, they tried it out. However, some of the children couldnt do well because they didnt have enough mana, which made the shades of their potions dull. Some of them were even blinking repeatedly like a broken bulb! More than 70% of the finished potions didn''t work, and even if they did, the low quality of the potions made everyone feel down, so they dropped their shoulders. "Does anyone know why you can only mix one potion at a time?" "En, I used up a lot of my mana. Looking at everyone with the appraisal monocle, their amount of mana would be about 50 to 100, which is also about how much mana it takes to make a medium-quality potion. So, to make 2 or 3 potions at once, you would need 1000 or 2000 mana, and kids don''t have that much mana. However, some of them had learned how to give mana, so from now on, the amount of mana they had would increase as they get older and the amount of mana they use would decrease as they got better at making potions. (T/N: This paragraph was hell to translate, and I dont even know if I did it right ._. Seems collectively the children have ~600 mana? I think? Also, it seems theres 2 rating systems for potions. Ingredients determine grade, and how well you made it determines quality, so you can have an excellent-quality low-grade potion that heals as much as a medium-quality intermediate-grade potion. Or at least thats what Im getting.) Chise onee-chan! Let us practice making more potions! No. Why?! Making potions requires mana, but all of you have barely any mana left. So lets learn again after you recover. Having said that, I showed the boys and girls in front of me the kinds of medicines they could make, as well as the ingredients and steps. Then I taught them the price of each potion, how to read and write simple characters, how to do simple math, and how to make mana flow consistently. However Onii-chan, onee-chan Ahh, hey, hey! Right now were being taught how to make potions so dont come in! In the orphanage, other than the children who were learning to make potions there were many other children as well. Teto, please babysit them. Okay nodesu. Everyone, play with Teto nodesu! Teto, who had a spirit of a child, opened her heart to the kids right away and started playing with them behind the orphanage. She also used earth magic to play with the clay in the orphanage''s yard. When the kids showed Teto the cracks in the orphanage, she fixed them with magic, which made the kids laugh with delight. Because of that, they showed to Teto the other cracks one after another, and I giggled at the healing sight. Now thenIts about noon so lets get ready for lunch. Puhaa~, Chise-nee. Spartan (T/N: ѥ륿 as in Spartan training) When I was teaching the kids how to make potions, Dan would call me "Chise-nee", and the name just stuck with the other kids too. Also, even though they called it "Spartan," I know it was pretty full-filling. However, if you applied the technique of pouring magic into potions, it would be useful even as an adventurer, since by concentrating mana into your eyes it would make it easier to find the materials for mana potions and the like. It was a skill you needed to live a better life. Even if they didn''t understand it right away, I hoped they would remember it. (T/N: Majo-sama has been concentrating magic power into her eyes for so much observation of monsters and whatnot, and the first thing she says is that they can make more potions with that skill. Sasuga black company leader Chise) And at noon Deliciousss! (o o ) Yes, its delicious. If thats the case, you should eat more After killing the land dragon on the 20th floor, we killed a few more monsters and made lunch with the ingredients we obtained then. At the orphanage, the scene where the older child was eating while taking care of the younger child looked very heart-warming and very enjoyable. "Teto, I''ll bring the priest lunch, so please take care of everyone else." Understood nodesu. Pickiness is no good nodesu. Everything is delicious nodesuyo. I put bread, soup, the meat side dish, and stir-fried vegetables on the tray and carried it while heading to the church. Excuse me. Father, Ive brought you some lunch. Oh, Chise-sama. Thank you for going through the trouble. Father stopped what he was doing when I brought him some lunch. Oya, today''s meal is considerably luxurious, isnt it? It was just some monster meat I had on handbut was it all right? Its fine, thank you. From time to time, adventurers from the orphanage also donate it. With that said, the priest said a few prayers and then started to eat. "Thanks to Chise-sama, I could now see some hope for the orphanage." I listened to what the priest said after he stopped eating and started talking. If the children can be independent after leaving the orphanage, they will have hope for the future. I seebut dont expect too much, Father. I am an adventurer, so I may be going on to different places. This assistance of mine is only for a short period of time. Yes, I know. But even so, thank you The priest also understood that the sale of the potions concocted by the children was on track, but it wouldnt last forever. If they didnt try to improve it, then it would collapse quickly. Would it be a year, five years, or ten years from now...... Maybe it''s just the way I am, but I couldn''t help but do it. Well then, Ill be going to see the children. Yes, Ill also be talking with the adventurer guild, the alchemy guild, and also the Lord. When I took the tableware from the priest who had finished eating, I was stopped by a few words from the priest as I tried to leave. Youre a mysterious person. You look the same as a child from an orphanage, but I think that your heart is more like an adult that is not much different from me. "......I see, I guess I was just born different." "Chise-sama, how can I ever repay you for this kindness?" The priest looked like he wanted to cry or was ashamed of himself. It wasnt easy to receive his favor. However, it seems that it will remain in his mind forever. Thats why Then, please teach me the magic used by the church. Because Im a witch who likes working. "Then I''ll ready the holy spell book of the church." Im looking forward to it. Saying so, I left the room with the tableware of the priest who had finished the meal. Vol. 2 - Ch. 45 - The results of two months It had been two months since I came to the ancient dungeon city. Ever since then, I started eating the [Seed of Magic] every day and hit the land dragon on the 20th floor with lightning to defeat it and gaining my mana to cross over the 18,000 mark. The days of getting materials from the land dragon and selling them at the guild went on as always.Eight small gold coins every day. Im glad the price hasnt dropped. The land dragon that guarded the 20th floor wasn''t the best prey for adventurers. A D-rank hunter could never hunt this type of monster, however not the same could be said if it was a party of C-rank adventurers. They dont have the skills but if they could prepare themselves and win then they could be considered lucky. A party of B-rank and higher are better adventurers as they could hunt like us, but their profit per person would be less because they would have to divide the money for the rest of themselves. In that case, it would be better to kill the small monsters on the 21st floor and above than to fight a stronger enemy. Also, the A-rank party of Arsus-sans, which could hunt as well as we do, seemed to put the 24th level capture at the top of their list. Chise-san, Teto-san. Please take the exam next time! Exam? Whats that? "The test to become an adventurer of rank B! It''s strange that only two C-rank adventurers could hunt land dragons every day! The guild master has also given permission! Ah, yes, yes. Maybe another time. Were a bit busy right now. The receptionist at the guild told me I could take the test to move up to B-rank at any time. I suddenly remembered a similar situation when Teto and I had beaten a group of ogres in the town of Daryl before, and there was a rumor that we could be given a special promotion to be a C-rank adventurer, but with Tetos selfishness we still settled down as a rank D adventurers. (T/N: volume 1 chapter 19 if you need a refresher) Still, before I reached this town, we had received various requests and the guild master of Daryl took care of it and automatically raised us to C-rank. This time, I am also being told to take the B-rank promotion exam, which would be my first exam as an adventurer. However, werereally busy right now "Today, we''re going to practice making potions!" Yes! About half as many children were learning concoction as were here at the beginning. The half of the orphans who aren''t here haven''t given up, and since I showed that I could focus mana into my eyes to become an expert at collecting herbs, the other kids are helping Teto collect herbs. Then, lets go. I took the kids out of the orphanage and took them to the building next door. After selling the materials that we got from the land dragon, we used the money we got to buy the building next to the orphanage and set it up as a place to make potions. Furthermore Chise-nee! I got sawdust and tree branches from the carpentry shop! Thank you. Well then, lets get started for todays lesson. Most of the wood in this dungeon city came from trees that were cut down in the forest on the 11th floor and above. Since there was so much wood, a lot of branches and sawdust had to be thrown away inside the dungeon. These garbage would then be absorbed by the dungeon, so it was a fairly eco-friendly, recycling-oriented city, but I decided to use the material that was thrown away for the orphanage. Well then, lets get started making paper over there! Yes! I thought that if I collect the thrown-away waste wood inside the dungeon, boil it in a pot, and dissolve it, I could then use it to make paper. Usually, back when I was living my past life on Earth, it had to be boiled down with chemicals and dissolve it into a pulp however, this was a different world. Using green slime core as a base and a magic potion that would dissolve only the plant fibers into pulp. I had the children who learned the formula make it and used that potion to dissolve the fibers. Green slime was especially easy to collect because it often showed up in the plains where the kids went to gather herbs. I then washed the unravelled wood fibers with water, take the solution and mix it with seaweed that has been heated, pour it evenly into a wooden frame with a mesh, and lay it on a wooden board to dry. (T/N: Pretty sure the author messed up the second part, because it suddenly switched from wood fibers to wheat) Hundreds of paper sheets had already been made and sent as samples to the churchs headquarters, the adventurer guild, and the lord. The priest was able to get full support from the churchs headquarters, especially because the paper-making business was doing well. Since the Bible, which was expensive to make before, could now be made for less money, it made it easier to spread the word of God by this paper-making business. Also, by having the kids copy the Bible on this paper, it would help them learn and understand the characters and increase the proficiency of producing the Bible(s) at the same time. There were also talks from the commerce guild about wanting to market the produced paper. (T/N: Do note that while this seems like a standard isekai development that for some reason no ones thought of before, it requires a potion which requires alchemy skills, so not actually easy to mass-produce. Course, theres probably an easier way) S~?a??h the Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. In addition, the children were also doing really well learning on how to make potions. They could now make potions that were commonly sold in town, and I had them sold at the adventurer''s guild for one silver coin and five large bronze coins each. Originally, the price of such a potion was two silver coins. However, that price was set as a brokerage fee so that the guild could protect the children when there was a problem. Still, just delivering the herbs they gathered would earn them two big bronze coins, so the kids were very happy because it had increased nearly seven times. Chise-nee! Yesterday, I got level 2 in [Concoction]!. Dan, who talked to me, had put in a lot of effort to learn about compounding and he reported his effort that appeared in the form of a skill. Congratulations. Its about time for you to leave my care. Chise-nee? Then, everyone involved in the concoction, gather! Calling out like that, the children assembled. This is a book I made from the paper you all made. Sorry if its bad. I took out ten books from the magic bag. It was an awkward book with just an open hole and a thread that I compiled and Teto copied. This is the basics of [Concoction] that I taught you and its applications. The general recipe is also written inside. Eh, ehhh? This is "I''ve done what I set out to do, which was to help you gain skills for your independence. Later, you can make most of the medicines by reading the book and trying things out. If you use the book as a textbook and teach other kids how to make medicines, I think you''ll be able to learn how to make medicines in no time. So, do what you can. I''ll be going back to being an adventurer." That said, the children started crying loudly. Hngg Chise-nee, I want to learn more, dont go~! I got the feeling that these children had gotten awfully attached with me in the past two months. Children who were smaller than me and children who were bigger than me tightly hugged me. I could have used physical strengthening to stop them but instead I just made a troubled expression under my hood. "Hey, hey, it''s not a good idea to bother Chise-sama." Father "Chise-sama is just going back to being an adventurer, but that doesn''t mean she won''t visit the orphanage anymore." "Yes, I''ll be back every now and then until I move on to the next place." After I said that, I stroked the head of each child to calm them down. Well, I couldn''t reach the heads of some tall children in the middle of their growth spurts, but I could touch their shoulders and arms gently. "Chise-sama and I need to talk about something important, so I''m going to borrow her for a second." That being said, the priest took me out for a walk and guided me to the room in the church where he previously removed the curse of the ornaments and sat facing me. Then, lets finish this matter. Right, lets get started. I took the deed to the building next to the orphanage that was used to make potions and paper out of my magic bag, and the priest took out a book with a fancy binding and a one-page contract. Although it was rather lengthily written, the details were something likeI transferred the potion production and papermaking facilities that I made with my own money to the church, and rather than being paid for helping the orphans become independent, the church would give me the spellbook they owned as thank youwas the content. I quickly looked over it, took out my pen, and signed my name on it. And the priest, whose name was Paul, either a noble name or a baptismal name, also filled in a long name, and the contract was done. Both the adventurer''s guild and the lord did everything they could to help the orphanage stay independent for these two months. More than anything else, Teto and I made the initial investment that made it possible for the system to help with independence that hadn''t been possible before. That, or I used magic to force it to work. The building I bought was then given to the church, and as a thank you, I was given a sacred spell book that was mostly used by the church. This spellbook is said to be an imitation of the magic that the goddess, who descended onto the world, used. Well, I can use about half of it. Thank you. I will read it seriously. "Even in the Church of the Five Goddesses, only people with a certain status are allowed to have this book. In this case, Chise-sama is, without a doubt, fully qualified. If you had been a member of the Church, you could have gotten the title ''Saint.''" (T/N: Priest finally providing some context. I translated it as Goddesses as in a previous chapter thats what we were told. Will change it if something else proves me wrong, though) The suspicious witch wearing such a hood showed a bitter smile at hearing the word Saint. Im a witch though. No, youre unmistakably a saint in another way. The priest smiled gently, but that was the end of the matter. Well, then, Ill be going back to Teto. Its just about time for lunch. Lunch time, huh. Im looking forward to it. Having said that, I made lunch for the kids. Spending time with these lovely children would always be a precious memory to me. Vol. 2 - Ch. 46 - Father Pauls Monologue POV: Father PaulThere were various things that occurred before I drifted into this town. I was born as a nobles child and was admitted to the church at an early age as one of my duties coming from a noble lineage. Well, it sounded nice to say that it was a nobles duty, but it was really just a good excuse to get rid of the bothersome 5th son. However, I was fortunate enough to have the talent for magic. Therefore, I entered the church dedicated to the Goddess Liliel of the Five Great Goddesses Church, learned [Sacred Magic], healed people, stopped disasters, got rid of curses and strove towards the faith of the Five Great Goddesses who managed the world. The Five Great Goddesses Church started with a story about how the world was made. In this story, the Creator made nine continents and put gods on each one to help the people live their lives and guide them. On our continent, the five GoddessesLariel-sama, Liliel-sama, Luriel-sama, Leriel-sama, and Loriel-samawatched over us, and it was the Five Great Goddesses church that protected and revered the teachings of the Five Great Goddesses. (T/N: Awfully creative namesbut at least theyre easy to remember, and now Im like 99% sure theyre all goddesses.) The creation myth is an old myth, but anecdotes of the Five Great Goddesses had become known familiarly as myths of our church. Besides, it was said that there were nine continents each with their own gods, and people before the catastrophe 2000 years ago were able to come and go freely, but there is currently no navigation technology able to move to other continents. Occasionally, though, driftwood and other objects that seemed to come from other continents washed ashore, so people were aware of the existence of the other continents, but it was otherwise an unknown worldbut I digress. When I was young, I was praised extravagantly as a future cardinal or something similar like the Five Great Goddesses, so others were jealous of me. They ostracized me and finally I was sent to this dungeon city, so I decided to give up on trying to go higher. But that was when my faith was put to the test. As the person in charge of the church and orphanage in this city, I sometimes talked to the Lord, preached the teachings of the Goddess and the Saints to those who came to church on the Sabbath, and worked hard every day to make sure the children who had lost their parents could live in peace. I can do it. Believing that, I acted but as soon as I had a setback, I gave up. However even then, I tried to act to not let the children think of their ravenous hunger. Still, it didn''t change every day. I taught some talented orphans the [Sacred Magic] I had learned, and they left the orphanage. Some of them became priests in small churches all over the world and helped people who were hurt while others went on adventures. Besides that, the children I sent out without giving anything were blessed with connections with others. They were blessed with jobs, profited in their careers, and sent donations to the church as gratitude, even if it was only a little. Even so, right as I thought that the current situation wasnt enough and my body was gradually declining, that person appeared. The duo of Chise-san, a girl with black hair and black eyes wearing a robe and Teto-san, a cheerful girl with a tan color. Most of the time, the witch girl talked in a calm way that made me think she was about my age. However, she looked about the same age as the other kids in the orphanage. Back then, I cleaned the ornaments she brought in that were cursed and took the money, thinking that the orphans could eat well for a while with the money Ive gotten. But then Dan, one of the orphans I was taking care of, asked me to take him to the dungeon. Because I was just about worthless, the small children also went to pick herbs near the town. I couldnt overlook the dungeon where monsters appeared. However, the children still had no way to protect themselves. And Dan, who was angry with me, ran away. After seeing that, Chise-san donated money and food to the orphanage. She had only come to dispel the equipment, but when she heard about the present condition of the orphanage, she still helped, that is why I am thankful to her. Ever since then, it''s hard to believe how things have changed after that encounter. The next day, Chise-san came and stopped Dan from going to the dungeon. She said she would teach Dan how to make potions. She also used her own money to set up a way for the orphanage to make money and the tools it would need to help the kids become independent. By getting the adventurer guild and lord involved, a big plan was made to help the orphanage stay independent. The guild master of the adventurer''s guild, in particular, knew what was going on inside the orphanage, perhaps because he was close to an adventurer from there. He suggested that they would look into it. The lord also listened, and civilian officials thought about the problem and helped us solve it. I sometimes talk to the guild master about how to help the injured people. I''d like to thank her for making a suggestion for the orphanage, so as a thank you That Jou-chan told me Dont reduce the money to the orphanage even if they make potions. It would be an issue if, by any chance, the compounding technology was cut off and there was no income. But that could also lead to theft of orphanage funds, so I was told that the orphanage was audited regularly under the guise of keeping an eye on the kids to make sure they weren''t feeling bad. How far could that girl see ahead? And in such a short time, she made a profitable business out of making paper from the discarded wood that was only found in dungeon cities. The idea was too much, that the genius was the prodigy sent by Liliel to save the orphans. Father. If you make a Bible from the paper made by the children, it will be easier to spread the faith of the Goddess. It also makes it easier to cheaply pull support from the top of the church, and it would also serve as a model case for building an orphanage, a compounding facility, and a paper manufacturing facility as a set in another town. Chise-sama, you are is my official stance. This makes it easier for the children to read and write letters, and since wood comes from the dungeons in this town, theres no shortage of charcoal to write on the paper. The paper made for profit, can the children use it? Yes. If they can read, write, and do math, they will still be able to make a living after leaving the orphanage. This is the most important thing to teach. Profit comes in second. And because the children are making money, Father can cut down on the time you''ve been working, so you can teach the children how to read and write in addition to copying the Bible to learn. She then gave me some books on how to make potions, make paper, read, and write, and told me to send them to the church. All of them seemed to be handwritten by Chise-sama and Teto-sama. There were two conclusions that I have come up with after observing the books. The textbook Chise-sama left was copied again and remade into a properly bound book, becoming a textbook used in many churches. The other one is that by letting the children use paper, unexpected talents would then be discovered. One child opened a signboard shop in town because they liked to draw, and another child''s delicate paintings turned her into a religious artist who only worked for churches. Now, they could take another step towards their independence. The power to look ahead for the sake of the children, she seemed like a witch who could predict the future, and her heart seemed to be that of a saint who loved people. However, if you praised her, then that shy figure seemed appropriate for her age. S?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. To help her, I gave her the [Sacred Magic] spellbook that mimicked the miracles of the Five Great Goddesses that I had received from the church. When I was sent to this land, I neglected my magical training due to the daily struggle, but if its her, shell surely be able to put it into good use. Vol. 2 - Ch. 47 - Oracle of Dreams In the room of the rental apartment, I was spending time with Teto rolling around on the bed.(T/N: like children, not like adults (:3 ) ) Its been a long time since Ive had a break desu~. Majo-sama should also rest desu~ Ah, yeah Hugging me from behind, Teto and her arms flopped into the bed while I read the spellbook I had received from the priest. I see, so theres such a spell in [Sacred Magic] S?a??h the N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. My magic was all about attacking, or because it was convenient, I frequently used flying magic, cleanliness restoration magic, and physical strengthening. Such magic was sustained by a composite of attributed magic from [Origin Magic]. On the other hand, the magic of the church was difficult to classify into the magic and attributes used by each god and was treated as a non-attribute magic. For example, there was [Mana Blast] that caused magical damage to spirit bodies, [Sense Enemy] which could sense and distinguish hostility and killing intent from enemies, and [Bless] which granted your mana to another and strengthened their body. Non-attribute magic is really convenient, huh I checked the magic of the church one by one, but it generally seemed I could reproduce it. Above all, the spellbook of the church explained the magic used by the former and current saints with anecdotes. It was very useful for invoking a magical image, and at the same time, considering it from the religious aspect, is meant to spread faith in the church, I think. Its hopeless. Just so many extra things Majo-sama~ Is it interesting nodesu~? Yeah, its interesting. Ill use this newly learned magic on Teto soon Im looking forward to it nanodesu~ Then, as I read the book, the magic in the latter half was very difficult magic. Particularly, there was a memo written by the priest on a certain page. I could only master magic until here. However, you are still young Chise-sama, so if you reach the limit of this discipline youll surely save a lot of people It had also been written that the amount of mana the priest had was 15,000, which is like the level of a court magician, I think. Magic that even the priests mana couldnt do, huh Resurrecting the dead within a certain amount of time, regenerating lost body parts, oracle, summoning the might of God, etc. All of them were magic that required tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of mana. It would be convenient if I could resurrect the dead or regenerate body parts, but Turning my head, I saw Teto who was hugging me and rolling around. Majo-sama, whats wrong nodesu? No, nothing Human magic would be meaningless to Teto, who had evolved from a golem. There wasnt any heart or brain to revive, and any lost parts could be replenished with earth and stone. After all, the occasion I use it for myself will be a time Im seriously in a pinch. Its best not to use the regeneration magic of missing parts and whatnot. What remains, then, is just to become an oracle. Whether the existence that reincarnated me is the Goddess Liliel, I can check it again I got out of Tetos arms, opened the book, and prepared the magic to receive the oracle. It was said that only devout believers could receive oracles, but Ive seen Goddess Liliel personally, so receiving an oracle should be fine. I thought Nothing happened Majo-sama~ Its time to sleep nodesu~ Yeah. Recently Ive been way too busy With that said, I fell asleep in Tetos arms. When I noticed, I found myself in a mysterious space and there was also a beautiful woman there who was familiar to me. Goddess Liliel? Eh? Did I die again? No, you used the oracle magic and got a connection with me, didnt you? That being the case, I thought it would be better to meet in a dream than give you the oracle there (T/N: So the goddess speaks with double quotation marks while everyone else has been using single . Since single quotes are a different thing in English, I decided to use these here, but please tell me if you guys want me to change it to the Japanese quotation marks, cuz Id be willing to edit the chapters thus far.) I see It was a dream, so it was good I didnt die and leave Teto behind. I was relieved. If I had really left Teto behind alone, shed definitely be all sorts of worried. Ive been watching your success. And thank you for the orphanage Its embarrassing to be seen. But why is the Goddess thanking me? For me, who thought God was more arrogant, it was kind of unbelievable for her to be grateful. Besides, I had a strong impression of the minimal interaction at the time I reincarnated, so I didnt feel too amiable about this. I will bestow that Father Paul a bit of my blessing. Thank you for taking away his hard work. Also, we Gods exert our power through the mana and faith that people give. Your deeds have raised the faith of the Five Great Goddesses, and it is a chance to increase our influence on this world (T/N: Real talk, this sounds like some villain monologue. Guess thats a JP novel god for you) That raised the power of interference? And what do you guys do with it? And why did you reincarnate me into another world? I had a vague memory, but with a strong ego as a Japanese who were polytheistic but non-religious, I had various doubts. I wanted to understand the true intentions of God. Normally, I wouldnt tell reincarnated people, but its fine. In a few words, this world is now in a state of low mana The mana is low? (T/N: Just make 50 billion [Seeds of Magic] :D) Yes. About 2000 years ago, the mana was run dry due to an ancient magical civilizations recklessness. As a result, civilization declined, high-ranking monsters dependent on mana either went extinct or were confined to a specific area, and the world was brought to a standstill What does that have to do with my reincarnation? With the power procured from faith, we summon reincarnated people from other worlds. At that time, they will also receive magic power that is not used on Earth where a scientific civilization has developed. Then we send the reincarnated with their powers to an area where mana is weak, and the concentration of mana in the world will increase So thats the purpose of the Gods power and my reincarnation, that place the [Empty Wilderness] Yes. Originally the use of mana procured from faith is miracles for the sake of salvation, but those will not improve the worlds depletion of mana. Particularly in areas where the depletion is severe, barriers are set up so that humans cannot trespass, with the exception of the reincarnated and their powers, so its a situation where we can barely use our powers (T/N: okay but like. They can choose their powers. What happens if you summon a chuunibyou who just has like. Super sword skills and a mind set on creating a harem. What then, God? HUH? WHAT THEN?) I had no way of knowing if the story was true or not, but I had some conviction. If that was true, then the reason a reincarnated person needed mana was so they could live longer. I understand. I can believe that story The unconcerned look of the Goddess Liliel for an instant changed to surprise. You, dont you have doubts about us? I couldnt believe it at first because of your unconcerned face and business-like exchange, but if youre trying to rebuild the world that was devastated 2000 years ago, I have sympathy and will do what I can So you have sympathy for God? But Im glad youve offered to help At my words, Goddess Liliel showed a bitter smile on her face for the first time. Its about time. The dream oracle will be over since it uses a lot of mana. Ill send you another one once you have the time and mana Eh, wait! And then, I was shaken by Teto and woke up. Apparently, while sleeping, because I consumed a lot of mana from the oracle, it was forcefully broken off because my bodys mana had run dry. I had to suffer in bed for another day due to the terrible feeling of my mana depletion. Vol. 2 - Ch. 48 - Orphan Kidnapping Before the B-rank exam, I went to the dungeon every day to challenge some monsters, and I spent most of my time making maps. I also went to the orphanage twice a week to see how the kids were doing at work. I brought some sweet ingredients for the younger children and made cookies with them.About two weeks later, when we reached the 23rd floor------ "Chise-san, Teto-san. The date of the B-rank examination has been set." "Really?" "Yes. Two weeks later, you will be exploring the dungeon''s 21st floor and above for overnight camping spots with Arsus-san''s party [Sword of the Dawn]. The period of time will be 3 days." "Understood. So you''ll see our planning through the dungeon''s camping spots." From then on, I went into the dungeon less often for the B-rank promotion test and spent more time getting ready for the dungeon stay. Well, the preparation could be done with [Creation Magic] and if I bought it in town and stored it in a magic bag then, everything would be finished immediately so I spent most of my extra time in the orphanage. Going to the guild on the day of the B-rank promotion test, the party of Arsus-san, who was serving as an examiner, was waiting. "Arsus-san. Please look after us for the next three days so we can pass the B-rank promotion test." "Please nodesu!" "Oh, then let''s talk about it right away." Then, Arsus''s party asked about the contents of the promotion exam. We spent three days exploring the dungeon and slept there to get a better idea of what was going on. People were more likely to go crazy in a dungeon, especially if it was small and closed off, like a cave. So, it was meant to test more than just one''s individual skills, like how you deal with fatigue, how you take breaks, how you search in the dungeon, and so on. While the two groups talked about possible problems, a familiar child ran into the guild from the front door. "Nee-chan, Chise-neechan! Help!" "You are...an orphan? What''s the matter, what happened?" "Someone took my brother Dan!" I did my best to stay calm so I could hear what the boy had to say. Some of the groups of potion makers who went shopping for daily necessities were taken by adults to a back alley and was then kidnapped. Several people, including Dan, fought back, which gave the younger boy a chance to get away. He seems to have come to the guild to ask for help. I asked the guild and the lord to keep an eye on the kids, but it seems like that was still not enough. "I understand. Leave it to me" "Jou-chan, are you going? What should be done about the test to move up to B-rank?" Arsus-san was asking about the exam. The test to move up to B-rank wasn''t done very often because both A-rank and B-rank adventurers took it. If I missed this one, the next one might not happen for another two or three months. Even then, I let a laugh out through my nose. "That kind of thing doesn''t matter. The most important thing is to make sure the children are safe as soon as possible." It didn''t matter if the promotion exam was delayed or if we gave up on getting promoted to B-rank. Thinking that, when I looked back at Arsus-san, he suddenly laughed as if amused. "Oi, Rafilia! Can''t you find the children with your magic?" "Good grief, what a slave driver------[Spirit, follow the children''s path and lead us]!" It looked like the elf, Rafilia-san was asking the wind spirit to find out where the kidnapped children were taken. "If there''s a flow of wind, it will search for us. We should be able to find them soon in this town." "Thank you. But is this okay?" Arsus-san gave me a big smile, even though I had turned down the B-rank promotion test. "Our monk is from the church''s orphanage. It''s not just someone else''s problem." The priest-like man in Arsus-san''s group pointed at himself with his thumb, while looking expressionless, as always. "Besides, I''ll be giving a favor to the jou-chans (Chise and Teto) with future prospects." "I see, then... I''ll do my best to pay you back as soon as possible." We quickly came to an understanding, and it seemed like Rafilia-san''s spirit magic soon found the place where the children had been taken. The child from the orphanage who ran into the guild was seen by the staff, so they asked some other adventurers to send him away to stop other children from being taken. "If you need expenses to move the adventurers, you can use this as you like." "Wai-, Chise-san! Are you leaving your guild card! How much have you saved up to pull it out as you like!" I told the guild staff to pay the request fee from my guild card in case of an emergency, and left the guild to help the children. The speed at which Arsus-san, his company and Teto ran was hard even in my child''s stride. Even with physical strength, it was hard to keep up, so I used flying magic to follow them through the town. "So, where are the kids?" "Maybe, there!" The location to which the elf Rafilia was chasing, lead us to a warehouse district on the outskirts of town. "The kids are here! At this distance, I can see Dan''s mana!" If I got close to the warehouse district, I could find the whereabouts of anyone I knew by sensing their mana. I looked around and found a very big warehouse. From the basement, I could feel the children''s mana, including Dan''s. "There!" "Majo-sama, it''s dangerous to advance nodesu!" "Oi, Jou-chan!" I dove into the warehouse from a low height while still flying with magic. "What the heck, are you---! "You''re in the way! --- [Stun]!" """Arghhh!""" When I landed in the warehouse, the bad guys were holding onto their weapons. I used lightning magic that had been weakened to stop people in a large area, and the men screamed and fell to the ground. "Where are the children? Spit it out!" I grabbed one of the fallen men with my strength that had been increased with [Physical Strengthening]. "......I, I dun nohw" (T/N: Translated it like this for readability, but he not only talks like a gangster, but he''s also slurring, because lightning magic) I stopped his body from moving but didn''t stop him from talking, but he still didn''t answer. "B-But isn''t it just that..." For the guy who complained about my stale threat, I released mana to intimidate him this time. S?a?ch* Th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "I''ll say it again! Where are the children!" The men trembled at the intimidation overwhelmingly released by a human with a mana of over 10,000 "J-just spare our lives. W-we''re just hired hands." Right as I was trying to get information from the rogues who were begging for their lives under my coercion, Teto and Arsus-san''s party caught up. "Jou-chan, don''t get too far ahead!...is what I''d like to say, but you''ve already suppressed these guys" "Oi, these guys are a gang!" "[Sword of the Dawn] came over too...it''s over" When the rogues saw that Arsus-san and his group had caught up, their hearts trembled from fear and they quickly surrendered. As expected, was that the brand name of an A-rank party? "......So, then, where are the children?" "The children are in the basement. But we don''t have the key to open the door of the magic tool. The boss manages everything! We just give them food and water through the window so they don''t starve." When Arsus-san and the others tied the men up with ropes and asked where the children were, those words came back. And from such a close distance, you could hear the voices of children with the wind magic [Whisper]. Sobs were heard from the closed door, as if trying to suppress their anxiety and fear and encouraging voices could be heard. I felt a strong anger at the ones who drove those bright and kind children into such a situation. "Ah, Majo-sama, you look pretty mad, nodesu." "Yeah, I''m so angry right now that I want to burn these guys to ashes." The detained men were frightened once again by the mana I released, and as soon as I saw such an appearance I lost interest. "If the entrance from the basement isn''t open, just make another one---[Whisper]" If the children''s voices were carried by the wind, I could also send my voice back. "Ah, mic test, mic test. Can you hear me, Dan?" ''Chise-nee!? Where? Where are you?'' "I''m right above the basement where you guys are. I''ll help you guys right away, so could you move to the corner of the room?" "O-okay!" With [Earth Sonar], a spell that sent waves of magic to the basement, I could see how the basement was built and how people moved around in it. Since the kids were huddled in one corner, this should be fine. (T/N: Author didn''t actually put it in the usual skill brackets, , but I''m guessing it''s a skill. Probably.) "Then, Teto. Let''s go" "Yes nanodesu!" "Oi, Jou-chans, what are you------[Hole]!" Teto and I both put our hands on the floor of the warehouse at the same time to change its shape. A strange sound of bogon happened, and Teto and I created a large hole that allowed us to get directly into the room where the children were. "Well, then, let''s go. Nice meeting you guys!" "Going together~ nodesu!" "Wai-, for real?!" I told Arsus-san and the others to take care of those bad group of people, and then jumped straight down the hole I had just made while holding hands with Teto. Using flying magic to descend slowly to the point it became dim, it looked to be a well-equipped prison cell. "Dan, we''ve come to help." "We''ve come to pick you up nodesu! Let''s return before everyone worries nodesu!" "Chise-nee, Teto-nee......" The ceiling to the dark room suddenly opened, and as the light shined from the sky, the children gathered towards my direction in the corner of the room. And as they realized that the person who came down from the hole was me, perhaps the children''s tensions disappeared as they ran up to us. The children who had been sobbing to suppress their fear until now started crying from relief when Teto and I, their unmistakable guardians, appeared. Five of the children who were taken were the kids who knows how to concoct and how to make paper, and three of them were younger. Teto and I gave each of them a hug to make them feel better. I healed the wounds of those children who were injured by those rough people while resisting during the kidnapping with recovery magic. And after a while, when they had calmed down, I suggested escaping. "Then, let''s head back to the orphanage." "Chinese-nee, hold on. It looks like there are other people who were also caught besides us. Please, help them." I was a little worried when Dan told me that. The kids are already safe, and Arsus-san and his group were also in charge of the top. Among them, soldiers and other adventurers who like to take risks would join them to help and bring the kidnapping case under control. But------ "Alright. But absolutely do not leave my side." Having said that, I confirmed the structure of the room again. The magic door couldn''t be opened from the inside and the basement walls were thick, but not thick enough for it to not be broken. "--- [Hole]!" I ignored the basement doors one after another and made holes in the wall. And it looked like various people were kidnapped in each cell, from children to adults, so I released them all. "Then, let''s go up." With a total of 20 kidnapped people, I went back to the surface, where the guards, the guild master of the adventurer guild, and a few other people were gathered. I left the guards and the adventurer guild master to deal with the rest of the kidnapping case and took the children back from the orphanage. Vol. 2 - Ch. 49 - Dungeon Stampede Why did the orphanage kidnapping case occur?The reason is because the company that owned the warehouse was involved. Behind the scenes, the company that owned the warehouse hired an assassin who was committing various misdeeds. Kidnapping, obstruction of business, illegal slavery, killing troublesome opponents in the dungeon, and so on. S~?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. After kidnapping the kids from the orphanage, he planned to send them to a village he ran and force them to make potions and paper there so he could make money. He also bribed some of the guards hired by the lord. It looks like he was planning to sneak out of town tonight, so we found out about each bad thing he had done quickly. "As a result, the criminal slaves are sent to work in a mine. Also, the company was destroyed and their assets were taken. This is so that no one will ever dare touch or kidnap the children again." The children were safely taken to the church where the priest was, and the bad adventurers were all stripped of their adventurer ranks and was turned into slaves. Originally, after I rejected the schedule of the B-rank promotion exam, one day after resolving the unexpected case, thanks to Arsus-san and company we were enjoying a meal. Even so, it was a shame that your B-rank promotion test was postponed. "I don''t really care about that. Ranking up is just ranking up after all" I knew that having a high rank was just a title in itself, so the fact that it was delayed didn''t bother me the slightest. "Yes, that''s true. Well, for now, we''ll make a decision about your promotion based on what we think, and the next exam will be a dungeon stampede." Stampede is that, right? Monsters overflowing from the dungeon Yeah. Most of the time, we kill a certain number of monsters on each level, which keeps them from leaving. But once a year, a lot of monsters show up in the dungeon and try to get out. So, it''s a tradition in this dungeon city to deal with the monsters that rise from the lower levels to the upper levels of the dungeon to get to the surface. As an adventurer, various skills were required to withstand the attack of a large number of monsters lasting for about 3 days. "In time, if you can stay at the front of the line of defense without going back to the surface, it will be a lot harder than the other test we were supposed to give you for promotion, and other B-rank and C-rank adventurers will be watching you." If we play an active part in the presence of so many eyes, can we move up to B-rank? Well, thats about right. In fact, people who do great things in a stampede can be promoted without taking an exam. (T/N: At this rate Chise and Teto wont be tested until S-rank lmao) Having received such a story, the luxurious treat from Arsus-sans party [Sword of the Dawn] was over. Then, we would keep working as adventurers until the stampede happened, explore the dungeon past the 21st floor, make money, spend time with the kids at the orphanage on days off, and ask the priest to teach about the magic in the church''s spellbook. I also sometimes checked the potions the kids made and dealt with the idiots who tried to sneak into the orphanage. Before I knew it, I had gotten the name "Black Saint" because I had rebuilt the orphanage and given harsh punishments to those who tried to hurt it. Even though I''m a witch, I still don''t understand why I got that title. Then two months had passed, and today as well we were thinking of diving into the dungeon and making money. However, a soldier who was supposed to be guarding the dungeons entrance that day rushed in. Monsters which originally dont exist there are gathering in the lower levels of the dungeon! Its the sign of a dungeon stampede! An annual tradition in the dungeon city, a stampede, was about to start. Vol. 2 - Ch. 50 - Stampede Defense ......Hey. During the stampede, how should I move?Right. To begin with, do you want to just wait in the guild? The adventurers guild, who received the report of a stampede, immediately ordered the entrance to the dungeon to be closed and told the adventurers to wait. Teto and I were talking to Arsus-san, who had come to the guild in the same way and was standing by as is. Finally, a stampede. If you guys get through this, moving up to B-rank is going to be a breeze. Are the two of you nervous? No, not really? Teto? As long as Im together with Majo-sama I have nothing to worry about, nodesu!" Arsus-san smiled at our reply and explained about how we should be dealing with the dungeon stampede. Fortunately, the lower floors of this town''s dungeon were like plains, so if you controlled the area around the stairs and blocked the way to the surface, you wouldn''t have to stop them in the town. While Arsus-san and the others were telling me about their experiences during the past stampedes, the guild master came into the room. There are reports that monsters from the forest floors are appearing one after another on the 10th floor! They can''t come into the town! We''ll fight them on the sixth floor as a last line of defense!" Then, each higher-ranked adventurer accompanied a lower-ranked adventurer and went to the dungeon. Chises jou-chans, follow us! Other adventurers of C-rank or higher will also be on the front line with us! Yes, please. I nodded to Arsus-san who seemed to be having fun, and other B-ranked adventurers turned a caring gaze at us. We looked like children, and it seemed they were just worried about the two girls in the group. However, knowing that the two of us were taking down the land dragon every day, it seemed that they were confused at the gap between our ability and appearance. Chise and Teto jou-chans are C-rank adventurers, but their abilities exceed B-rank, so theres no problem! Then lets go! Then we headed to the dungeon as the first team. As we rode the dungeon''s transfer circle and moved to the 6th floor, monsters that I didnt normally see on this floor appeared one after another. "Let''s start by blocking the area near the stairs that lead to the surface! From there, you have to protect yourself from the monsters that gather!" The A-rank Arsus-san took instructions and assigned roles. It seems he was experienced with eliminating monsters that caught the eye, creating a fortified battle position with magic and using scouts to explore. What should we do? Chise-jou-chan, please wait for now and save your mana. Teto-jou-chan, work with the earth wizards to create a fortified battle position! Understood nodesu! So, Teto started working with the other earth wizards and left me behind. Being ordered to wait felt kind of bad. Its painful to have nothing to do. Theres no need to rush. The annual stampede is a battle of strength! It will go on for three more days." Most of the monsters that could be seen had been killed, but monsters were still coming up steadily from the lower levels, making a stamping sound as they did so. "By the way, Chise-jou-chan told me you could use healing magic when I asked what you could do before. Yes, thats right Then, youll be getting to work soon! After that, people gathered in the transfer circle of the dungeon. People had apparently gotten hurt when they ran into a stronger monster than usual while diving in the dungeon and got caught up in the stampede. From the 11th level, lumberjacks who formerly lived as adventurers were brought in. Then, heres your first job, go! Yeah, Im going. Having said that, I went to the place the injured person was sleeping. Even though first aid had been given, one of the men''s arms was still bleeding. Its fine. It will heal soon. [Area Heal]! I used magic to heal the people who had been brought together. For the people who werent completely cured by a single treatment, I healed them individually and I used the magic that was taught in the church to treat conditions that were caused by monsters. With this, its finished Youve saved me! Thank you for treating me until I was completely cured! Although people thanked me in succession, I gave a light bow and told them to return back early and went to Arsus-san. Chise-jou-chan. That was too much. Eh? "Those men were not fighting. Instead of treating them completely, you should treat them just enough so that they can heal on their own and come back to the surface. After all, mana is limited." Is that so? It seemed to be painful, so. In the past few months, my mana had gone over 18,000, but it was still limited, and this was now a long-term battle. It hurt a little to think that I had to choose which people to help first. Ah, well, just be careful next time. Then, is your mana okay with that? Im all right. That was about 10 percent, so Im going to take a break. OK. Then, next is Soon, five hours had gone by since the stampede interception in the dungeon started. Meals for the adventurers were made on the surface and brought here by the transfer circle. During that time, the adventurers had been dealing with monsters whose strength gradually increased, and I stood on the wall and shot wind blades to wipe out the monsters. Im going to take a break. Yes, leave it to me! [Burst Flare] (T/N: Imma be honest here. If theres already a spell called [Burst Spear] then why you gotta make another one called [Burst Flare]. Author-san, please) Lena-san, the familiar female wizard, set off an explosion that hit the monsters that had gathered. Even though I had more mana, Lena-san used her magic more efficiently in this fight. "So it''s all about defense? I''m sick of still not being used to it." s?a??h th? N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I sat and held my knees, meditated, and tried to recover my mana as quickly as I could. Other adventurers who were taking a break in the same way gathered, and at that time I distributed the cookies made at the orphanage. Maybe the simple, sweet taste of cookies was good for a tired body, but it helped everyone get their energy back. And in order to bring supplies from the outside into the dungeon, each adventurer''s personal belongings were taken. Chise-chan! Could I talk to you for a moment? Lena-san, whats up? Supplies have arrived from the children of the orphanage Something or otherah, mana potions Along with a letter made of paper from the orphanage that read Chise-neechan, do your best came mana potions for magic recovery made by Dan and the others. Im glad. The orphanage is supplying provisions. Fufu, thats right. Lena-san, do you want to use the mana potion I have? Eh, is that okay? I have some things made at the orphanage. With that, I gave Lena-san my high quality mana potion and drank the low quality mana potions made by the potions during the break. This mana potion was made by Chise-chan. Its good quality and easy to drink, but what about the ones from the orphanage? The taste is bad and it doesnt recover magic much. Low quality. They still dont have enough practiceBut Im glad If there was a stampede, they could sell it to the guild to make money, but they went to the trouble of giving it to me instead, so they didn''t make any. On the other hand, I thought it was okay to live and think a bit more selfishly and it made me happy. And, a long time after the stampede started "By the way, Teto is..." Teto helped build a fortified position around the stairs that led to the surface. After that, she came out of the walls to fight the monsters with her bare hands. Also, the items dropped by the monsters that I and the other wizards killed were taken before they were absorbed by the dungeon and went away. Majo-sama~! I''ve collected a lot nodesu!" Thank you, Teto. But you should take a break. Theres still a long way to go. Ill take a break once I do a bit more nodesu! Having said that, the other adventurers who became accustomed to the stampede smiled bitterly at Teto, who seemed to be excited and tense. The pacing was entirely wrong, huh. However, even over time Tetos momentum didnt slow down. On the first day, there were a lot of monsters, the majority of which were D-rank and below, and on the next day, monsters in C-rank began to join in. When that happened, they couldnt be defeated from a single blow with the ranged magic of the wizards, so adventurers went out from the walls and attacked in groups. For adventurers of B-rank and higher who were able to precisely fell the monsters with only a few moves, Teto and I were mixed in with them. [Lightning]! Then, lets go nodesu! With a wind blade, it was often stopped by the outer skin, so I switched to powerful lightning magic, and Teto also raised her gear and defeated them. "It''s amazing that those kids are still so young and can work as well as the B-rank guys." Recently its been those kids who have been selling the materials for the land dragon, and speaking of their mana, I think they both have court magician-class mana "Not only that, but it''s said that they gave money to a local orphanage and gave the kids jobs. Who are they, really?" Adventurers who had been hurt in battle started to show up in this area, and conversations like these could be heard from the people who were giving them care. Ignoring that as well, I defeated the monsters who were in my sight. You should take a break soon. The stampede in this dungeon ends with B-rank monsters. If you get exhausted before then, the burden on other adventurers will increase. "Okay, I''ll go take a break." Once the endgame began, I thought it would be bad if I wasnt working, so I rested in the prepared space. Maybe it was because I was tired from the past 2 days, but before I knew it I was sleeping while being hugged by Teto. Vol. 2 - Ch. 51 - 【Magic Sword《Sword of the Dawn Sky》】 Magic SwordSword of the Dawn SkyI woke up as the dungeon stampede broke into the third day, and B-rank monsters began to mix at the back with the monsters that appeared. Starting with the land dragon we knew, monsters from the 25th floor up that had been written about in older sources started to show up. For these B-rank monsters, multiple C-rank parties joined together to make a single B-rank party, but B-rank parties stayed together as themselves. Teto dealt with B-rank monsters alone, while I filled a C-rank party. Im going. PsychokinesisHard Shoot! I used flying magic to fly into the sky, where I gathered the broken iron blades I had used to kill the hydra and shot them at the same time with hardening magic. The monster pierced by the iron blades was sewn to the ground and couldnt move properly. Then, I fired iron blades at the next monster in the same way. This slowed down the monsters'' invasion and sent them after the C-rank adventurers, making it safe for them to hunt. (T/N: v1c27-28 if you wanna check again, though pretty sure Chise left those guillotine pieces undergroundmaybe shes just talking about the method?) Then, that starts it for this monster I sewed a B-rank or higher monster or something that was probably from the 25th floor and beyond to the ground with an iron blade. However, because it was stronger than the other monsters it tried to forcefully pull it out, but Gravity The blade that had been pulled out was sewn to the ground again with the weight magic, and the monster was bound once again. Its a bother if you can move, so Thunder Bolt! Lightning fell on the monster from above. Under normal circumstances, you could cover the body''s surface with mana to lessen the damage. However, if the electric current goes through the iron blade that went through the skin, the body would be destroyed from the inside out. After the lightning stopped, the monster died. It dropped an iron blade, a magic stone, and other materials before it died. Jou-chan, its almost over. Just one more push The A-rank adventurers, led by Arsus-san, were also killing monsters one after the other. In fact, there were no more monsters after the last B-rank monster was killed. After these few days, monsters were no longer descending from the dungeon and each floor gave birth to the proper monsters which proved that the stampede was over. I wonder if this is the end I muttered, and as I used magic to fly over the plains and look at the stairs on the 7th floor, something from there entered this floor. I thought it was a new B-rank monster, but when I looked at it more closely, I saw something strong. Arsus-san! Ah, got it! No way, it actually came out, and its stronger than the others! It was said that the monsters that would appear in the scope of this dungeon stampede were up to B-rank. However, the monster that just appeared was probably an A-rank monster. Even though it was smaller than the five-headed hydra I killed, it might have been stronger in some ways. Huh, that things dangerous. C-rank adventurers should evacuate immediately! You guys in B-rank should put your all into physical strengthening and harden your defenses! If youre careless for an instant, you can say goodbye to your neck and torso! Arsus-san, who was at the forefront, gave instructions for A-rank and B-rank adventurers to play a central role, and they began to fight the A-rank Deathsize Mantis, an insect-like monster with a glowing black shell. (T/N: ǥ?ޥƥ desusaizu mantisu) Jou-chans should also escape to the surface! And endure until the end of the stampede! If youre lucky, this guy wont head up to the surface and return to the depths of the dungeon! No, Teto and I are staying. Isn''t it better to have as much power to fight as you can? After a few days with a series of stampede battles and the battle with the last B-rank monster, all of the adventurers were wounded. The ones who still had some energy to spare were Teto and I. It was the same with Arsus-sans party. Also, if we were lucky, it wouldn''t be able to get to the surface, but if we weren''t, it would be like letting it loose and causing disaster at the surface. And on the surface, there were children in the orphanage. So we definitely had to end everything in the dungeon. Understood. Then, lets go! As soon as we decided on this plan, the Deathsize Mantis, which was more than twice as big as a person and had strange eyes on its triangular head, spread its wings and flew towards us. Teto, Ill defend!Earth Prison! Roger nodesu! I also landed on the ground, and manipulating the ground with Teto, we surrounded the Deathsize Mantis with double and triple layers of stone. However, the Deathsize Mantis, with a shake of its hands sickles, tore it apart without any resistance. Its really a stalemate, but The Deathsize Mantis was hit by a lot of long-range attacks from the wizard, Lena-san and the elf, Rafilia with the bow and arrow. My view was obstructed by the aftermath of the magic, but if I continued to detect it with mana, I could feel that the mana covering the Deathsize Mantiss body was decreasing. Come! Im next! The Deathsize Mantis appeared after cutting through the aftermath of the magic. When it was attacked by top adventurers, one of the wings on its back fell off, but it didn''t lose its will to fight. Then, the sword of Arsus-san and the sickle of the Deathsize Mantis met, intensely clashing together. For the Deathsize Mantis taking trouble to attack, Arsus-san was barely able to prevent it, but was unable to shift to attacking. While Arsus-san was drawing the Deathsize Mantis''s attention, other adventurers also tried to attack it, but their swords slipped on the hard shell and couldn''t do any damage. Teto''s sword attack was the only one that could break through the shell and deal damage. If it goes like this! Arsus-san, who had repeated clashes with the Deathsize Mantis, felt mana gather on the sickles of the Deathsize Mantiss hands and drew back in a hurry. And Arsus-san, who barely avoided the attack that was swung with a margin as thin as paper, had his magic sword broken in half. Teto, take over Arsus-sans position! Understood nodesu! Teto jumped in to stop the Deathsize from attacking, and Arsus-san, whose magic sword was cut off at the middle, stared at the weapon in a daze. Arsus, are you okay!? My sword its broken. s?a??h th? N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. His friends were worried, and Arsus-san was agitated by fatigue and the breakage of his weapon. The spiritual pillar for the stampede, the A-rank partySword of the Dawns Arsus and his magic sword, had been broken. The agitation spread to other B-rank adventurers, and Arsus-san, who immediately came to his senses, issued instructions. I dont have a means of attack anymore! The only way to fight now is with the magicians attacks! Draw it briefly and bring it down with long-ranged magic! Adventurers, pull back a floor at a time and prepare for the magicians volley! While the other adventurers slowly went back, Teto was the only one who could stop the Deathsize Mantis at the moment, so I stayed. Then, Chise-jou-chan and Teto-jou-chan should also leave! Ill buy a bit more time! Wait, even if your favorite sword is broken, its not like you cant use a spare sword or something! Lena-san objected Arsus-sans decision. Then, can we still end it by leaving it to Teto-jou-chan? For those girls who still have a future, arent I an A-rank? Here is my spirit in death to buy time! Arsus-san had decided on a tragic and heroic resolution. In the meantime, Teto and the Deathsize Mantis continued to exchange attacks, and with the swing of the sickle with an increase in mana, Tetos magic sword was also broken. Oh, ohh? Orya? Maybe it learned from when it failed to kill Arsus-san, but with its second blow, it split Teto''s body in half at the torso, which had been strengthened with a lot of mana. Kuh, I decided too late, now Teto-jou-chan is Hey, Arsus-san. If you have a weapon, can you beat it? I asked in a light tone. (T/N: Chises just trolling now) In contrast to the tragic act of those who were heroically prepared to challenge it, it would have been easy for me to get rid of it with overwhelming magic power. However, men have a thing called pride. So, I also wanted to set up the situation. What are you saying? Answer me. If you have a weapon, can you win? Arsus-san looked back at me suspiciously. Recognizing that I hadnt gone crazy with the fall of my partner Teto, Arsus-san nodded powerfully. Yes, I can win. No, I will win and remove the grudge of Teto-jou-chan! Then Ill create an especially good magic sword.Creation! When I made the last giant guillotine, I used 100,000 mana. This time, I would use 300,000 mana, which was three times as much. When I took the magic stones out of the magic bag and threw them around, a lot of magic light came out, gathered together, and turned into a golden light that resembled the light of dawn. The Deathsize Mantis, which felt the enormous mana, was in the middle of retreating in fright when the magic sword was completed. This is something like aSword of the Dawn Sky (T/N: Title drop. Also, this dawn is gyouten rather than the akatsuki in the party title Sword of the Dawn, so I translated it like this to show the difference :D) This magic sword could not be broken, it could boost physical abilities, and it could also make light blades. Surely it was a suitable magic sword for theSword of the Dawn, Arsus-san.. Right. With this Ive paid back the debt of helping out the children. What the, this swordAh, geez, I dont know anymore! But Picking up the magic sword I gave him and roughly scratching his head with his other free hand, the moment the sword reached his hand he discovered it was incomparably more powerful than his previous sword. Ah! I can do it, I can definitely do it! Then, picking up the sword and having his priest-like companion cast supporting magic, he slashed at the Deathsize Mantis. Up until recently, it was only used for defense but taking the initiative now with the benefit of the enhanced physical strengthening, the light sword created by passing mana through the sword bisected the carapace as if burning it. This is, the end! The sickles on both hands of the Deathsize Mantis were cut off rather disappointingly, and the torso was bisected, with the sword swung again at the head of the somehow still living Deathsize Mantis, burning its head with the blade of light. So, the chaos in Dungeon City came to an end, and the A-rank partySword of the Dawngot the magic sword Sword of the Dawn Sky. NOTE: changing wizards in all previous chapters to magicians because it also includes witches. Which feels separate from wizards. Not a big change, but tell me if you guys wanna have if changed back ;p Vol. 2 - Ch. 52 - 【Farewell, Dungeon City】 Chise-jou-chan. I have a lot of things I want to say, but thank you. And sorry for letting Teto-jou-chan die.Oh, thats right. Teto, stop being careless and get up. Yes, nanodesu! Uh-ooh?! S-shes alive?! Tetos body was bisected, top from bottom, but she replied cheerfully from where she had fallen on the ground and was regenerating and reconnecting her body. Even though she was cut, there was no blood and shes still alive! Could it be an undead?! Wrong. Well, we can talk more about it later. For now, let us take a break. We returned to the base built on the 6th floor, and while checking if a new monster was coming down from there, I explained the situation. HaahChise-jou-chan has the unique skill of Creation Magic and Teto-jou-chan was a golemI cant believe it! You dont have to believe me but just keep quiet about it. Rather than that, I cant say it! How the magic sword given to Arsus-san was created. And a new race was made when a spirit who had lost its ego was turned into a golem named Teto, who didn''t die even when she was cut in half, because she used the earth magic to heal her body. Everyone stared in disbelief, and were wary of Teto, who was by definition a monster. However, that poisonous air seemed to be drained by the appearance of Teto holding me while on my lap and saying Majo-sama-ium replenishment nodesu~ (T/N: Literally materials from Majo-sama, but this is what she means) (E/N: basically means: Teto replenishes her energy by hugging Majo-sama, so cute XD) Even so,Creation Magic, huh. If it were known that you can create magic weapons and precious metals like before, youd probably be targeted by various people If my Creation Magic was used maliciously, I could destroy various things. If I created too much money, the monetary value would crash, If I created food in excess and distributed it in large quantities in the market, the primary industry would take a heavy blow and If I created Skill Orbs or magic weapons and gave them to soldiers, I could build a powerful army in a short time. (T/N: Plot hole resolved. Thank goodness for sensible MC) Thats why I think the human conscience was brought into question when using Creation Magic. If the existence was found out without being careful, the story wouldn''t end well. In this world, it was easy to live longer if you had a lot of mana. You might even live for hundreds of years rather than decades, or even more, until you died. But is this okay? Giving me the magic sword just like that. I thought it would be okay to give it to Arsus, who is trying to protect other adventurers. And also as thanks for the matter of the orphan kidnapping Im really honoured to hear that. Then, we talked about what drops the Deathsize Mantis that we had just killed had left behind. It was defeated by Arsus-san, and we were able to control it thanks to the magic sword I made and the time Teto bought for us. We asked around about the Deathsize Mantis''s drops, and in the end Alright, you guys can have the materials! In this plan, everyone worked together to bring down the Deathsize Mantis. And Ill also recommend you guys for a promotion to B-rank! Isnt that too much? Fool! My broken magic sword was worth 20 gold coins, but this one can''t be broken and does even better. No, this is a sacred sword! A national treasure-class weapon! Such a thing isnt equivalent to the material of an A-rank monster! Then we went up to the 5th floor and talked about what had happened to the adventurers who were wary of the Deathsize Mantis and were waiting to see how things would play out. For the next three days, we checked each floor using the 6th floor as a base. I could confirm that each floor was fine, and after this short dungeon history, I went back to the base to start making food. Then, after 3 days of battle and 3 days of investigation to make sure the dungeon was back to normal, we would be returning from the dungeon on the 7th day. How difficult. Dealing with this dungeon stampede. Well, its like an annual event. Ive experienced it seven times, but theres still some damage caused by unmanaged dungeons in this world After saying that, Arsus-san muttered something under his breath while stroking the sacred sword that was hanging around his waist. People knew that his magic sword was broken, so when they heard about the new sacred sword, they were very interested. It was a sacred sword that I found in the dungeon that chooses its owner, and when I handed the magic sword to Arsus-san, who had had his sword broken by the Deathsize Mantis, it had chosen him to be the owner- was the story we arranged. Of course, the ownership qualification was restricted to people who had a pure heart like Arsus-san. When the adventurers got back to the guild, it was up to them to figure out what to do with the items they had found during the stampede. Those who had helped stop the stampede were promised a reward at a later time. And in front of many adventurers, it was confirmed that Teto and I had won the battle and that our accomplishments were just as good as those of B-rank adventurers. We fought the Deathsize Mantis until the very end, so Teto and I were both moved up to B-rank. Congratulations on making it through the stampede! Cheers! Adventurers were celebrating the end of the stampede by forcibly raising cups of alcohol at the bar. Teto and I were taken to this party, but I just sat in the corner and ate my dinner. Ahahahaa! Majo-sama~, this drink is delicious and makes me feel floaty noresu~ (T/N: Not a typo, Teto changes to nanoresu when drunk) Teto, did you drink alcohol? Come here and drink some water. Fuhehee, there are three Majo-samas nanoresu~. So happy nanoresu~ Did a golem just got drunk? Did you get drunk with alcohol even though the poisonous gas in the dungeon didnt work? While suppressing the desire to let out various tsukkomi, I rested while caring for the drunken Teto. (T/N: In case you dont know, tsukkomi is a role in boke-tsukkomi, which is a straight-man-funny-man act. Its used also to denote the act of playing the straight man and giving retorts to ridiculous lines or situations, like here.) Yo, congratulations on the getting out of the stampede and being moved up to B-rank. It''s amazing that you got to B-rank in that age. Thank you. I don''t drink, but I''ll toast with you. When I knocked together my juice-filled cup with a katsun, Arsus-san, who had become cheerful from the alcohol, began to talk to me. So what are the two of you going to do after this? Will your goal always be to take over the dungeon? When asked like that, I told him what I was thinking. Right. I found my hometown, so I might take Teto with me and go there. Hometown? Teto had gotten drunk so I put her head on my thighs. I spoke while gently combing Tetos hair as she slept. It was a place I had been to before but didn''t remember. I figured I should go there. The wilderness where I was reborn was the only place where Teto and I could live comfortably. Before, I had to walk for several days to get there. Now, I can get there quickly by using magic to fly and physical strengthening. What will jou-chan do when she returns to her hometown? Right. A land doesnt belong to anyone so Id like to cultivate it and make it into my own. Even though youre young, are you going to settle down already? Its always a relief to have a place to go home to. Was there such a thing? Arsus-san tilted his head. Well, the jou-chans magic is amazing, so it might soon become a comfortable place to live! Come see us if you can. At the words of Arsus-san, who knew about my Creation Magic, I nodded powerfully. I was determined to create a comfortable place to live in, as I drank my juice little by little with my full stomach. And before the night had become too late and the drunken adventurers became unconscious, I left with Teto. Then, Ill be going home. Munya munyadoes clay go into snacks, nodesu? While laughing at that kind of sleep talk, I used the dark magic "Psychokinesis" to make Teto lighter and float her in the air so I could carry her. Then I put Teto back on the bed. Ive been in the dungeon all this time, so its dusty. I used the bathhouse in the rental apartment to take a bath, and then I gently climbed into the bed where Teto was sleeping, finishing off the turbulent week. In the next morning, when I went to the guild to renew my guild card, perhaps it was because they had eaten and drank at the bar all night, but I found adventurers who were dying from hangovers. W-waterIm dying Ahh, thats serious While Teto and I presented our card to the receptionist and asked to renew the guild certificate. She congratulated us for our hard work, I could only show a bitter smile. I am, never drinking alcohol again It was Arsus-san who said that, and I could easily predict that he would probably drink it again. Then, Teto and I each got a B-rank guild card as a rewards for what we did in the stampede. We also got money for selling the materials. The best reward was 20 large gold coins per person, which came from the seven days of rewards and the sale of materials. Please apply the reward to the guild card. Also, Teto and I have finished our purpose in this town, so we will be going to another town. Isee. It will be lonely without the biggest earners here. But if its you two, Im sure you can be successful anywhere. Please do your best! S?a??h the N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Teto and I, who had received that salutation, went to the church. Father. I''ve moved up to B-rank, so I''ll be leaving this town soon. Is that so? Well, Ill feel lonely. He had accepted it from the start because it made sense, but the kids tried to stop me when I tried to explain it to them. I could easily shake them off by force, but I didn''t do that today because I couldn''t. Instead, I stayed at the orphanage and got to know the kids better. But on that day, I noticed that the appearance of Dan, who I was closest to, was strange. The next day, I stopped paying the rent I had been paying for six months, went to a bookstore and bought several books, and then left Dungeon City. Perhaps he had been waiting at the entrance of the dungeon city, but Dan from the orphanage was waiting for me there. Chise-nee, are you leaving? Dan, did you come to say goodbye? The boy younger than me nodded, looking slightly downcast. It was all because of Chise-nee! Everyone feels very thankful! You taught us how to work and make money, and when I was taken, you were the first one to help me. Ive already accepted enough gratitude When Dan said this, he looked a little sad and his ears turned bright red as he raised his face. Im grateful to you but I also admire Chise-nee, I like you! I was taught various things and it was fun to be together! So, please, stay in the orphanage in this town! Thank you. What a lovely confession. (T/N: OUCH) Then The boy''s red face and teary eyes were arousing my desire to protect him, but Regretfully, I have no intention of responding to your feelings. Because I have an objective I need to do. Thats I also enjoyed interacting with the orphans. Besides, I like you because I see you as my younger brother. But Im a bad witch, though. So next time, dont fall in love with such a bad woman. Still, when I lightly poked his forehead with my fingers, he wiped it roughly with the sleeves of his clothes so that his crying face wouldn''t show. Chise-nees an idiooot! Ill become a good man! Ill become a good alchemist! And make a lot of money! So that youll definitely regret it! Yes, grow up and become a nice adult. Then maybe Ill regret. Having said that, I saw the boy Dan who came to see me off run away to the orphanage. Majo-sama is a sinful woman nanodesu. Turning the first love of a young boy into a bitter one nodesu. Teto? Where did you learn such knowledge? From the children of the orphanage and oneesans in the guild nanodesu. I instructed Teto to crouch so I could squeeze her cheeks. Majo-sama, are you satisfied nodesu? Im calm now, thank you. Now, lets aim for the Empty Wilderness again! Yes, nanodesu. Ill accompany you forever nodesu! Along with Teto, I went back on my previous journey, back to the northern town of Daryl. Vol. 3 - Ch. 53 - 【I rescued a cute baby and picked it up】 It had taken almost a year to go to the dungeon city because of repeated detours and diversions, but because I knew the location of the [Empty Wilderness], we went straight without taking detours then we approached the town of Daryl which we had first visited in about two weeks.And during this trip, we ran into a troublesome matter. What, is this feeling Majo-sama~, I can smell blood from here nodesu. Teto and I were walking along the highway when we noticed a strange smell and a magical power coming from the woods. It felt like two magical powers clashing amidst a battle. Let''s go. A bandit wouldn''t have such an advanced magic or magical tools. Yes, nanodesu! Using mana perception, Teto and I quickly arrived at the area where the battle was. When we arrived, several people were already fallen. A battle between humans. Maybe a disagreement? Some skilled people had collapsed, and I felt the indication of mana that had faded from someone escaping as we arrived. But I thought the mana was unpleasant in some way. Yes, it felt like the mana that was attached to the cursed equipment. However, after thinking about it I quickly dispersed the thoughts out of my head and searched for any injured people. Its alright now! Is there anyone who is conscious!? I immediately used wide-ranged heals and identified the people who had a living response. The humans of two forces had fallen, torn apart by blades and magic, and there were many people who had died from severe bleeding. I searched for people who were still alive, and felt the mana of someone at a distance. Teto, theres someone over there. Understood nodesu. Teto and I went ahead following the signs of people, and found a woman leaning her back on a tree as if trying to protect something. Haa, haawho, is it? Just an adventurer passing by. Ill treat you now.Heal I used recovery magic without hesitation, but the woman just moaned in pain and vomited blood. She had lost too much blood, and seems to have had internal organ damage because she was vomiting blood. At her current state of near-death, if I didnt use higher rank healing magic it would be useless. Haa, haaits impossible already. Dont give up. Live I continued casting recovery magic, but it only prolonged her life. The woman slowly shook her head. I understand because I also use recovery magicbut please, just Selen, my daughter(T/N: Serene) Having said that, she offered the valuable thing she had been carrying to me, a baby under the age of one. Im depending on you. Please keep her sa...fe I continued to use recovery magic but power left from the womans arms, and I hurriedly supported her baby. Even if I used recovery magic, there was no reaction of life that returned, and I noticed her eyes losing their light. Majo-samaShes already dead nodesu ............Yes, we were too late. Perhaps feeling the death of her mother, who had protected her, the baby started crying. For the first time after reincarnating in another world, I had encountered a human death. It also made me bear in mind the misery of conflict between humans and monsters. If I had rushed earlier, I might have been able to help. If my mana was higher, I might have been able to use the highest magic of the church, resurrection. But those were all just what-ifs. Majo-sama, are you okay nodesu? Its a bit painful. But Im okay. Waaaah! Uwaaaah! Its okay. Its okay, dont cry. I picked up the baby from the mothers arms and rocked her gently. Teto, can you level out this place a bit? Lets rest here tonight and collect the corpses. Even if they had died in a conflict between humans, I couldnt overlook them being left in the forest and being eaten by monsters. I set up a tent on the spot, confirmed that the baby had fallen asleep, and collected the corpses and items in the area. (T/N: specifically the word thats used is zƷ, like an inheritance or keepsake. If anyone has a better translation than just item then pls help) It was difficult to look at the corpses of those who had fallen with anguished expressions. In order to escape from it, I courteously cast magic on each person who had died. EmbalmingClean Heals work on people who are still alive, but repair magic worked on dead people. I used the church''s magic to close the wound, clean off the blood and dirt, close their wide-open eyes, and wrap each person in a white cloth I made withCreation Magic. Rest in peace. I didnt believe in God until recently, but surely Goddess Liliel would rescue their souls, and I hoped they would be reincarnated somewhere like me. Then, after finishing the make-up of the two dead forces, I put them in a magic bag to have them buried in a church or graveyard in a town. After disposing of the corpses, I confirmed the belongings of the mother who was trying to protect her baby. This is silver? No, Mithril. I took out the appraisal monocle and examined a ring that had been made of mithril and unicorn horn. Inside, a long aristocratic family name was engraved. This is your mothers keepsake. Take it. I put it on the palm of the baby girl, and the ring shined faintly. It didnt work when I had it, so it seemed to be a magic tool that had the effect of warding off illnesses and poison when worn by babies. Leaving behind such a precious thing to protect a child, she must really loved her. While I was slightly curious about the baby, I quickly steadied and calmed my mind. The woman and her escorts who were attacked were disguised as travelers, but they possessed clean magic bags with a lot of supplies inside. Was she a noble who was traveling seecretly? Or maybe escaping? While I was thinking that, I checked to see if Selen''s diaper was dirty. It was, so I asked Teto to get a bathtub ready and wash her in lukewarm water. After that, I used "Creation Magic" to make powdered milk and a baby bottle. I warmed it up to about a body temperature, and gave it to her to drink. Drowsy already? Its fine, you can go to sleep. I gently tapped her back to burp her, and then usedCreation Magicto change her clothes and baby diapers, then laid her on a towel in a large basket as an improvised bed. Teto, Im preparing our meal, so look after the baby. Understood nodesu! Ill protect the baby nodesu! I cleaned up the corpses that had fallen to the ground, and used wind magic to disperse the smell of blood to the sky. Then, I set up a stronger-than-usual barrier. Did they run because they noticed our approach? Was it because it would be problematic for them to be seen? In the belongings of the assailants who were opposing the forces defending Selen, they had something like a medal indicating their organization. For now, its an important evidence. While thinking about it, I prepared a meal and called out to Teto who was in the tent. Teto, dinner is here Majo-sama, youre back nanodesu! The baby is sleeping soundly nodesu. S?a??h th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Right, but your voice is loud, so lets be a bit quieter while finishing our meal. (Understood nodesu) I gave some advice, and Tetos voice became a whisper. Teto, who ate as if she was worried about the baby, also shoveled in her food so that she could return to the tent where the baby was sleeping. Unexpectedly, Teto took a liking to the baby. I recalled taking good care of the children in the orphanage in the dungeon city. Then, after I cleaned up the meal and returned to the tent, Teto, who held out her index finger to tickle the babys hand, had it held unconsciously by the baby. Majo-sama~ A~, Baa~ Selen seemed to cry when it was pulled out forcibly, and I let out a small laugh at Tetos panicked appearance. Fufuu, looks like fun. Then, lets discuss our future plans. About Selen What should we do? Do we just take her like this nodesu? ......Yes, lets take her Our destination was where there was nothing, the Empty Wilderness. We shouldn''t take such a young child there. But even if we left Selen at the orphanage in Daryl, there was a chance that the people who attacked her would do it again. Then, lets rest here today. Understood nodesu! Unexpectedly grounded, Teto and I spent the night in the woods. I woke up in the middle of the night when the baby cried, but the next morning we left for the town of Daryl. On my back, Selen, who was wrapped in a baby sling, swung her legs in a good mood, and we proceeded at a normal pace to not burden her. A~, buu~ What a beautiful girl. Her hair was inherited from her mother, and her eyes are probably from her father. She was a baby with dark green eyes that were extremely common. A child with an identical color to her mother who had entrusted me with her. I thought it was good, seeing that her mothers relic of hair had been left behind with Selen. (T/N: Used to be that people who died in battle would have a lock of hair instead of their remains used as a keepsake, in the case that it wasnt possible to bring home the remains. Ill translate it as relic of hair, because the literal translation of dead persons hair is a biton the nose) But why were the mother and child being chased like this? Its like an assassination With the opponent launching a seemingly organized attack, perhaps it was part of the political dispute of royalty, a child that shouldnt have been born politically While I was thinking that, Selen began to cry. Wuu~ Waahhh! Ah, yes, yes, its time for lunch. Teto, lets get ready Yes, nanodesu! I let Selen drink powdered milk, and since the paper diapers were dirty, I changed her clothes. Japanese baby products are really convenient. If not for these, I mightve had to look for a breastfeeding person or use goat milk as a substitute. Thinking that, I confirmed that the baby had fallen asleep and started walking towards town again. Then, we proceeded along the highway towards Daryl and finally arrived at the town, much later than expected. Detouring to Otto town for the development project, and returning from the dungeon city. Its been almost a year and a half since, and I felt nostalgic. Teto and I soothed the baby, and lined up with the adventurers for entering the town of Daryl. The set of Teto and me, a small child holding a baby, were standing in line with the other adventurers. As we moved forward, I could see the gatekeeper who I had talked to before. Could you two be the ones who killed the ogre!? How nostalgic. Its been a while. He compared me, who was wearing a black robe as before, who was now carrying the baby sling that dug into my body, and the unchanged Teto. No way, one of the jou-chans got a child (E/N: I could already see his mortified face XD) We picked it up nodesu! Well, I wanted to talk a little bit about that, so why don''t we go to the guard station and talk to someone in charge? When the guard noticed our problem and the baby, he immediately guided us and called his boss. After the guard''s boss showed up, I told him about the terrible human battle that happened on the road while we were traveling. I also told him that I had brought back the bodies and items with a magic bag. So, a battle and a surviving child, huh Yes, even if it was a battle, I want to courteously bury the corpses Along with my explanation, I was given a gem that could tell if I had done something wrong or not. Since there was no response on the gem, it was decided that I had not killed anyone or tried to kidnap the baby. (T/N: If a crime detecting gem exists, are there just likeno criminals in big cities?) Got it. Ill prepare for that here. So, what about the belongings of the dead? Ill leave everything to the guards. I just want to get the belongings of this childs mother and a part of her hair. In that case, Ill guide you to the place to put it. I was guided to the morgue and prayed for those corpses I had repaired. At that time, I also deposited the belongings as evidence and cut a part of the mothers hair and set it aside as a relic for the baby to keep. As a result of investigating the corpses, an astonishing fact would be revealed at a later date, however at that time Teto and I were not in this town. After discussing the case, I noticed it was almost dusk. What do the jou-chans will do from now on? Well head to the same inn as before, and well take care of this child and raise her. Teto is used to dealing with crying at night nodesu! Selen, who was surprised by Tetos cheerful reply, began to cry loudly and the guards also showed bitter smiles on their faces. With that, the oral survey ended, and we safely entered the town, and while entering the inn from last time The hero of the town is back with a baby!? To the energetic signboard girl, I explained the trivial circumstances and rested for the day. Vol. 3 - Ch. 54 - 【I was called an unmarried mother. Please at least say younger-sister-in-law】 Resting in a room in the inn, we woke up to Selens cry.And Teto and I got up slowly, made milk with a steady hand, made sure her diapers were clean, and so on, because we were used to it by this point. Waaaa! Im glad I can use barrier magic. If I dont soundproof it well enough, it will bother other customers. At the time I set up a soundproof barrier in the whole room for the babys crying during the night, I think thats when I could really feel the existence of the barrier the most. Fundamentally its because Ive lived with the stance of never taking an attack. Also, Teto was the most active when the baby cried at night. As a little girl, my body frankly craved sleep, so at night I slept firmly. Instead of me who was like that, Teto took care of Selen at night. Selen is being targeted by someone, so she cant be left in the orphanage, so it seems well have to raise her at this rate. Sorry. Ill be burdening you, Teto. Why are you apologizing, Majo-sama nodesu? Itll be more fun with more people! Teto laughed happily at me, but it became necessary to think about having more people. S?a??h the N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Well I wanted to head to the Empty Wilderness, but I wonder if that will be impossible until Selen grows up. I didn''t plan to take a baby with me to kill monsters, and I think I could get by for now with the title and savings of a B-rank adventurer. Besides, I didn''t want to leave Selen because it was possible that the people who attacked Selen would attack again. Majo-sama, if you want Teto to, its okay to go on an adventure alone nodesu. Your part can be earning money. I dont dislike that idea. But on the other hand, I''m a little worried about leaving Teto alone with the baby. After ending our conversation, Teto and I had breakfast at the inn before going to the adventurers guild. When Teto and I walked into the guild, there were some people there who knew us. When they saw that I was carrying a baby, they were even more speechless. Hello. Chise-san, Teto-san, its been a while! Have you returned?! Yeah, weve been going to other towns for a while and I ranked up in the dungeon city. So I wanted to go give a greeting at the guild Saying that while handing over my guild card, when we had left town a year and a half ago, what had been D-rank had risen to B-rank, so the congratulations came along with concerns. Sure, I know you beat the ogre, but were you crazy to level up so quickly to B-rank? Even though you''re in your growing period, Chise-san hasn''t grown at all. Yet, why do you have a baby!? No, promotion to B-rank requires money and hunting dungeon monsters, so this is the result of standing on the front line during a dungeon stampede. Regarding my heightmaybe theres no choice but to say its my constitution. Also, this child isnt my baby, shes a child entrusted to me. Simply, a child who had been attacked by someone and survived, but when I told him that Teto and I had decided to raise her, I got a few surprised expressions. Are you going to be an unmarried mother? What amazing resolve. And at only 13 years old Umcant I at least be like an older sister? It was too much of a power word, and my thoughts couldnt keep up. Meanwhile, Selen seemed to feel comfortable taking a nap in Tetos arms. She particularly has her face buried in Tetos large boobs, so I definitely recognize that it feels good. And I was a bit annoyed that I wouldnt be able to give that calming feeling with my chest. Its not like thatactually, I was discussing and decided to raise Selen, so I want to rent a house in town. Also, would there be a job I could do while raising Selen? I understood the conditions he heard were good. The guild should, however, be able to do something about it. If not, I would start raising Selen at a general store selling miscellaneous goods created with Creation Magic, and I hoped I could go to investigate the Empty Wilderness I was reincarnated into in my spare time. In order for the two people who went up to B-rank to stay in this town, I will do my best to back you up! Then we talked about what we could do. I could use general magic to attack, use general magic to heal, do general housework, and mix potions. Teto told him she was good with swords and earth magic. Then, when I was waiting in the corner of the guilds bar, a trio of adventurers, perhaps returning from a quest, appeared in the guild and found us. Ah, Chise-chan and Teto-chan! AhLyle-san, Anna-san, John-san (T/N: I uhh. Kinda didnt expect wed see these guys again, but I stole the translation for their very simple names from the first translator :D Check v1c10 for their first appearance if ya need your memory jogged) Chise-chan. Did you forget our names for a moment? Im sorry I couldnt remember the names right away, and while tilting his head in Tetos direction as if asking who, he was curious about Selen. I heard that you came back with some problems yesterday, but is it that baby? Yes, weve decided to raise this child entrusted to us. Really, you''re still so small, but you have so much guts While wondering if that was a compliment, I talked with them about our story after we left the town. The receptionist onee-san returned to Teto and me, who were talking to Lyle and the others. Currently theres no work that meets the needs of you two. Would you perhaps be able to wait? Got it. Maybe Ill continue to live in the inn for a while, but Id like to rent a house somewhere in order to raise Selen. I bowed my head, took Selen with me, and left the adventurer''s guild to go back to the inn. I took some money out of the guild card before I left, so we should be fine for a while. After returning to the inn, I spent the night taking care of Selen. Meals were brought to the room, so I gave a small tip to the inns daughter, and had her close her eyes regarding Selen. And when it was time to go to bed, I slept with Selen on the bed. POV: ??? We had failed to assassinate and kidnap the subject. Although we had cornered them and were about to take the next step of bringing them down, we felt strong mana and thinking it was reinforcements, so we pulled back. It was adventurers who had happened to pass through by chance, and the woman seems to have died while entrusting her baby to the adventurer. For our purposes, whether it was kidnapping or killing the target, it was necessary to secure the body. But the troublesome thing was that because the adventurer had a large magic bag, all of the corpses and items left behind were recovered. At the very least, we thought it would be good if I could recover that womans body, but it wasnt possible. All of them, including the bodies of our comrades, were delivered to the guards under the lord of this town, the Margrave, so there wasnt anything we could do. At the very least, the kidnapping of the baby had to be completed Thinking that, we invaded the inn in the middle of the night when people fell asleep, and tried to carry out the assassination. (T/N: Please understand that the author is literally using kidnapping and assassination almost interchangeably ;-; I swear Im just being loyal to the text) But Its impossible. Theres no chance There was always a barrier over the entire room of the inn. It was a barrier with multiple effects like soundproofing, blocking, and alarm. To maintain it while sleeping, it looked like that small woman had a lot of skill. And while we were looking over from the next building to check the situation indoors as much as possible If you intend to disturb Majo-sama and Selens sleep, I wont forgive you nodesu! Another woman was awake and seemed to deliver her voice with some sort of magic, a magic that vibrated the roof tiles. Is it a specter! Before we reached this town, we werent easy going. We were looking for an opportunity to assassinate the adventurers that protected the child so that we would not be noticed. Nevertheless, one person always kept a barrier even when sleeping or waking up. The other person looked like they were resting, but continued to stay alert without sleeping for the past few days. We knew they were B-rank adventurers because of what was said in the adventurer''s guild. They had killed an ogre or something similar, but it was even scarier than that It had already been started, and if we spent a lot of time our organization would be ruined. However, trying to protect and raise an unfamiliar baby, there should be a chance to take advantage of that friendly personality. Be ready, we have no choice but to decide The mens muttering melted into the darkness. (T/N: doing this while low on sleeppretty sure I didnt see any pronouns actually indicating that the POV was from like. A group. But this last line implies it so :DDDD) Vol. 3 - Ch. 55 - Escape out of the daytime assassination attempt! My life after returning to Darryl town had basically been revolving around making trips between the guild and the inn.Waking up at the inn, going shopping with Selene, looking for a residence and jobs in the guild, and once again returning back to the inn. Amidst such a robotic and monotonous life that continued for one week, I suddenly felt someone peeping at us from afar. "?Sense Enemy?...... No result, huh? They sure are thoroughly prepared." I used the detection magic that I had read in churchs magic books to search for malice or hostility. Like undulating waves, my magical power spread out in a vast area, searching for such evil signs. However, it seemed that the opponent was aware of the detection magic, as they had also taken countermeasures against it. There was no doubt that the opponent had come aiming for Selene judging from how prepared they were. "The opponent possesses the same type of magical power as that disgusting curse." "What do we do, Miss Witch?" Im pretty sure if we escape downtown out of panic without any plan, theyll come hunting us down. As such, staying in populated areas like our current schedule was the best course of action right now; even assassins would find it hard to lay hands on us right under the townsfolks nose. "Aa` bu, buu~" "Fufu, I wonder what has humored you, little one?" I said as I stopped in my tracks and suddenly hugged Selene, teasing her while gently rocking her. We were in the crowded main street with lots of people passing by and many stalls opened. "Miss Witch~ the grill skewers on this stall looks delicious." "We just ate our breakfast though..... Fine, you can buy them." "Tally-ho!" Tet left me and went to buy skewers from the stall. But just as I stopped on the edge of the street to wait for Tet to finish with her purchase, I suddenly felt a surge in the magical power that resembled that curse. "Wha- don''t tell me...... " I was flabbergasted to think they would dare to act in broad daylight. With unprecedented vigilance, I hurriedly looked around my surroundings. In such a crowded place, there was no doubt that the aftermath would leave many injured, or even dead. "һһGo to hell!" Assassins jumped out from the crowd and roof, and they immediately rained down magic and black magic attacks. I erected 2 defensive barriers. One to keep myself and Selene from harm, and the other to stop the aftereffect of the magic as well as to suppress it. "Guh!" The sudden instantaneous use of barrier magic I wasn''t familiar with made a groan escape my lips. Panic ensued when the sudden light and sound caused by the conflict between the violent magic and the barrier spread in the main street. "Thisһ" The bright light produced by the magic and the crowd of people trying to save their own hide by escaping to the surrounding areas made me lose sight of the assassins. "Miss Witch!" "Be careful, Tet! We were just attacked!" As I shouted that, a throwing knife came clashing at the defensive barrier guarding me and Selene. I quickly turned to look at the direction it came from, but I once again lost sight of them amidst the crowd of panicking people. "I can''t even counterattack, else the general populace would be in it." "Miss Witch! Are you hurt!?" "I''m fiһ Wha, your clothes, Tet!" "They''re just slashed. Im all-righto, I have beat them down soundly!" It seemed that the assassin even targeted Tet, but only for tables to turn on them instead. Tet held the Assassins dagger in her hand, while the defeated assassins sprawled down on the ground for losing in their own forte. "Get ready Tet, we''re going to make our escape." "Right-ho!" I hugged Selene with my right arm and grabbed Tet''s hand with my left. Then, I invoked flight magic. We soared into the sky while cladded in a defensive barrier. We then flew toward the northern direction of the town where the ?Empty Wilderness? - the place that I was reincarnated to - was. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The assassins immediately strengthened their onslaught in panic when they saw us flying. However, this was also a double-edge sword to them since they had basically just ratted out their location to us very clearly. "һһ?Earth Bind?." A gigantic earthen hand appeared, breaking through the stone paving of the town and restraining the assassins in its grasp. Although this had caught all the conspicuous assassins, there was the possibility of their accomplices somewhere so I immediately made a beeline out of town with flight magic and landed inside the forest. "Ugyaaa, ogyaaaa!" "There there, I''m sorry, Selene. That must be scary, right? Look, there are no scary people anymore. Its all okay now." I turned back to take a glance at Derryl town while soothing Selene, who had begun crying from perceiving the strange atmosphere as well as the flash and sounds from the magic attacks. "To think those assassins would dare to attack without any care for the general populace...... we can''t live in the town this way. We can''t even secure a normal life..." "Cheer-up, Miss Witch! Here, would you like to eat the skewers?" Tet tried to comfort me a bit. However, she instead became dejected herself when she noticed that she was too busy fighting the assassins and thus, couldnt buy any skewers. "Tet, let''s aim for ?Empty Wilderness? and settle down there for the time being." We advanced towards the northern direction of the forest with Selene in my embrace. Three days after we began our journey, we spotted the remnants of the dungeon that I and Tet had cleared together. A day after that, we finally arrived at the wilderness һһ?Empty Wilderness?. "I never knew ?Empty Wilderness? was here all along but...... " If anyone tried to focus their magical power on their eyes using ?Body Strengthening? magic, they could see a dome-shaped inviolable barrier near the boundary of the forest. There was no influx of people, monsters, animals or even magic power on the outer area of the barrier hiding ?Wilderness of Nihility?. There was just a bit of greenery with the seeds of fine flora and fauna spreading on the outer regions plains. Nonetheless, it still didn''t change the fact that this dry region was a wilderness where nothing but the weeds infamous for their tenacity could grow. As usual, not a single tree in sight. I looked around the surroundings and found out that the only things that could move freely between the inner and outer region of ?Empty Wilderness? were either the famous puny monsters - slimes - or harmless animals. "I heard that no one but a reincarnated person can enter...... " I was able to pass through the erected barrier together with Tet and Selene. And when I did, I felt that the atmosphere had changed since the last time I was here. "Rather than saying that the air is suffocatingly thin, it''s the magical power that''s thin here." I hadn''t felt it when I was reincarnated here because I was using magic subconsciously that time, but the barrier''s inside was just as Goddess Liliel had said; the magic power was thin, no, I felt like it wasnt wrong to say that there was almost no magical power at all. I didn''t understand it very well at the beginning with my measly magical power but now, I could, seeing as the surplus magical power emitting from my body was vanishing in the air at a fast rate. "How are you feeling, Tet?" "Hmm? It''s a bit hard to recover my magical power but Tet has this!" I smiled bitterly at Tet, who took out a magic stone after saying that and tossed it into her mouth. "I see, Tet has such means for recovery. But you seeһһ" "Aaa, uuu... " It seemed the glittering shards of magic stones had caught the attention of Selene as she was stretching out her hands towards them. "You''re banned from taking it out in front of Selene, okay? It would be a disaster if she found one and accidentally swallowed it." "I-I understand! I wont show them to Selene!" After that short exchange, we advanced to the ?Empty Wilderness? that had nothing but thin magical power. The deeper region was even worse since I couldn''t feel a single hint of mana or any kind of vegetation. This contrasted with the outer region, which at least had thin mana and weeds growing out. Even so, this was our sole safe-haven where assassins couldn''t enter. For now, my plan was to settle down and raise Selene here. Side: Lord of the Darryl town ? Margrave Reebell I was shocked when I received the report and that dead body from my guards. "This person is Lord Gaston! And they aren''t they the Escort knights of the royal palace?" The slashed and torn clothes looked like commoners, but their appearance was similar to the knights I had met in the royal capital before. But that wasn''t all. There were also people that seemed to be attendants and maids lying dead in a similar fashion. And when my gaze rested on the last person, I was left speechless. "Elise-sama...... " It was the beautiful face of a dead person. There was no mistaking it, she was the saint of the Church - Elise-sama - who had become the mistress of the Prince of Iscar Kingdom. Saintess, it was the status conferred to the female magicians specialized in healing magic in the Church that worshiped the five great gods. Even among them, Elise-sama, who wandered from one place to another throughout the Kingdom, healed the populace there, and offered her prayers, had made a name for herself as the Head Saint at a young age. I remembered how such a sublime and beautiful Elise-sama visited the Adventurers, Knights, and soldiers fighting against the monsters at the frontier and healed their wounds. The romance between the noble Elise-sama and the Prince began when the Prince fell in love on the spot at the appearance of Elise-sama, who had been dispatched by the church as the military healer for logistic support during the monster subjugation that was Prince''s first battle. Even after she had married the Princes as his mistress, she continued doing voluntary services like visiting the orphanage around the royal capital. This was off topic, but there had been a time when people valued the ideology that Saints and clergymen would only be a truly sacred entity if they kept themselves away from worldly desires. At that time, such an Oracle was passed by the goddess һһ Saints and Clergymen alike are the human beings too, it is thus natural for them conceive a child and raise them. While excessive desires do destroy one, it goes against the Goddess''s creed to suppress them. Goddess Liliel, one of the five gods worshiped by the Church, was the goddess with the most motherly disposition out of the other gods. In other words, she was the goddess that protected a person''s right. It was written in the documents that the Church at that time had decided to ignore the Oracle passed down by the goddess. And eventually, divine punishment was given by Goddess Liliel. Henceforth, the Saints and clergymen could too indulge in worldly desires in moderation and were able to marry. Well, enough reminiscing. I considered the possibility that the person might just happened to resemble Elise-sama, but a certain dagger - the proof of the royal family - and a mithril cross - the symbol connected to Church - was also found beside her. In addition, there was also a written letter. It seemed to be a letter addressed to Illzet Church by the King. It said that believers of Evil Cult had snuck into the royal palace with the aim of sacrificing Elise-sama to summon a high-ranking demon. The believers of Evil Cult, even the low-ranking ones, apparently possessed the same level of strength as the knights by using some external methods to let demons possess their bodies. The letter was basically asking the tightly guarded Church to give Elise-sama refuge for a while since it wasn''t possible to lay a magic that neutralized that external method in the royal palace, making it unsafe for Elise-sama. "What in the name of Goddess...... " The king has written in the letter that not only Elise-sama, but Seleneril-sama - the child of the Saint and the Prince - also had a high chance of being targeted. Thus, they hoped that the church, which had strict countermeasures against the demons, could look after them. I assumed that their plan was to let Elise-sama and Seleneril-sama spend their time in the church until they were done with sweeping the Evil Cult members from the royal palace and then call them back once everything was over. However, they were attacked by the Evil Cult when they were on the way to the Church. All the assassins that had attacked them were also carrying the symbol of Evil Cult and the tools and medicine necessary to strengthen themselves through external means. "Ah, there''s no time to waste. I have to quickly protect Seleneril-sama, the child of the Prince and the Saint...... " Id received the information that a baby called Selene was being looked after by an Adventurer. I had to quickly protect her and send her to Church in place of Elise-sama and the escort knights. But before I could make any move, new information made its way to my desk. It was about Evil Cult members causing a ruckus in the middle of the town, and the female Adventurer duo that were taking care of the baby leaving the town with flying magic after restraining the Evil Cult members with magic. The town was sealed off and all the hidden members of the evil cult were captured. Although they were fiends who had made a contract with the demons, they were merely lodging the mana similar to a curse inside themselves to increase their strength. As soon as the ins and outs were known, the soldiers and knights were immediately equipped with purification magic and holy water to neutralize them. The silver lining of this incident was that all the devil worshippers lurking in the town had been caught. And while there were injured people, no one died. However, the whereabouts of Seleneril-sama had remained unknown ever since. Vol. 3 - Ch. 56 - Lets Cultivate the Infertile wilderness My life in the ?Empty Wilderness? with Teto and Selene began."The closer you get to the central region, the thinner the magical power becomes, there are no plants growing either." The ?Empty Wilderness? was a big piece of land rivaling even those of small countries, and we were currently aiming for the central region of such a place. It was because several days beforeһһ s?a??h th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?It has been a long time, Chise.? "Goddess Liliel. Is this another Oracle in the dream?" The night of the day we arrived at the ?Empty Wilderness?, that goddess once again showed herself in my dreams. ?I guess I should say Welcome back first.? "Yeah, I''m back. I even brought a child with me." ?Fufu, I know. I saw her.? Goddess Liliel chimed in happily. She seemed to have been keeping an eye on our situation. "I will be using this wilderness for a while to raise the kid here." ?Of course, I don''t mind. However, can I also request for something?? "What is it? I will try to do it to the best of my capabilities.? ?I don''t mind if you only do it in your spare time, but I just want you to let your magical power seep into the ?Empty Wilderness? and cultivate it.? "Argh..." The information about the whole region of ?Wilderness of Nihility? was transmitted to my head as soon as Liliel told me her request. Although the maximum amount of information I could process was increased due to the skill ?Speed Reading? and ?Parallel Thinking?, it was still painful to receive the information about a whole region rivaling a small country at once. As such, I woke up. "Huff, huff...... " "Are you alright, Majou-sama? You woke up so suddenly" asked Teto in a faint voice as I opened my eyes inside the tent. "I just, huff talked with the Goddess for a bit...... " My magical power reserve was still fine since the conversation wasn''t as long as last time, but my head still hurt from the sudden information that was instilled in my brain. Though, I now understood the whole situation thanks to the knowledge. "I see, so this is the true form of ?Empty Wilderness?." ?Empty Wilderness? was one of those places whose magical power had disappeared due to the recklessness of an ancient magical civilization 2000 years ago. It all began when this piece of land was transformed into the true nihility state after its air instantaneously lost all magical power. It caused mana all over the world to stream into this region, destroying the balance of the ecosystem and causing the death of animals that relied on the world''s magical power. This event almost brought the whole world to the brink of destruction. The gods erected a giant barrier to stop the flow of magical power; isolating this region and thus, saving the world from destruction. However, the magical power in the world simultaneously disappeared many times due to the rampage of magic experiments that reduced the density of the magical power in the air and upset the earth veins`the magic stream that flowed in the ground. After that, the five gods of this continent, goddess Liliel and others, shifted the magical power that hadn''t been used in the earth many times along with the reincarnated persons over the span of 2000 years, thus, filling it with magical power little by little. But even so, the difference in the density of magical power inside and outside of the barrier was immense. While there were still some weeds growing around the outer region of ?Empty Wilderness?, the central region continued to be infertile and unsuitable for life for as long as 2000 years. The request from the Goddess was to improve the mana density in the ?Empty Wilderness? and restore nature. "Even the gods have limits, and that''s why they''re requesting me, a human, to do it." The information instilled in me also contained the specific improvement method. However, this method couldn''t be implemented unless we headed to the central region of ?Empty Wilderness?. As such, my plan was to make this place our base to begin cultivating the land and also raise Selene for the time being. We arrived at the central region of the wilderness after I sorted out the favor asked by the Goddess and the knowledge imparted to me. "Teto, what do you think of the soil here?" "Completely bad. Theres no water so its hard and crumbly. It''s completely tasteless." I erected a barrier around us because of all the clouds of dust in the air. It was an inhabitable, infertile land that could barely sustain a grown human, let alone letting said human raise a child at the same time. Neither shades from trees nor any watering place was in sight. The ground was hard and compact, so much so that we couldn''t even raise crops. Teto and I made a stone house with magic and used it as our temporary base. We decided to raise Selene there. "Rain clouds can pass through the barrier but the soil here cant store it." "Teto can find a water vein if you let Teto search for it." "You can do it later, Teto. The more important thing is to cover the ground here. һһ?Creation? Mulch!" What I created was 20 kg of mulch wrapped in plastic. I then created several more tons of them and piled them. But just that alone wouldn''t be enough. As such, I turned to Teto. "Teto, can you put out the soil you have saved so far here?" "Oh, Ive saved a lot!" Teto replied cheerfully and put one part of her body to the ground. From there, a huge amount of soil surpassing 200 kg in amount overflowed like a flood. The mud, which was the main element that formed Teto''s body, had absorbed the fertile soils from various lands during our journey, and the food she ate was decomposed and fermented inside, turning it into black soil. Not to mention the fact that the soil inside Teto also took in and raised all sorts of beneficial insects and microbes. My plan was to use the mulch I had created and the soil Teto had produced to raise those insects and microbes. This would become the necessary component to revive the lands here. "This is enough for now. I will mix the soils here, so can you please check and adjust the ingredients?" "Leave it to me!" Teto tore apart the plastic bag containing the mulch and checked the composition of soil and leaf mould. Meanwhile, I mixed and regulated the amount. After the soil composition was done, we covered a part of wilderness with a certain thickness of it, dampened it by sprinkling water created with ?Creation Magic? and then covered it with a heat retention plastic that was also made with creation magic to prevent water from evaporating. "I wonder how long it will take..." "If you wait for around a week, their number will increase by quite a lot." I really had to thank the strong vitality of those worms and microbes which allowed them to grow even under an environment that lacked magical power. I cultivated the land with another magic while fertilizing it with the mulch. "Sprinkle the soil in this place һһ ?Creation? Nuts! ?Grow Up?!" I mixed up the nuts in a part of Tetos soil. Then, I rapidly germinated and grew them with the ?Origin Magic? after putting in liquid fertilizer. The plant-raising magic that was made up of light and water magic used up quite a lot of my mana. Merely growing the tree in front of me to no more than one year consumed around 1000 mana units. However the forceful growth had also taken away the nutrients from soil and put burdens on the trees as they had grown up tall and lanky, looking as if they might collapse at any moment. In addition, it also made their lifespans shorter compared to naturally grown trees. However, my plan was to raise many of such trees around our temporary home at regular intervals. "First of all, I guess this place will grow into a shelterbelt for the soil." The wind currents in this forsaken ?Empty Wilderness? were very strong since there was nothing hindering them. As such, they could blow the moisture from the ground easily. It would be troublesome if our painstakingly-made soil that raised the microbes dried up just like that. That was why I decided to grow these trees. Besides, it didn''t really matter if the lifespan of shelterbelts trees was short due to the forced growth or premature fall. All that mattered was their roots, which had stretched deep into the soil. Even if they fell, the fallen trees could be broken into fine wood and mixed into the soil; Then, the microbes would decompose it and turn it into new soil. "I wonder if by repeating this process little by little, we can turn this whole region into woods." "It''s a small step, but its still indeed a step toward that-nanodesu." At the very least, I wanted to turn this region into a place overflowing with greenery by the time Selene became aware of her surroundings. Vol. 3 - Ch. 57 - Life in the ?Empty Wilderness? The land quickly lost its temperature once the day was over since there was nothing stopping the heat from seeping out. As such, nights in the wilderness were awfully chilly.Since all traces of warmth had left the surrounding area, I had to erect an insulation barrier around our temporary dwelling, the stone house. Furthermore, the rows of trees whose growth I had forcibly accelerated with magic withered in only several days due to the harsh environment. "Sure enough, the root hasn''t taken place properly because of the forceful growth They also don''t have much resistance to harsh weather." Fortunately, at least the trees roots had broken around 10 cm of soil. I removed the fallen trees with magic and grew them once again after replanting the nuts in the soil that contained the mulch, liquid fertilizer, and sprinkling water. A row of fresh new trees with roots even stronger than before took their place whilst the fallen trees were crushed into fine pieces and mixed in with the soil to breed microbes. "I guess this is what we can do for now. Let''s go back to our house." "Indeed-nanodesu." After that, we continued our isolated life from civilization. Somehow, we managed to grow trees in the ?Empty Wilderness?. Thus, began our cultivation of land from there. I had my doubts when I saw the trees withering away and falling down so soon when we tried our best to keep them alive in our first month, but I soon realized that this was the mana forsaken land. Magical power apparently had the tendency to flow from high to low density places. As such, it seemed that the mana emitted from the grown trees would spread to the surrounding area, and when they ran out of mana, they would wither away. So, after realizing the problem, I immediately erected a barrier, one that resembled the barrier covering ?Empty Wilderness?, to prevent the efflux of mana around the hundred meters of our house. Then, I started with first filling the area with my mana. Since my daily routine was to release my magic to increase the mana density, maintain the barrier, and also to increase my mana capacity, I ate ?Mysterious Fruits?. By doing this, the situation around our house had finally started to stabilize. The buds were beginning to sprout from all the seeds brought by Teto that we mixed in the soil. The moss also began to grow, and so did the slimes that fed on mana and water. "There arent that many Moss and Slimes, but they''re indeed releasing magical power." They would absorb mana, further amplify it, and then absorb it again. It birthed the tiny cycle of restoration, covering the atmosphere around our house with mana. In about just three months, we were able to bring the mana density on the same level as the outside of the great barrier. "That wasn''t as big of a deal as I thought; full restoration isn''t that far away if things keep going at this rate." The following incident happened because I let down my guard while muttering that. "Ahһ" I accidentally cut off my connection with the barrier around our home. As a result, it only took minutes before the mana scattered in the wilderness, Slimes bodies broke down as if melting, the ground sucked in all the water, and the trees and microbes withered away. "Ah, there goes our painstakingly created base." "Majou-sama, Fight! We still have plenty of time-nanodesu!" The mana from a tiny region of a land rivaling the small size country was thus liberated, but ?Empty Wilderness? didn''t show a wee bit of change. It was like dripping a drop of water into an empty bucket. "It''s fine, I''m alright. Ive got the knack on how to begin cultivating this place. For sure, I will do it right next time!" Thus, Teto and I worked together to remove the fallen trees. Afterward, I erected another barrier. However, the difference this time was barrier wasn''t erected by magic, instead, I used a self-reliant magic tool to erect a barrier around our house. The barrier of the magic tool in the shape of 16 stone pillars produced by my ?Creation Magic? was maintained by the resultant magic tools that supported each other. Although this would increase the time I had to fuel mana into them daily by one, it worked as an excellent safeguard. Even if one or two magic tools were to malfunction unexpectedly, the barrier would still be preserved thanks to the other magic tools. In this way, the mana density began to rise again as I recultivated the trees and released my mana. My mana capacity was also increasing at a good pace due to the fact that I had been eating the ?Mysterious Fruit? and exhausting my mana to the limit for the cultivation of wilderness. Furthermore, since this was our second time cultivating this land, the land managed to return to its previous state in just two months. Meanwhile, something else happened that even I couldnt help but be impressed by. "It''s amazing. Slimes are produced naturally again, and even the moss has revived." "The plant seeds have buds sprouting too!" Although the vegetation had withered away due to the mana efflux from barrier collapsing, the moss didnt since it had probably put itself into a suspended animation state as soon as the barrier collapsed. Thus, it grew back again after receiving mana, water, and nutrients. The seeds that were left in the ground, even as the plants had withered, sprouted from under the dry grass. On the other hand, as we cultivated the ?Empty Wilderness?, Selene soundly grew up inside the house. I assumed that she was most likely two or three months old when she was entrusted to us. Now, look at her! She started to move her head, take turns in her sleep, and even managed to sit on her own; and in no time, she was able to crawl and run. "She''s really an energetic child, isn''t she?" Until now, I had made most things in my house perpendicular and rectangular-shaped with comfort in mind. But as Selene''s range of activities increased, I realized that the corners of desks and other things were potentially dangerous for Selene. As such, I took this chance to reconstruct our house. I arranged furniture with rounded corners in our new wood and stone house created by ?Creation Magic?. This would keep Selene safe and I didnt need to worry about her hurting herselfa accidentally. "How are you doing, Selene? Its eating time, lets eat. Say ahn~" As Selene''s teeth started to grow, I slowly began to feed her the baby food made from ?Creation Magic?. Naturally, it was impossible to expect any foodstuff from this wilderness. But the food created with ?Creation Magic?, especially the bottled food for babies, was nutritionally balanced, delicious, and had a lot of variety. Thus, even Selene could eat it. S?a?ch* Th? N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Even the clothes that were created with the creation magic had the growth of the child in mind, so I was glad that I didnt need to replace clothes for Selene constantly. Furthermore "Let''s eat this too, Selene." "Buu~" "Come on, don''t be so picky. You will feel better after drinking it quickly." Among the medicines and mushrooms I had taken from the dungeon town, there was a medicine that increases the immunity of infants. A single dose would prevent any disease or infection for half a year. So, I made Selene drink it. Selene had the mithril ring for purification and detoxification. Nevertheless, it was my duty as her parent to make her drink the medicine. Just like that, the days of cultivating the ?Empty Wilderness? and raising Selene continued for three years. Vol. 3 - Ch. 58 - I became an eternal 12 year old! The central region of wilderness had become quite greener over the course of three years.The woods, which were barely in the 100 meter range of our house before, had also expanded its scope to 500 meters. As long as there was a fixed environment, mana would give birth to even more potent mana. The grown-up plants would absorb the mana I released everyday and then release it in even greater amounts. This cycle has considerably raised the mana density inside the barrier. There was the possibility of powerful monsters or dungeons spawning spontaneously, but even if that were to happen, we would just return to square one if I cut off the barrier isolating the mana flow. I decided to first set up another barrier magic tool outside of the 100 meter range of the existing barrier so as to not cause any drastic change in the environment. Then, I erected a second barrier. After that, we planted trees there to increase the scope while gradually transferring the concentrated mana in the second barrier region to achieve equilibrium of mana density. "Haaһ but this also made it a pain to manage the barrier magic tools." After the barriers range was expanded, I removed the previous stone pillars. However, this forced me to fuel more than 80 of those magic tools one by one every day. It was a pain to deal with. In the meantime, on our first winter here in the wilderness, I found the ruins of the ancient magic civilization underground when I was exploring the wilderness alone, leaving Teto behind as the development of plants had reached the stangated state due to the limitation of the area. All of their traces had vanished from the surface due to the aftermath of the magic experiment, but it seemed that there were still some facilities left underground. Although I really wanted to do a thorough investigation, I found something even more gravitating first there. I had found out about the existence of a magic tool that could control/supervise other magic tools from the ancient magic civilization''s documents about magitech in that facility. With the help of records and ?Creation Magic?, I created a remote controlling magic tool to manage and transmit my mana to the base. It couldn''t be any more ironic that the same technology that caused the catastrophe of mana disappearance was playing a role in restoration of mana and nature. "Finally, I wont need to check up on the tools so many times." The controlling magic tools monitored the condition of each magic tool so that I could quickly know which one was damaged or malfunctioned without the need to personally check them out. Managing the tools had become much easier compared to before. However, this also increased my mana consumption when I sent my mana to fuel the other magical tools. My mana consumption for fueling 80 tools one by one until now was 20000 units, but with the centralized management, it had nearly doubled to 40000 units. But since the lost mana also played the role of increasing the mana density as it decayed and blended in the air, setting up those magic tools wasnt a waste at all. "I think I should stop the development of the forest here for now." Just replenishing the mana of those barrier magical tools was consuming around 80% of my present mana. "I would absolutely love to avoid regressing to square one like last time by forcing the expansion and destroying the balance of mana to replenish the barrier." At present, the miniscule amount of grown-up plants were filling the inside of the barrier, and I also needed to increase my own mana. The ?Empty Wilderness? had an area of 2500 square kilometers, and this tiny forest we had raised after so much effort only covered 0.01% of the whole map. "Were still so far from our goal of cultivating the forest." "We still have a lot of time, Majou-sama. Let''s take it easy!" "You''re right, Teto. But we still have to think about new methods." The environment has finally begun to form a stable ecosystem in these three years. "Mama~ Big sis Teto~ look, a butterfly!" We had also created a small field by clearing away a tiny region of forest since the forest had already stabilized enough to not wither away like earlier. Our house was a cozy log house made of a combination of wood and stone. Also, a few rooms had been expanded. The one who came trotting towards our direction was 3-year-old Selene, clasping a butterfly in her hand. Apparently, she found it hovering over the vegetable flowers. She had grown up into an adorable little girl with deep green hair. Now, I was more excited to see her growth than the forest''s cultivation. As she came runningһ "Ah......" һShe tripped and fell, maybe because she was still a child. The butterfly that was in her grasp fluttered up to her head and immediately flew off to somewhere when Selene freed her hand to support herself on the ground. "Are you hurt, Selene?" "Uwaaaa, Mamaaaaaһ" "There-there, it must''ve hurt. Let mom check your hands and knees, I said as I hugged the fallen Selene and consoled her. It seemed that she had scraped herself when she fell so her knees were now bleeding and a bit dirty. I cleaned her wound with magic and used healing magic. "Pain, pain, go away~ Alright, the pain is gone." "......Yeah. It doesn''t hurt." As I pulled Selene into my embrace, Teto praised her. "Amazing! You immediately stopped crying. You''re a strong child-nanodesu." "Hehehe...... Big sis Teto praised me." Our days passed like this; revolving around Selene as we cultivate the land. Selene was seeing me as her mother while admiring Teto as her older sister. I should have been more like an older sister due to my appearance and height, but strangely, Selene was seeing me as her mother figure. ?Your biological mother passed away after entrusting you to me. This is your mother''s hair.? I had explained to her the whole situation while showing the hair I had cut off from her mother''s dead body before being attacked in the Darryl town, but I guess she was still too young to understand this. However, she seemed to have understood that she had a birth mother, and I was just her caretaker mother. "What were Mama and Big sis doing?" "Hmm? We were planting a new kind of tree." "New trees!? I also want to help!" "Hmm alright. I guess we can use your help." I created a new species of tree with the ?Creation Magic?. I had created various types of helpful medicinal herbs like those used for soaps and the likes. In the same way, I was going to plant a tree that was called ?Word Tree?. It would produce the most amount of mana out of all the other trees I had planted. With a scoop, Teto dug up a hole in the ground which had now become soft. Selene planted the seeds that were the size of a walnut that I had created beforehand, and sprinkled the water mixed with liquid fertilizer from a watering can. In the end, I decided to feed them a large amount of mana to make their germination easier and planted them uniformly in each location in the forest. S~?a??h the N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. And when an orange hue was dominating the skyһ "Hmm, Zzz......" "Fufu, she''s adorable, isn''t she?" "Majou-sama and Selene are both cute." "Selene will grow up one day and leave for the world, won''t she?" Selene was currently sleeping on my back, apparently tired after planting all the seeds. Good grief, I hadn''t grown up at all in all these years. It was all because of the skill I got when my magical power surpassed 50,000 units as the result of eating those ?Mysterious Fruits? in these three years of raising Selene. һһIt was ?Eternal Youth?. I feared that I might stay as a 12-year-old forever, and that Selene would grow bigger than me one day. In the first place, our current lifestyle was something unhealthy from the perspective of human society. "Hmm, I guess it''s time to think about moving our residence for the sake of Selene when the seeds of these world trees germinate." If the world trees germinated and began to produce a large amount of mana without any hindrance as I was expecting them to, I would add a new feature to the Barrier maintenance tool. The new features function was to give the barrier the ability to maintain itself by absorbing magical power. Currently, it took around 40000 units of my mana to preserve the 500 meter range barrier. In order to reach that amount of mana units with the mana produced by plants and trees, I planted many ?World Trees?. If I was no longer needed to manage the magic tools everyday as I hoped, then all I would need to do was yearly maintenance of the magical tool. Just like that, in our third winter in the wilderness, the seeds of the world trees sprouted. Just a single sapling produced around 1500 units of mana, which was more than what I had initially expected. They produced enough mana for me to leave the barriers maintenance to the planted world trees. In addition, as the world tree continued to produce mana without withering away even in the harsh winter, I decided to release a portion of the high density mana inside the barrier to the wilderness outside. Thus, In the winter of the third year, we moved our base from the central region of the ?Empty Wilderness? to the outer region of the south-east direction near the Gard beastkin nation since all the problems needed to be tackled over there were resolved. Vol. 3 - Ch. 59 - A Town Trip with a Child The self-sufficient barrier device system made by planting world trees was soon improved. I had made the World Tree while keeping the image of "a tree that could produce a huge amount of mana, and being able to stand tall in the presence of scarce mana" with the ?Creation Magic?.I created multiple world tree seeds and planted them in many regions of the wilderness with nutrient-rich soil along with the Barrier magic tool - Stone pillar. The Barrier magic tool - Stone pillar was an independent magic tool that could maintain a barrier and sustain itself by absorbing mana. I had set up such a mana generation point by the world tree inside a narrow barrier in every place of the ?Empty Wilderness?. "Next main thing isһһ" Also, I have made sure that the isolation barrier could automatically expand itself and restrain the mana flow that accompanied the increased mana density. I mixed the plants and tree seeds in the soil and sprinkled them into the ground. Now what was left was to see if these plants could increase their domain after germinating and give rise to natural plant regions. This was only a small step to setting up mana-generating points in each place one by one, but I believed that the average mana density in the ?Empty Wilderness? had gradually begun to increase. "Besides, such things are a piece of cake once you get the knack of it." I created a new residence and woods inside the Great barrier near the Beastkin kingdom. The reason for our moving to that location was to interact with the outside world. "I should let Selene hang out with other people besides us, lest I risk hampering her social ability." After muttering that, I turned towards Selene. "Become good friends with other people, okay?" "Yes!" Replied Selene energetically. I had already investigated the nearby village beforehand. As such, I knew that it was a frontier town in which an equal number of humans and Beastkins lived. It should be easy to live in this town of Adventurers who defeat monsters overflowing from the ominous place of the frontier region. "The things to trade are sorted out, I also got other things. Alright, let''s go. I am leaving the house sitting duty to you, Teto." "Alright-nanodesu!" I took out a broom instead of my usual wand and straddled it together with Selene. "Ohhh! We''re flying!" "Be careful to not lose your balance!" Selene went gaga in happiness and beamed cheerfully, she had always longed for the flying broom. The contents of the books I had collected during my journey to other places were still difficult for a child like Selene to read. So I created the picture books from my previous world, Earth, with the ?Creation Magic? and gave them to Selene to read after translating them to this world''s letters. In the picture book, there was a witch who had made her appearance, and, similar to me, she was dressed in a black robe and wore a black triangular pointy hat. After reading that the witch flew into the sky with a broom in the picture book, she asked me` Mama, you can fly in the sky? I can Saying so, I showed her the floating magic but apparently, the flying Selene meant was using the broom to fly in the sky. After that, I developed a broom-type magic device that could fly in the air and also created a spell to control it efficiently, and my word, that was quite a hassle. However, the good thing was its flying speed in a linear direction was pretty fast and the mana consumption was quite low. As I was immersed in the changes that had happened so far, we soon arrived at our destination. Selene and I got off outside the town and, after entering through the city gate, we directly headed for the adventurer''s guild. "Hey ''here, Missy. Don''t ye come in th'' guild wit'' a child. Guild ain''t a plac'' for ye to play." A male Adventurer suddenly raised his voice at us. Selene was frightened by the influx of people she was seeing for the first time besides myself and Teto and the well-built person of the opposite gender hunching his back to look at us. I have more or less taught her that there are two genders, male and female, in a bookish way but I guess she must be shocked to suddenly see such a huge difference. "Mama......" "It''s fine. There''s no need to fear." "I haven''t done any requests recently but I''m an adventurer registered in a different country." "Guild card seems alrigh''. Bu'' bringing a child wit'' ye ain''t commendable." "We have settled down near this town recently, so I just came here only to visit the guild. I don''t have any plans to bring a child with me while completing quests." We exchanged a few words but seeing that the Adventurer showed no sign of retreating even after politely telling him off, I released my mana. It''s been a while since I last pressured someone with magic. In the process, I realized that there were limits to how much magical power I could release or use for body strengthening to cover my body even if I have increased my mana quantity. Nevertheless, the pressure I released from my vast mana reserve after a long time was still unlike before and the opponent too seemed to have understood this somehow. "O-Oh, gotcha. Sorry to stop ye." I passed by him flashing a gentle smile while Selene cocked her head in confusion at the sudden change in the attitude of the male Adventurer. In this way, when I made my way to the reception counter, a Cat Beastkin receptionist greeted us. "What kind of business do you have? Do you want to register with the guild? Or there''s something you want to know about the request?" "For now, I just want to withdraw money from this guild card. Also, is there any place in this town where I can leave the child for caretaking?" S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Hm, ah, yes. Please wait a minute." The receptionist''s eyes widened at the recorded entry in the guild card and she was surprised again when she saw I''m a B-rank Adventurer and thenһ "Wha, 17 years old...... " "That''s right. Is there something wrong?" I entered my age as 12 years old at the time of registration and I had been active for around 1 and a half years in the Iscar kingdom. After that, it has been around 4 years since I met Selene so I was now officially 17 years old. Though it was quite refreshing to see the perplexed expression the receptionist showed due to the contrast in my age and my outward appearance. "Err...... Are you really a parent and a child? You aren''t siblings?" "More precisely, I''m her foster mother. Her biological mother has passed away." "I apologize for asking such an insensitive question...... " Selene tugged on my clothes as silence flowed amidst us. "Mama...... Wee-wee...... " "Excuse me. Can you tell me where the toilet is?" "Ah, yes. It''s in that directioһ...... Wait, Mama?" The multiple factors of being a B-rank Adventurer, a great amount of money in the unit of several dozen large gold coins, being 17 years old but having the appearance of a 12-year-old and even more so carrying a non-blood-related child caused not only the Cat Beastkin receptionist but even the neighboring receptionist, the other adventurers and the staff behind the counter to be frozen stiff in surprise. I ignored them and took Selene to the toilet, and even after I returned, there were still a few people looking absent-minded. "Excuse me, how much should I withdraw from the card?" "Hmm, can you withdraw a small gold coin and convert it into silver or copper coins?" "I understood. Also, there''s a nursing facility catering for Adventurers with children if you want a place that will look after your daughter(?) temporarily. Besides this, there are also orphanages, Sabbath church, and a private school......" "I see...... Can I leave my child in their care next time I come to visit the town?" When I asked, the receptionist Big-sis showed me related documents. "This is the fee for one-time care." The reason for the expensive 2 silver coins a day price should be because it was a facility used by high-ranking Adventurers. In addition to resolving one of the worries of high-ranking Adventurers who couldn''t work because of their children, it also prevents the possibility of the children becoming their parent''s Achilles heel. It was very much possible for someone to threaten high-ranking Adventurers by kidnapping their children and coercing them to do evil deeds. I guess it''s more like the protection fee when the Adventurer is absent due to them working on a quest. As I was looking at the documents, Selene also tried to read the content but it was still hard for her to read as she didn''t understand anything. After pouting, her gaze shifted to the head of the receptionist Big-sis...... More like, to the top of her head. "...... Meow, meow''s ear, cute." Cat Beastkin receptionist Big-sis smiled at her childish words, and I addressed Selene. "You''re right, they''re amazing." "The flip-flop ears, cute!" "I also heard they can pick up minute sounds and have good hearing." "Ohh! You''re amazing, Big-sis!" A warm and cozy atmosphere spread in the guild as Selene gave an innocent, amusing smile. I received the money withdrawn from the guild card, applied for Selene''s caretaking in the nursing home, and decided to go shopping in the town that day. I can arrange necessary things with the ?Creation Magic? but it wouldn''t be good teaching material if Selene were to think it was the norm for things to be made out of thin air. So I handed her money and taught her how to use them. "Mama, the woof-woof doll, is cute!" "Yeah, it is. Excuse me, how much is it?" "This is one and a half silver coins." The cloth''s quality was a bit crude but Selene seemed to have taken a liking to a light brown dog doll. I could produce a better quality one with creation magic but I bought it to make Selene have an attachment to objects. "Alright, here you go, Selene. Can you count and buy by yourself?" "Selene can do it! Err, one silver coin...... One, two, three, four, five big copper coins!" After correctly counting the coins, Selene handed them to the shopkeeper''s uncle and received the doll. Selene was so cute when she hugged the doll in her arms that I almost felt like she was an incarnation of an angel. "Selene. It will get dirty and it''s dangerous to walk around when your hands aren''t free, so I will keep it for you, okay?" "Ok. See you again, Harry." Oh my, it seems like she has already decided on the doll''s name. If I''m not wrong, it was the name of a dog that had appeared in one of the picture books I gave her. After shopping for a while while keeping Selene in front to teach her how to shop, we left the town in the afternoon and returned to the ?Empty Wilderness? riding on the flying broom. Vol. 3 - Ch. 60 - Encountering ants in the forest Our lives continued with us spending two to three days frequenting the town on weekdays.On these days, I would leave Selene in the care of the nursing home to make her more aware of society, and in the meanwhile, I would deliver potions made from medicine grass growing outside of the ?Empty Wilderness?''s barrier. One dayһ Mama~, do carpets fly in the sky? Selene asked me while looking at the wet towel spreading on her feet after the bath. Before this, I had told Selene the tale of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp as a bedtime story. That was a special carpet. Normal carpets don''t fly. Too bad...... Selene muttered dejectedly. A flying carpet after the flying broom huh... I thought while looking up at the sky. However, as it happened, it was impossible to take Teto with us given the flying broom''s capacity and I was trying to figure out a new transportation method. I now ended up deciding on a magic carpet. I had already researched factors like gravity and etc during the development of the flying broom, so I just applied the same principles here. The only additional step I took was to create threads that have better mana flow ability, sewed them into the carpet, and drew magic circles. My word, it took me two months even as I burn the midnight oil every night to finish this. "Yay! It''s the Magic Carpet! Now Teto onee-chan can also go with us to the town!" ''So that''s why she had looked so dejected'', I couldn''t help but crack a bitter smile seeing Selene hopping up and down in joy. "Selene is a good kid. Teto is happy." "It tickles ~ Teto onee-chan." Seeing Selene so happy for her, Teto praised her to her heart''s content and pulled her into a tight but gentle hug. I watched Selene laughing and chirping, she was so cute but unfortunately, our schedule for today was packed. "Are you happy? Now your Teto onee-chan can also come with us to the town together." We had gotten on the Magic Carpet and were just headed to the town by flying over the forest as usual whenһ, "Mama, look!" "Yeah, I saw. Teto, take care of Selene!" "Leave it to me-nanodesu!" When we were near the town, Selene noticed something black squirming in the plains nearby. I stopped the Magic Carpet high up in the air and jumped off. I used flying magic to go to the place Selene had pointed out while taking out the familiar wand from the magic bag. "Do you guys need any help?" "I don''t know who you are, but please! This is a small-scale stampede!" "You got it! Take this һһ?Ice Lance?!" The black squirming thing was, in fact, a group of Grand Ants numbering several hundred. I rained down ice spears from high in the sky which pierced their heads, taking them down. As there were world trees to fill up the mana in the ?Empty Wilderness?, I was now finding myself with a surplus of mana in my hand. The large quantity of ice spear produced from that overwhelming mana reserve rains down, turning the area akin to the back of a porcupine. Grand Ants, classified as D-rank monsters, looked up in the sky probably recognizing me as a bigger threat and tried to shoot me down with formic acid but my barrier kept all of it away. Afterwards, I created another wave of ice spears and continued my one-sided massacre. It took around 30 minutes to annihilate several hundred ants monsters and after confirming there weren''t any other monsters in the surrounding area, I landed down. "Are you guys alright?" "You''re...... with the child if I''m not wrong." "I''m B-rank Adventurer, the Witch Chise." It seemed my ability to single-handedly annihilate the monster stampede with the threat level of B-rank has made them not take me lightly despite my childlike appearance. "Thank you for your aid. We would have suffered a lot of damage if we had to face them by ourselves." "It''s not a big deal. Since there''s no more danger, I''m heading to the town." "Hey there, wait a minute!" I had just about to leave while passing on the aftermath to the Adventurers to deal with when I was stopped. "What?" "I mean, aren''t you going to dissect the monster? You see, the mana stones and the carapace, etc." "Distribute it between yourselves. I have to take my daughter to the town." The Magic Carpet that was hovering over another place came to me when I gave a faint signal after saying that. "You''re amazing, Mama! You beat them all!" "Yeah, now let''s go to the town since there are no more scary ants." "Yes!" "Alright, goodbye...... " After saying that, I rode the magic carpet and made our way toward the town before anyone could say anything again. Selene and I had already become acquainted with the gatekeeper stationed at the city gate but as it was Teto''s first time visiting the town, I simply introduced her and then made our way to the nursing home managed by the adventure''s guild. "See you later then, Selene. Teto and I are going to work, so be a good child and wait for us, okay?" "I will! I play with Carl-chan and Dolly-chan!" High-rank Adventurers'' kids are taken care of in this nursing home and children from the orphanages also come to help. It seems she has become especially good friends with girls of the same age, Carl-chan and Dolly-chan among them. Carl-chan was a human girl and Dolly-chan was a dog Beastkin. Both of them are very cute, so it feels soothing to see her becoming friends with them and playing together. Well, there are also boys who like to do pranks or some mean kids so I avoid such days when they''re in the nursing home and I also have told Selene to run away if she doesn''t like them. Shouldn''t everyone get along? Because it''s difficult to get along with everyone. It''s better to run away if there''s someone you don''t like or hate rather than force yourself to get along with them. This was our conversation when I was teaching Selene how to get along with other children when we began frequenting nursing homes. She didn''t look convinced but I still hope she learns that not everyone is easy to get along with and it''s best to keep your distance from such people. As of now, Selene was steadily learning how to socialize with others and seemed to be enjoying everyday life. "I guess we should also head for the guild." "Let''s go-nanodesu!" We were just about to drop by the item counter when we arrived at the guild after entrusting Selene but were stopped by the receptionist. "Chise-san! Right timing! There''s an emergency quest in the guild!" "Emergency quest?" "A small stampede has occurred and several hundreds of Grand Ants were spotted! At this rate, they will soon attack the town so it''s a quest to subjugate them!" It was a compulsory quest for D-rank and above Adventurers and as a B-rank, I was also included in them. The receptionist said something like "Race to the rescue if you have already put Selene in the nursing home" but I ignored that. "You don''t need to worry about that stampede." "What do you mean I don''t need to worry!?" "Calm down, we spotted some Adventurers fighting them on our way to the town so I helped them deal with the stampede. Who knows they might be dissecting their bodies or hunting down any remnants at present. And here are the potions and medicine herbs for today. Please calculate them." Saying so, I began to take out items from the magic bag one by one. "A messenger should be on the way to inform you here soon I think." I said that and decided to rest in a corner of the guild until the calculation was done. I had just sat down when something like a familiar of an adventurer came flying from the window of the guild and handed a letter to the guild employee. Thenһ "Please excuse my rudeness earlier. Thank you very much for your timely aid." "It''s fine either way. After all, I happened to spot them when we were on our way to send my daughter to the nursing home. I just wanted to keep my daughter away from seeing the bloody scene." "It doesn''t matter, you were a lifesaver in the end." However, considering the strength of the group of Adventurers that had rushed to confront the horde of Grand Ants, I felt that their strength was quite lacking to be sent for the likes of an emergency quest. "Is there anything going on within the guild recently?" "Actually, the lord of this region said that a horde of wyverns had appeared in the northeast direction, so the other high-ranking Adventurers have been taken there......" "So that''s how it is...... well, wyverns are also a serious enough case." Maybe it was quite a profitable quest so they unanimously decided to take on that quest and this explains the gap in the guild''s current battle strength. As we both thanked each for our hard work, the Cat Beastkin receptionist noticed Teto who was with me. "Speaking of, who might this lady be?" "Ah, I guess I didn''t mention this before, but I am in a party with someone. Due to some circumstances, she''s assuming the house-sitting duty until just now." "Hellooo! I''m Teto! I''m in the party with Majou-sama!" After saying that, Teto showed her the guild card. The receptionist seemed equally as surprised as when she saw me after seeing my guild card. "Teto-san is also a B-rank Adventurer!? What more 21 years old......!" Teto, a loli big boobs beauty, mentioned that her age was 16 years old at the time of creating the guild card, so now she was 21 years old. It would be bothersome to explain how she''s actually a female golem, so I skipped explaining why her real age and her outward appearance didn''t line up. s?a??h th? N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Chise-san...... Are you using any type of rejuvenation or youth-preserving spell?" "We just have a large reserve of mana, that''s all." ''Except that I gain Eternal Youth from having too much mana while Teto''s life-span is indefinite too since she''s not a human'', I quoted mentally. "Sigh...... I''m so envious of both of you since the Beast tribe in general have low magical power." This was quoted by Cat Beastkin Receptionist. I think there are very few people who have exceptional mana reserves even among humans, and apparently, the magical power of the beast tribes hovers on the same average as the human race which is around 50~100. But on a brighter note, I heard that beastkins with exceptional body strength, flexibility, and high mana can use body-strengthening magic as well as self-strengthening skill characteristics of their tribe, ?Beastification?, apparently. "Well, everyone has their own fair point. Anyway, are calculations done?" "Yes, we will be buying everything as usual. Here is the money." I looked at the money given to me and nodded. The buying price was slightly higher than the Iscar Kingdom but this should be this region''s normal price. Beastkins have excellent self-healing abilities so they don''t usually use potions for every small injury, which makes it a harder environment for an alchemist to live in. On the other side, those injuries that can''t be healed with their self-healing would then need a good-quality potion. However, there are very few chances to secure high-quality potions in a land where it is difficult to develop concoction skills. That''s why the high-quality potions made by me are in high demand and they are being bought with price increments. By the way, the demand for mana potions to them, on the other hand, isn''t so important since there are very few among beast tribes who can use emission-type magic. I listened to the circumstances from the receptionist while lightly chatting about trivial stuff, confirmed the harvesting request on the quest board, and, feeling it was the right time, met with Selene and returned to the ?Empty Wilderness?. Vol. 3 - Ch. 61 - Five Goddesses and Lariel The winter season knocked on the ?Empty Wilderness?.It had become awful to visit the town of the Beastkin Nation with all the snow piling up and intense blizzards, so we decided to wait until spring''s arrival. "When spring comes, I will exchange this with Carl-chan and Dolly-chan." My days in the house would pass by looking over Selene who said so while embroidering the white handkerchief, reading books, or cooking together. In the meantime, I would fly over with the flying broom to go around each place in the ?Empty Wilderness?. It was to see if the Barrier Magic tool - Stone Pillar installed there, the world trees and surrounding trees were still alright. The mana density in the ?Empty Wilderness? was still too thin and if the barrier magic tool were to malfunction or something, the large amount of mana from inside the barrier would flow out and the plants won''t be able to sustain themselves and wither away. It''s for that reason I was taking extreme caution butһ "This is... surely an unexpected surprise." I was slightly perplexed at the sight in front of me. "The world tree has grown so big it pierced through the barrier." I gathered magical power in my eyes and used ?Mana Sense? to see the young sapling of the world tree stretching even to the outside, piercing the tiny, dome-shaped barrier. As the world tree was something I created with keeping the harsh environment in my mind, it would have no problem growing in the low mana region, so the part that was growing out of the barrier was still fresh and green despite the bitter cold, laden with the leaves and releasing mana. I had set the barrier so that it could expand along with the growth of the world tree but it seems that the growth of the world tree was too fast for the barrier to keep up as the world tree had pierced through it and was directly releasing mana to the ?Empty Wilderness? from the overgrown part. "That was unexpected. I guess it''s time to expand the barrier." I poured my mana into the Barrier Magic Tool - Stone Pillars and increased the range of the barrier after reaching that conclusion. "For now, the barrier''s scope and the mana released from the world tree are in balance. But given the outstanding growth of the world tree, I need to visit them more often than I had assumed. It seems a similar situation is happening at other places too......" I thwarted the snow piled up on the ground with magic to check on the soil situation while I was on it. I saw a new layer of soil, while still thin, definitely beginning to appear probably because of the withered and rotten vegetation. I think this has formed a remarkable recycling cycle. "If this continues, I wonder if we can try planting in many of these spots in the spring." Thinking of it, I scattered the seeds of medicine grass over the snow-free ground and covered them lightly with the soil. "Medicine grass has the characteristic to grow in a place fraught with mana, who knows we might see a miracle. Now I can''t wait for spring to come~." I let out some mana to flow outside when the mana density inside the barrier reached a certain threshold to regulate the amount and I think this was sufficient enough mana quantity for the medicine grass to grow. I calculated that we might be able to get the same amount of medicine grass as the ordinary woods region from the mana quantity here. In this way, as I returned home flying in a broom while adjusting to the situation in other regions as well, Teto and Selene were apparently waiting for me with the stew they made. "Welcome back, Mama~! I have warmed up the stew~!" "We three are going to sleep together after the bath!" "Fufu, that''s a good idea. Let''s sleep together and warm each other up." One such calm, wintery day, being warmly welcomed by my family ended after us going to bed as usual. ............ ...... ... ?It''s been a while, Chise.? "Liliel. What do you think about the situation of ?Empty Wilderness? from a god''s perspective?" Four years, no, it should be around five years. I have passed these years raising Selene while utilizing the knowledge foisted by Liliel into my head to cultivate the wilderness. ?Splendid, it has just been around five years and the result is remarkable. It''s a dreamlike scenery to see so much lush greenery in the ?Empty Wilderness?.? "I see, I''m glad it wasn''t all for naught." ?However you similarly surprised me by creating the World Tree with the ?Creation Magic?. These are the same trees as the ones in the origins world.? "Origins world?" ?Yes, It was a plant created by the Creation God for the creation of the world. In this continent, there''s just one left in the elf''s village. I don''t know how many world trees are left in the whole world but these are definitely priceless.? There are numerous such similarly valuable, although still young saplings, growing in the wilderness. It may indeed sound startling to those who know. To be honest, I imagined this to never exist before creation but it seems such species were created in the past...... Well, should I say the gods and humans think alike? Or that they choose and create this plant by intuition like me?...... In addition, my method of creating a new barrier inside the Great Barrier erected by Liliel and four other gods and starting the small-scale reformation from there was evaluated as an ingenious move impossible to be imitated by the general gods. ?It''s also due to you, Chise, releasing your mana over there that the cultivation of the ?Empty Wilderness? would be over in around 1000 years even if it was left neglected.? "That''s quite a lot of time." ?You may think so but this is still an exceptional step compared to the past when the cultivation time of the ?Empty Wilderness? seemed to be as far as the horizon. Even my quickest estimation was around 10,000 years.? s?a??h th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "10,000 years... Just counting that alone makes me dizzy. However, I''m glad if you think this way." Of course, I didn''t neglect my work but I never thought the cultivation had progressed so far. "Well, I guess I will continue with increasing the number of world trees and releasing my mana as usual." ?Yes, pleas `һYou''re so sly, Liliel. To hog an excellent reincarnator to yourself.һһ Lariel!.? ''Who the hell is Lariel?'', or so I had thought but remembering the type of persona that usually appears in my dreams, I immediately understood that the newcomer must be another god. True to my words, it was a cheerful, red-haired goddess whose disposition holds a completely different charm than the serene Liliel. ?Yo, Liliel''s reincarnator. I''m Lariel, the chief of the five goddesses. Nice to meet you.? "You sure are immensely easygoing in contrast to who you''re. And the chief?" ?I was the first goddess to be ever born for the management of the continent when it was created, that''s why the chief.? Incidentally, Liliel seemed to be second in order. The names of other goddesses in this fashion are Luriel, Leriel, and Loriel. It seems like Creator God didn''t have any naming sense; all the goddesses'' names had been decided with the letters from the ''La'' letters column + (Riel). (Note - ''La (Ra)'' column is 9th among the syllables chart in Japanese) I jabbed mentally. "No wait, La column... Don''t tell me there are 9 continents?" ?Wha!? How the hell do you know that!?? (T;dr - as the ''La'' series is ranked 9th in the Japanese syllable table, there are 8 other columns above this, and Chise has just guessed that if there are 9 columns and la is 9th, then there might be 8 other continents following this sense.) It seems the esteemed god was much lazier than I imagined. ?As you guessed, there used to be 9 continents and each had its respective gods born to manage them but due to the diastrophism over so many millennia, some coalesce and became one large continent while some sank into the ocean. Though I don''t know the precise situation since our hands are already filled with this continent and we didn''t have enough spare time to keep tabs on other continents.? In contrast to Liliel who summarised the situation calmly as ever, Lariel steered the topic in another direction in her elder sisterly tone. ?That''s not the point right now, Liliel. You surely have snagged yourself a reliable reincarnator to yourself. Furthermore, she even helped you reverse the situation in the ?Empty Wilderness? so much in just 5 years. Don''t you think you should stop monopolizing and ask her to help me cultivate the region under my management.? ?No way. There''s still much to do in the ?Empty Wilderness? and your management region is dangerous in a different sense!? So Liliel had replied back with a yell but for me`` "I don''t mind helping." Really!? (What!?). Lariel reacted joyfully while Liliel looked shocked however for me, there wasn''t much difference between whom I''m helping. "However you will have to wait until I am done raising Selene and she can be independent." ?Oh, of course-of course, I don''t mind at all! That much is nothing compared to 2000 years!? ?By agreeing to help her, you''re inviting my other sisters to ask for your help too.? Now that Liliel told me, this might indeed be a troublesome matter, but...... "I have become immortal. I guess, there will be a lot of spare time in my hands in my life to continue." That''s why I don''t mind taking in the requests from goddesses. ?You really are good-natured. However, this is something I can''t acknowledge.? "Why? Isn''t it a good thing there will finally be no more lands of nothingness?" "Humans are greedy. There''s no doubt there will come a day when those humans will wage a war revolving around those lands. There might even be a chance that they will burn down the trees and just like that, there will be no more world trees that have such an exceptional ability to recover mana once again! And you raised them with so much effort, too.? I see, I had almost forgotten the conflicts between fellow humans. ?That''s why I will give you the management control of the ?Empty Wilderness?! This or until there appears any other person who can repel the intrusion from such humans in place of Chise. That''s why I reject any other goddess who wants to take you!? Now that she''s said so much, I can''t do much either. "How about signing an inviolable contract with the surrounding nations'' authorities?" ?You didn''t even hesitate to say this, I''m liking you more and more, Chise.? ?Hahaha, this strong point of yours, as expected of the reincarnator that matched with the wavelength of Liliel! The reincarnator in my camp is a muscle-brain.? ?You can''t blame others when the cause is your own personality! What else do you expect from your mixed disposition as the sun goddess and war goddess!? It seems the summoned reincarnators are chosen based on the summoner goddess'' personality. So it means Liliel and I are two of a kind. ?Ah, it''s already about time to go. I believe you can quickly solve the problem of contracts by helping the royalties or taking care of calamitous monsters solo and signing the contract, good luck, Chise!" Thus, this marked the end of my meeting with the gods in the dream. This meeting didn''t dry me out of all my mana like before now that I have so much mana reserve but I still felt groggy when I woke up and saw that half of my mana had disappeared overnight. Hmm, I think I''ll just take it easy today. Vol. 3 - Ch. 62 - 23 year old Chise, 27 year old Teto and 10 year old Selene Time flies really quickly and it has been 10 years since we started living in the ?Empty Wilderness?.Selene turned 10, and her appearance was now rivaling ours. I guess we might be like sisters with different hair colors or a band of same-age friends from a stranger''s perspective. I can already feel that time approaching when Selene would soon overtake me in appearance and instead, I would be seen as her younger sister. "Okaa-san, I want to learn magic!" S?a??h th? N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Magic, huh? I can teach you but......" Selene''s mana was also gradually increasing as she aged and in fact, she already had around 3000 units of mana when she was just 5 years old. As such, I was really reluctant to teach Selene about magic with her ever-increasing mana. I don''t want her to become a loli-baba like me and Teto because as her magical power increases, the surplus amount of mana efficiently circulating in the body will slow down her aging. So when I explained to her the adverse effects`һ "Really!? Then I can be with Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan!" Oh god, where did this angel come from? I feel like I will die from cuteness overdose even if I''m immortal. That''s how I ended up teaching her magic but the problem was that I used the magic mostly following my Intuition. In most cases, I would bulldoze my way relying on my overwhelming mana reserve. Thus, I asked the goddesses Liliel and Lariel to teach me about the magic in the dream oracle, and as a result һһ From Lariel һһ I will teach you the ?Body Hardening? spell, the superior version of ?Body Strengthening?. To describe it simply, the user clad their body in a high-density mana layer. Apparently, the ?Body Hardening? magic spell helps in defending against attacks that ?Body Strengthening? fails to defend against. Beforehand, Teto had been sliced apart by the Death Scythe Mantis and the reason for it was the sudden upsurge in the magical power of the scythe of Death Scythe Mantis which was apparently due to invoking ?Body Hardening?. The ability to handle this spell was one of the dividing lines between a B-rank individual and an A-rank individual it seems. Teto and I had learned it. From Liliel һ` The way you use your spell is too crude. Be more conscious of the key elements that form a magic spell. The key elements in a spell were divided into Strengthening, Alteration, Emission, Manipulation, and Materialization. Take the water attribute ?Aqua bullet? as an example, the water is first ?Materialized?, the formed shape is ?Strengthened? and at last, it was ?Emitted?. In the same but more advanced spell, the key element ?Manipulation? would be used to give it the function of tracking. After learning the detailed information, not only was I able to reduce my mana expenditure, the spells I reconstructed after parsing through their respective key elements even boosted their power. This discovery once again changed my perspective and I couldn''t help but agree with the fact that a magician who has received systematic knowledge would definitely achieve a lot more than what a random stranger with superficial knowledge could achieve. In the same fashion, the result of teaching Selene what I had learned from goddesses wasһһ "Haaaa!" "Nice blow-nanodesu!" It was Selene and Teto who were fighting using ?Body Hardening?. It didn''t take a long time to activate it and judging from Selene''s muscle strength, she should be able to easily take down monsters like orcs without breaking a sweat. The water magic water cutter that she could use was also quite sharp. The lands in the ?Empty Wilderness? were pretty much intact, so there was no problem with whatever magic they used, and, at the same time, the used magic would soon break into mana and assimilate into the atmosphere which was just a plus point. In addition, the low-density mana environment here was also a kind of practice field for them where they can learn how to cope with the situation where they suddenly found their mana being absorbed or sealed. My gaze turned to the distant sky after looking at the two rowdy bunch. (һһTo the unknown birth mother of Selene. Dear Madam, I think I may have taught your daughter a bit too much, and probably made her a tomboy.) That being said, I believe she won''t become a ruffian with the power in hand, nor I will let her. That''s right, it''s just for self-defense only, I said to persuade myself. Anyway, after five years of magic training and eating the ?Mysterious Fruit? mimicking me occasionally, Selene''s mana reserved at the age of 10 had been increased to 20,000 units. She was already on the same level as a full-fledged court magician. "Selene, Teto. I think you guys should call it a day now." " "Yes (-nanodesu!)" " The two stopped their mock battle when I called out to them. Teto had never stopped fighting mock battles against the Adventurers in the town whenever she visited it. She has learned not only human adventurers'' combat techniques, but even the combat techniques of beast tribe adventurers over the course of so many years. She had even taught Selene all these combat forms. (She was able to learn the combat techniques in their raw form, improvise on the spot, and even taught Selene. Teto, she too is one hell of a monster.) The upper limit of Teto''s mana reserve hadn''t increased so much since she hadn''t had any chance to eat magic stones these past few years but even so, one could underestimate her magic prowess but never her refined movements and ?Body Hardening?. "We''re going to the town today, so get ready." "I''m going to wash off the dirt at the fountain!" "Teto, incoming!" "Don''t forget your change, you two." Water had begun to spring forth from many locations in the ?Empty Wilderness?, which we had been cultivating for 10 years, a few years ago. We immediately took control of those watering places, created fountains and rivers, and had them merge with the rivers of other countries. They were just a nice place to cool off the heat from a hot day or to take a dip after an intense mock battle like just now. The emergence of rivers and fountains also improved the environment in these plains. Fish breeding was also underway after releasing freshwater fish into the fountain. I spend my time enjoying the changes I brought into this place where there used to be nothing but barren lands and then left for the town when Selene and Teto came back. As Selene, whom we usually leave in the nursing home, had gradually grown up, she was now helping out in the guild as an apprentice staff once a week. I immediately sensed the strange atmosphere when we entered the guild together. "Chise-san, Teto-san and Selene-chan too! You have come at just the right time!" "What happened? You look so anxious......" Over the five years, there was also a gradual change in the receptionist line-up of the guild. However, the big-sis cat beastkin receptionist, now married, was still continuing her reception duty as usual. So when I asked her the reason for her anxiety, apparently, "A dungeon has appeared in the neighboring territory!" "Hmm, I don''t think there''s any need to sweat over it?" "No need to sweat? I''m telling you it''s a huge matter, HUGE! Because the location the dungeon had appeared was at the dead center of the region that is the breadbasket of the Beastkin nation! To make matters worse, the dungeon has a lot of fire-breathing monsters, and, my word, if the monster outbreak were to occur by chance, the region would definitely be left in cinders and many would die from hunger in this country!" When the demerits outclassed the profit that could be earned from the dungeon and the management seemed hard, it would be of utmost importance to secure the dungeon core and remove the dungeon. "What is the rank of the dungeon?" "It''s estimated to be at least B-rank or above. That''s why I have been waiting for you. Also, we have C-rank Adventurers stationed at the entrance of the dungeon to look out for any appearance of monsters just in case." The fall harvest season was just right around the corner. Even if the subjugation looked impossible in the short term, I guess they are thinking of at least being able to safely end the harvest and somehow sail through fall. In that case, I can understand. "I would also be in a pinch if the price of the foodstuffs were to increase. But Selene...... " "I want to help Okaa-san! I don''t want to just wait here silently!" Ever since I had subjugated the small-scale stampede, we have been occasionally asked to handle B-rank quests. B-rank quests usually happened once or twice in a single month, so most of the time they would be handled by strong adventurers. But in case they happened to be unwell or their equipment maintenance can''t seem to be finished on time, Teto and I would handle those quests. At that time, Selene would be left in the care of the nursing home, even for the night. However, as the goal this time was to clear the dungeon, there was no telling how much time it would take. "...... Fine. However you will not be coming with us on exploration, you will only be helping out in that region''s Adventurer guild. Can I ask for you to prepare a reference letter for Selene?" "Leave it to me! A healer would be greatly welcomed there since there seem to be many injured people because of the fire-breathing monsters!" In this way, after hearing the story about the dungeon in the guild, we immediately headed for that location. The other Adventurers were using carriages, but we traveled on the flying carpet at several times the speed of a carriage. We stopped once for camping during our journey and it wasn''t until the morning that we arrived at our intended location. Vol. 3 - Ch. 63 - The conspicuous effort of little healer The wheat in their bloom was like shining gold spread all over the surface of the grain-producing region where the dungeon had appeared.A red-black mass of boulders could be seen in the dead center of such a soothing scene, which has mowed all the wheat in its surroundings. Adventurers were guarding the dungeon to prevent monsters from coming out and a temporary healing camp-like facility had also been established near the entrance to cater to the adventurers injured in the dungeon. Adventurers, seeing us coming down from the Magic Carpet at such a time, immediately put themselves on guard. "We''re B-rank Adventurers. We came here at the request of another adventurers guild to clear out the dungeon!" I conveyed to them in a voice slightly blended with my mana and while they continued with their skeptical expression, they still checked the cards and recommendation letter we had taken out to show them. "Let''s head to the sub-branch of the adventure guild. You can confirm the whole situation there." "Alright." I walked with Teto and Selene in tow and when we arrived at the branch. An adventurer, apparently the guild master, had been assuming the leadership role butһһ "Haa? Hey, why are ya bringing the brats herһһ!" "Who the hell are you calling a brat?! Clarify the situation first before opening your damned mouth!" I immediately sealed off the mouth of that person who judged me based on my outward appearance by releasing my mana and intimidating him. It''s annoying to deal with the customary judging by looks one by one. "We came here after receiving the request from the frontier town Yir''s adventures guild. Look carefully at our guild card." "Yes, look at them seriously-nanodesu!" "O, Oh...... I''m sorrһ wait, 23!?" I stopped aging from the age of 12 so the other party was gobsmacked seeing that my official age is 23. "Besides, I didn''t want to come here leaving my daughter all alone. That''s why I brought her with me. And here''s the recommendation letter for Selene from the guild." "Huh? A parent with a child? Rather, I don''t think this a place to bring chil....... What......?" In the recommendation letter was written what Selene can do and her abilities etc. It mostly states that she might be a 10-year-old but her proficiency in healing magic was quite high since she was taught by me, a B-rank adventurer. She also had the achievement of successfully healing the victims of a fire incident of their burn marks under her belt and while she''s working as the guild''s apprentice staff, it''s not much different from the guild''s exclusive healer. The guild master alternatively looked at the letter and Selene who had a tense expression. "I wish you could stop intensely staring at my daughter and not scare her." "Well...... I showed ya lot of my embarrassing side but fer real?" "There should have been an injured person, right? You can judge her ability when Selene heals them. Selene." "I am fine! I can do it!" I had made Selene read the books about human anatomy, brought the corpses of humanoid shape monsters I had defeated, and showed her their internal organs when I taught Selene about magic. Of course, I feel like I may have made her go through a bit too much spartan training but she has become used to the blood and entrails that she can now even help in dismantling the small monsters alone in the guild. "It''s fine if you give her the treatment as a trainee but aside from that, I expect you to arrange a safe inn for her and a same-gender adventurer as her escort. My word, if even a hair on her head is harmedһһ" I threatened the guild master again, releasing my mana and he nodded continuously like a broken doll. After that, I took Selene to stop by the temporary treatment camp and immediately found the injured. "Selene, do it as I have taught you." "Yes, Okaa-san." Selene headed for the most severely wounded person as I had told her. The aforementioned adventurer had almost half of their body scalded, their leather armor had melted and was sticking to their skin. Their breathing was rough, maybe because their lungs has become bleary from the burn, their hairs were all burned away and even their nose was charred and coming off. Several Adventurers, apparently already giving up on any hope of the adventurer being saved, were sobbing nearby. "һһ?Search? ?High Heal?!" Selene held her hands in front of her chest and recited the church''s sacred magic. She looked up the main injuries of the adventurer with the no-attribute spell that searched for injured body parts and chanted the recovery magic. A new layer of skin was born, replacing the burnt skin with the recovery magic, and the nose that was coming off of the bald head was once again restored. "Amazing...... We thought that that adventurer was already a goner...... " As the guild master muttered, it seemed like the burnt, bleary lungs had also been healed as the adventurer''s breathing had stabilized. "U, u, hn...... I am......" һһBig Sis!? It seemed that the severely wounded person was a female adventurer. The leather armor that had been sticking to her skin came off alongside the old skin and sebum when she got up, exposing her beautiful chest. "Y, your, Sis, your chest!" "Huh, wha, what''s going on?" "Calm down, It''s not good for young girls to show their skin in public." I approached that female Adventurer, took out a big mantle from the magic bag, and quietly put it on her from her back. "Selene, how''s your mana?" "Hmm. It took around 10% of my mana." "Then don''t force yourself too much. If you feel your mana running out, just drink a mana potion." "Yes, I know. I am carrying them with me properly." "Also, you''re a child, so you mustn''t overwork yourself. Have your dinner and sleep at the right time." "You worry too much, Okaa-san." "And, һһ (Besides giving preference to those who are in mortal danger, leave the rest who can still move fine for the next day) һһ you did well." I ignored the surrounding crowd who were looking at the situation in dumbfoundedness and spoke to Selene. "It''s about time, so Teto and I will be heading for the dungeon. Do your best in the meantime." "I will, and Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan too, good luck!" Fufu, I guess I have no choice but to give it my all as a parent when I''m being cheered on by my child. "Well, guild master, I''m leaving my daughter in your care. I hope you will only let her work at a reasonable limit." "I will take care of her." After asking the guild master to properly look after Selene, Teto and I moved to the entrance of the Dungeon. SIDE: Selene "Geez, Okaa-san is such a worrywart." As I sighed saying that, the uncle Okaa-san addressed as gil-mas came to me. "Good grief, just who in the world are you guys?" "Okaa-san is an amazing witch! And I''m the girl who''s aiming to become as amazing a witch as Okaa-san!" "Witch...... Hmm, you''re talking about a female who can use magic. Isn''t calling her Magician just fine?" The gil-mas face was completely that of someone who didn''t understand anything at all, but as Okaa-san had always addressed herself as a witch, I also call myself such to become like her someday. Ah, Okaa-san does say witch but it doesn''t have any special meaning though. The witches who appeared in all of the picture books brought by the Okaa-san were magic users dressed in the same outfit as Okaa-san, so I knew that should be the formal dress of a witch. "Anyway, Gil-mas uncle. Who will be my escort that Okaa-san has asked you." "Ah, right. Hey, you guys!" The one Gil-mas uncle raised his voice after listening to me was the woman I saved earlier and her fellow adventurers. "I''m leaving you guys to be the escort of this little healer benefactor of yours! Of course, take care of her properly!" "You sure are okay leaving the escort to us when all of our equipment had been burnt away?" It seems the adventurer I had saved was from the female Adventurer party that called themselves ?Mountain Leopardess?. "Equipment will be loaned from the guild''s side. Not only is she an excellent healer, but she''s also the kid of a high-ranking adventurer from another region. There''s also a recommendation letter. So please take care of her." "I understand. Seeing such a little healer, I am sure there will be some malicious fellows aiming at her but don''t worry, we will protect her with all our might!" The chance of an adventurer suffering from concussion attacking the healer during the healing process was quite high so it''s a lifesaver that someone would be there to hold them down. Also, I can''t use healing magic properly unless the target is made to sleep through magic or physical means. Thus, I started focusing on healing the adventurers brought in under the escort of the Mountain Leopardess group. I mainly targeted the severely wounded among the adventurers leaving the rest to be treated by the other healers. Among the fatally wounded ones, there was a group crowding around an injured person just like the time of Mountain Leopardess''s Leader-san. The injured beastkin in the center had their ears cut off, eyes crushed by beast claws and internal organs along with a large amount of blood flowing out from the gap of the slashed open wound on the stomach. I approached them as they seemed to have already given up hope of saving the person and put off any kind of treatment. "What! What have you come for!" "I''m here to heal, don''t crowd around the injured." "With that again! I know you''re just here to cheat money from us! Or you''re going to give us hope and then deny us your healing skills because we''re filthy beastkin!" Mountain Leopardess'' members panicked from the sudden bellow. "This child isn''t like that. I''m sorry, these people have come from the neighboring country that''s why." "You don''t have to apologize. Things like this do happen, don''t they?" In the town I frequented, the population of humans and beastkin were almost equal but it seems humans seemed to have more voice in the place they have come from. Besides, beastkins tend to have little to zero healers because of their paltry mana reserve. Thus, they have to turn to people from other races to seek healing magic but as they had described in their shouts earlier, they''re being discriminated against because they''re beastkins. Experiencing the discrimination, they were of course on guard against any such malicious person. "S... top, you ....... guys, don''t lash... at a child." "Big brother!" I approached the beastkin who was still conscious and crouched down. "You''re not dirty, everyone from the beast tribe are wonderful people. һһ?High Heal?." After saying that, I grabbed his cold hand wet with his blood, and activated my healing magic. I healed the biggest wound. In fact, I had wanted to heal the torn-off ears and crushed eyes too but my mana reserve was finite. But I believe there would always be a chance to heal anything as long as the person was alive. S?a??h th? N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Now you will be alright. See ya, I''m going to heal the other injured." "Ehh, Aah......" All Adventurers looked stunned but I continued on with my work. I must heal the fatally injured so that they don''t die. Soon, it was evening by the time I noticed. "Selene-chan. It''s about time for your bed." "Ah, really." "Your inn and meals have been prepared by the guild already. Let''s call it a day." "Thank you for everything." It was then I noticed the number of injured adventurers lying in the temporary treatment camp had dwindled down. Seeing that, I called it a day, leaving the rest to the healers from here. No dead count had come out today among the adventurers that had come here. But those who were missing crushed eyes or torn ears or limbs were left for later to heal when Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan come back. That''s why, Okaa-san, Come back soon. Vol. 3 - Ch. 64 - Scorching Dungeon Exploration (1) L12 - Scorching Dungeon Exploration (I)"I guess this country would owe us one if we clear this dungeon." "And then they would recognize our ownership over the ?Empty Wilderness?! Clever as ever. By the way, Majou-sama..." "What, Teto?" "What are we going to do with the dungeon core?" In contrast to Teto who asked while looking at me with the expectation filled eyes, Iһ "No chance. You know you took the last dungeon core, so this one will be mine." "A pity-nanodesu." The place Teto and I were so leisurely chatting was the underground 10th floor of the dungeon. Our goal this time was Time Attack һһ to clear the dungeon before anyone else. The interior of the dungeon was a cave-type design with fire-breathing monsters inhabiting it but, of course, there was not a single soul here who could put even a scratch on us with my barrier and Teto''s ?Body Hardening?. I would have Teto study the cave''s interior structure with the earth magic ?Earth Sonar? and then progress rapidly by taking the shortest route. The mana stones of the monsters we encountered along the way were given to Teto, so she could finally strengthen herself by having her fill of mana stones. This was our first dungeon attack in these 10 years of raising Selene but it didn''t dull our senses. Besides, my mana reserve was now as high as 100,000 units, even more than before. We were now progressing using the so-called tactic of bulldozing our way through obstacles. In no time, we reached the safety area on the 16th floor and registered with the teleportation magic circle there. "Majou-sama~ it seems this is the highest floor other people here have explored." "Looks like it. But it''s already this late, so let''s stop here for today." I checked the time on my pocket watch and saw that it was now evening. We would be too late for a meal and rest if we don''t start our preparations soon. "Are you really sure you don''t want to return at least once? Aren''t you worried about Selene?" "I have given her some money and also a magic tool to keep her safe. And, this is like a dry run for when Selene becomes independent." Girls start working as early as 12 years old and even get married and have a family at around the age of 14~18 here. I was considering that rather than being overprotective, maybe I should make her independent a bit faster. "Also, I already taught Selene how to deal with assailants should they target her. That''s why have faith in her. Have faith." "Even if you say that Majou-sama, you don''t sound convincing with that much mana leaking out of you-nanodesu." Fufufu, I lost control over myself there feeling lonely from imagining my angelic Selene going independent. If the person marrying Selene didn''t happen to be someone promising who can guarantee her happiness, I absolutely, ABSOLUTELY, will never approve of it һ I screamed mentally. Teto showed a smile as if saying ''good grief'' and hugged me from behind. "Since you said to have faith, then Teto can hog Majou-sama all to herself for now-nanodesu~." "Fufu, maybe so. It''s been a while since it''s just us two." We passed our night in the dungeon in this way and resumed our exploration the next morning. I wondered if we should return once to check on the exploration progress of the others but then I discarded the idea since every minute counts and immediately dived deeper into the dungeon. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. And when we reached the 19th floorһһ ".......Majou-sama. Someone... I can sense people''s presence there." "They might be the party who went ahead of us. What is their condition?" The deeper you progress, the higher the temperature and humidity. The current temperature should have passed 40C. An environment like this was also a worrisome factor besides the fire manipulating monsters but I had a barrier erected around us to regulate the temperature. I have become quite proficient with it after managing and fixing the ?Empty Wilderness? barriers for so long. "All of them are alive but, their movement seems to be dull." "Hmm. We would be derailed from route to the lower floor but I guess it''s fine to check them out." Just to be sure, we went to check the location and found the adventurers collapsed on the ground face down with their breathing rough. It seems all the party members had caught heatstroke and the water they were carrying was all used up. "W, Water......" "Coming-coming. Take as much water as you want." I lowered the surrounding temperature with magic and handed them a waterskin. Once the collapsed adventurers gulped down the water in one go, I gave them salt to lick which can help them regain the minerals they had lost due to sweat. "You are a godsend. But what are people doing here? Not only that, kids......." "Just saying, I''m more than 20 years old." "Seriously!?" I introduced myself with a statement that''s quickly becoming my template recently. "We''re the B-rank party ?Dragon''s Jaw?. The top adventurers in this region." "I''m Chise, a B-rank Adventurer. My partner here, Teto, is also a B-rank Adventurer. We came here to destroy this dungeon since there is the danger of this grain-producing region catching fire due to it." Then I heard about the situation that led to their collapse. "Like you, we have the same goal but this place is just hell. Especially the temperature and humidity." "We rapidly advanced and defeated the gatekeeper of the 15th floor but were unable to cope with the drastic change in environment starting from the 16th floor. Even so, we tried to increase our pace enduring the environment but were caught by the heat and almost died." Eliminating this dungeon as soon as possible is for sure important but it should have been fine to exercise some caution too һ or so I thought. "You should have been cautious and retreated at once to prepare the effective equipment against this situation." "What a pain, truly." No matter how high one''s adventurer rank was or their ability to take down monsters, there was only a dead end called death for them if they couldn''t adapt to the environment. "So, what are you going to do now?" When I asked the fallen adventurers their next plan, they strangely shook their heads. "Can you go by yourself to the safety area? Or do you need us to send you?" "Err...... Please escort us. We''re still not in the right condition." They might have inner conflict being the B-rank adventurers that they are but they probably still decided to request an escort considering their physical condition due to dehydration and the temperature inside the dungeon. "How much will you charge?" ".............ah, yes." I almost forgot to ask for suitable compensation since I have saved them. I gave them precious water һһ well, it can be created with ?Creation Magic? though һһ when they were completely down in this scorching environment and even offered to escort them back. If they die, they wouldn''t be able to bring back the mana stones of the monsters they defeated or the treasures they found in the middle of their exploration. It would literally be like throwing pearls before swine. Besides, it seemed like they found many treasures on the bottom floors, probably because the dungeon has appeared just recently so there are a lot of treasure chests up for grabs. "You''re right. Let''s see...... Give me half of the mana stones of the monsters you have defeated so far." "Just that? Are you fine with that?" They should be carrying multiple treasures since they dived before us. They wouldn''t have uttered a complaint even if I were to ask for half of the treasures they have gotten but I clapped my hands and intentionally chose a more practical item type, mana stones. "I just want them. Mana stones can be used for almost anything, not to say I don''t have any interest in jewelry." When I said so, they took out the mana stones they had collected from the defeated monsters so far from their magic bag and handed them to me. I guess because they were exploring this dungeon for so long, the number of mana stones they had was quite exaggerated since even with just half the amount, they had more than us who took the short routes to advance. "Very well, the contract is thus established." Teto received the magic stones, stored them in the magic bag, and returned to our previous position. When we returned to the safety area on the 16th floor, the fallen adventurers bowed their heads multiple times to show their gratitude. I also remind them, "Properly explain the importance of effective equipment to other adventurers. Also, my daughter should also be nearby so tell her I said ''take care of yourself''." After saying that, we didn''t return to the surface with them and once again aimed for the depths of the labyrinth. The cave-type interior ended at floor 20 and had changed to an open field from the 21st floor. "This was... Unexpected." With temperatures exceeding 50C and a pseudo-sun shining down intense sunlight, a desert floor unfolded right before our eyes. Facing such drastic change, we found the safety area һ an Oasis һ that day, registered with the teleportation magic circle, and camped there. The temperature difference between the day and night in the desert was harsh, but that wasn''t enough to faze us as I recalled our nights in the ?Empty Wilderness? 10 years before. That night, Teto and I drank hot milk while gazing at the pseudo-space''s starry sky together. Vol. 3 - Ch. 65 - Scorching Dungeon Exploration (2) SIDE: SeleneOne week had passed since Okaa-san went out to clear the dungeon. On the second day as I was continuing to do my best in treating injured people in the temporary treatment camp, apparently, the top-rank adventurer party that had gone to challenge the dungeon came back. According to them, there was a sudden drastic environmental change when transitioning from floor 15 to floor 16 and onwards and so the exploration was taking an awfully long time without effective equipment. They still bravely continued to advance but they couldn''t overcome the adversity and they ultimately collapsed on the 19th floor. Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan seemed to have saved them from their dire straits and helped them in coming back. They expressed their gratitude when I came to check them for any slight abnormality. "I should have gone with them too", were my thoughts. But Okaa-san knew fantastical magic that could bring out items from nowhere. With such spells, she could also conjure any supply she would need during exploration, so they seemed to be continuing their dungeon challenge. As I patiently await Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan''s return while believing in them, injured people continue to be taken in today too. I couldn''t tell if it was because the information about the dungeon''s interior was gradually becoming common or what, adventurers had begun to take measures and, as such, the number of fatally injured people was dwindling down slowly. Another thing, it seemed adventurers had given up on clearing the dungeon and instead began to focus on keeping the surrounding area safe, prioritizing thinning down the monsters inside so that they won''t overflow to the outside world. Gradually, the second day too came to pass, and it was two weeks after Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan had left for the dungeon that һһ the dungeon disappeared and they finally came back. SIDE: Witch In all honesty, the floors from floor 20th and onwards were plain annoying. If you asked me what part was annoying, it was the fact that the stairs leading to the next underground floor were buried somewhere in the vast sandy floor. As if that wasn''t enough when Teto tried to look out for them with her magic, monsters roaming inside the sand released sound waves that interfered with Teto''s searching, thus leading to inefficient exploration. As such, we obviously had no choice but to search and get rid of all those sound-producing monsters one by one. On this note, we also sometimes chanced upon treasure chests as we continued with the tedious process but even so, this continued on for 10 floors. As a result, our pace had dropped to clearing one floor per day. But it seemed that ill luck continued to hover around us as the 30th-floor boss keeper was another pain in the ass. Our opponent presumably was an A-rank long worm (pseudonym) that had the ability to split up from the spot it had been hit. It would split its body whenever we tried to attack or when we followed up with another attack hurriedly to take them down, and with each splitting, it got harder to aim at them properly. Slippery bastards that they were, they would immediately make for an escape sensing us chasing after them. We had no choice but to re-enter the floor and this time, we instead focused on exterminating it from its head completely and we were finally able to defeat it. The tiresome journey was then finally over after we arrived at the 31st floor and retrieved the dungeon core from the dungeon pedestal. However, this once again reinforced my opinion on how irregular the dungeon core of the first dungeon I cleared was to integrate itself with a stone golem. After the retrieval of the dungeon core was completed, adventurers that were on the shallow floors were forcefully sent back to the dungeon entrance one by one, and, not long after that, our dungeon capture was over. Once we were also teleported back outside, I heard someone calling out our names as I was checking out if the rocky mountain-like dungeon had vanished or not. "Okaa-san! Teto onee-chan!" "We''re back, Selene." It was Selene, with the female adventurer escorts tagging behind her, rushing towards me, so I stopped the investigation and accepted her running hug from the front. A hug from my daughter was the best panacea to soothe my rigid mindset due to the irksome gimmicks of the dungeon that had caused us so much delay. "We''re back-nanodesu!" "Loosen up a bit, Big-sis~" So protested Selene while beaming when Teto scooped us in the bear hug altogether. Two weeks, we had never been apart for so long and it was respecting Selene''s intention that I had left her to take care of the adventurers'' treatment and I felt like she had grown up to one size larger in this short span. "Children''s growth spurt sure is amazing", I slightly teared up at this realization. "Okaa-san?" "һiff! Great work for holding on so far, Selene. Let''s have a leisure vacation back at home once we settle everything here." s?a??h th? N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. After finishing up the family reunion, this time I turned to the female adventurers who were working as her escort. "Thank you for looking after Selene. Did anything happen in our absence?" "Well...... how should I say, can you lean a bit closer?" Hmm, a lot sure happened according to details that the other party quietly passed on to me. -Many adventurers who saw her healing magic proficiency when they were saved by her tried to solicit her. -Someone misunderstood Selene''s care as her affection (?) towards himself and proposed to her. (the said person was a 27-year-old Wolfkin, bachelor). -Some malicious fellows noticed her talent in healing and tried to abduct her but Selene thwarted them by herself. -An escort corp formed started by the people saved by Selene (Sort of like a fan club-like model). -Because of her excellent healing ability to recover even those who had one foot in death''s door and her resolute determination to see things through ''til the end without letting anyone die, she was even extolled as the little Saint, apparently. "...... I see, it''s commendable you have worked so hard." "Ehehe, I had just done what was within my capability." As we parents and child were forming a rapport, the surroundings were... Huh, why is everyone around giving us a "what in the world are these young girls?" type of inquisitive gaze? "Are they really the same amazing person who had cleared a dungeon or saved adventures from death''s jaw? How come they''re so young?", we were at the receiving end of such gazes. Finally showing himself after weaving his way through the crowd of curious adventurers was the guild master. "I guess the dungeon has been wiped clean." "Yes, completely. Also, thank you for looking after Selene." "I should be the one to say that, I never expected the little supporter would bring us surprising results. To be truthful with ya, I had almost given up on any hope of clearing out this dungeon in the short term when I heard about the situation of the floors after the 15th floor." I joined in the crowd of adventurers who had begun to retreat from the breadbasket region while engaging in such trifling chit-chat and headed towards the guild. In the guild, I verbally passed down the information about the items I had gotten from the dungeon this time and the information on each floor. Amidst that, the guild master was especially listening with a ludicrous expression when I began narrating about the annoying stairs in the sand part of the dungeon. "Looking out for the stairs buried somewhere in the sand blowing in the wind while enduring the harsh temperature difference in the day and night and to top it off, dealing with the monsters that rush out from the sand below or from above in the sky and the monsters that interfered with detection spells...... how in the name of the holy goddess did ya even clear this nightmare?" "That''s a... Secret~" Though I think the guild shouldn''t have any complaints about the dungeon subjugation since we also retrieved treasure chests buried in the sand in those annoying sandy layers. Alsoһһ "It should be possible to promote Chise and Teto''s adventure rank to A with this achievement. The promotion exam is held at the capital city of each nation once a year, what will you do?" It seemed B-rank adventurers who had achieved the promotion condition gathered at each nation''s capital city during the winter season, the season with less work to worry about. "Hmm, I think it wouldn''t be bad to take the exam while we''re traveling around when Selene becomes someone''s bride. 10 years, or maybe after 20 years......" "That''s quite a long-term plan ya have there. Ye wouldn''t happen to have the blood of long-lived species like an elf flowing in yerself, do ya?" On this note, the guild card doesn''t cease functioning in case adventurers didn''t take quests for several years. This world also has long-lived species like elves, dwarves, and even dragonewts, and their golden age lasts for a long time. So it would be a great loss and lots of trouble to lose a promising long-lived, high-ranking adventurer because they forgot to receive quests for many years and then have them restart from the ground up. "Returning to our final main topic һһ It''s about the handling of dungeon core..." "Yeah. I wonder who is the one to purchase it?" "That, of course, would be this nation. Following the complicated situation that accompanied the dungeon this time, the beastkin royal family is keen on buying it at the price of 50 true silver coins (Mithril coin)." It would be around 500 million yen if converted to Japanese yen and in this world where commodities are dirt cheap, the three generations of an ordinary family could eat and sleep without any care and there would still be some leftovers even so. I''m not even counting the price of the items from the treasure chests but that''s sure to increase it by a large margin. Butһһ "I don''t need the money. There''s something I seek from the beastkin royal family." "Huh? Something ya seek from the royal family? Just curious, what is it that you want?" He seemed to be thinking about the treasures in royal family possession or something along those lines. I replied, "I want the ownership of the land of the ?Empty Wilderness?." The only thing I sought from the beastkin royal family in exchange for the dungeon core was just a magic contract. I will be the owner of ?Empty Wilderness?. Inside region would be counted as extraterritorial as the owner of the land is me. It will be a region unaffiliated with the royal family. I sought a magic contract with these sorts of clauses. The land cultivated by this nation''s people may surely belong to them but they''re still levied tax. "What do ya need this incomprehensible contract for..." "Well, just sort of a hobby you can say." It was a place with a giant inviolable barrier erected around it by none other than the goddesses themselves which keeps anyone from entering ever since 2000 years ago. For others, it was a request as senseless as pointing out at the moon and forming a contract acknowledging that the moon would be their possession. Even if your ownership of the moon is recognized, the moon would still remain an uncontactable and worthless place that couldn''t exert its influence over others. Basically, it will become one of those silly contracts. That''s for those who don''t know but for me who can go in and out and had been living there for 10 such years, it holds its value. "Haa, it''s really hard to grasp yer thinking, missy but I will try to talk to them about it. As for whether they will agree to it or not, it isn''t something I can confirm." "In case my request is denied, I wouldn''t have any choice but to look for another place to sell the dungeon core." "Hey-hey, hold on! I would be in trouble ya know! Fine missy, I will work my old bones hard to talk to them about it." The guild master cradled his head in his hand, though I wasn''t a bit happy to see the head of a middle-aged man facing me so I hurriedly ended our discussion. "Alright then, I''m leaving the negotiation to you. We, including Selene, will be returning after getting the remuneration for the treatment Selene did with her healing magic and the materials I have submitted." "Going back... You mean back to the town Yir you came from?" "Yeah, to be precise, the forest near Yir town. It''s also near the ?Empty Wilderness?. I''m also worried about our fields there so we will be going back in a short while." "I understand, I will give word to the nearby guild that will send a messenger to you once the negotiation is concluded. That''s why don''t think about selling the dungeon core until then for god''s sake." The guild master, who thus pleaded, sighed and saw us off. We received Selene''s reward for her healing treatment and the sales value of our materials and treasure chest items, minus the mana stones we hadn''t submitted, from the guild. Selene''s one-person treatment cost was 1 silver coin but she even healed those Adventurers other healers overlooked and, even more so, helped them regain their lost limbs with regeneration magic when she had enough mana to spare. Apparently, she had used the mana of a ?Large-size Magic stone? to refill her mana reserve when her own mana reserve was falling short, and ultimately, her reward for this was 10 large gold coins. "Nice, now let''s deposit them to Selene''s card." "Okay." Selene also possesses her own identification guild card. That being said, she''s treated as the guild''s trainee apprentice instead of being an adventurer, so the card isn''t exactly like the other adventurer cards but it could also store or withdraw money. We got on the magic carpet and aimed for the frontier town Yir, our base, while internally rejoicing at the fact that Selene wasn''t blinded by the large sum of money she just earned and had still retained her economic sense properly. Vol. 3 - Ch. 66 - Negotiation for Dungeon Core SIDE: Iska Kingdom - In the office of the Royal Palace (*before Iscar, but I will continue with Iska now)I heaved a sigh of relief at the report that the successful elimination of the dungeon that had appeared in the breadbasket region of the Gard Beastkin Nation, the nation adjacent to us in the north. Had it not been resolved properly, there was the danger of monsters overflowing from the dungeon laying waste to their breadbasket region and causing famine in the whole Beastkin Nation. There was the possibility of strife occurring due to the famine, so I was advancing the preparation to sell them the grains stored for the army but Im glad that my arrangements arent needed anymore. "Nevertheless, it was an A-rank dungeon with 30 floors, huh? They wrapped the dungeon situation quite quickly." It was around 8 years ago that the A-rank adventurer party, Dawn of the Sword, had reached the 30th floor of the dungeon in the dungeon city of the Iska Kingdom. They had found the dungeon core there but considering the economy that had been built around the dungeon, they left the dungeon core alone. The time they had spent clearing that dungeon was more than ten years. The adventurers who have achieved a similar feat but in a mere span of a few weeks explained just how excellent they must have been. I continued with the rest of the report leisurely while thinking about them and suddenly realized something in the name of the adventurers who cleared dungeons in the beastkin nation. "Good, goodness...... Never expected them to fly so far." The B-rank adventurer and magician Chise. The same B-rank adventurer as her, Teto. They had delivered the corpse of Elise, who was attacked by the devil-worshipping evil cult, to the neighbouring town and had protected her daughter Seleneril. The feudal lord of that town, realising the gravity of the matter, had immediately dispatched his soldiers to protect Seleneril but the Evil Cult was one step ahead of them and had attacked them in the town. However, they managed to escape together with Seleneril safely. "Finally, I have finally found your tail......" The tail that I had been searching for throughout the kingdom for years was finally before my eyes. I continued to read the material and it was recorded that the adventurer Chise had brought her daughter Selene alongside her. In the information about her, she was apparently revered as the little saint for her conspicuous effort of healing the wounded that had come out from the dungeon exploration. Selene''s traits and features that were mentioned were the mirror image of Seleneril and even her proficiency in healing magic was related to her mother, Saint Elise. S~?a??h the N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Immediately dispatch people to the town Yir of the beastkin nation and investigate the adventurer Chise and the little saint Selene. If it is proven that she''s my daughter, Seleneril, immediately devote yourself to her protection!" I have finally found my daughter I thought I had lost forever. I have already thoroughly purged the Evil Cult that was a nuisance for my daughter. No matter what, I will absolutely take my daughter back this time. SIDE: Witch The dungeon trip was over and we reported the matter to the frontier town guild, our base. Afterwards, we returned to our home in the ?Empty Wilderness? and spent my days lazily with Teto and Selene. We had been out for around two weeks but the fields in the wilderness were as glorious as ever as I had several magic tools with garden maintenance functions installed. However, there was also the downside that the vegetables that had become ripe to pick up became a bit too big in these two weeks of unattended care and they fell onto the ground and began to rot. Since they couldn''t be used, they were disposed of as kitchen waste and were equally spread out and buried in the vast land. Hop and hop and buried them in the plentiful land...... Afterwards, I once again began with the management of the ?Empty Wilderness? after a leisure break of around one week. So, when our vacation ended, I went to the guild for the delivery of potions and medicinal grass but there apparently wasn''t any news about the decision for the dungeon core from the royal family of the beastkin nation side so we spent our time as usual. After an outing with the three of us in town and returning back to our homeһһ "Okaa-san, Teto onee-chan. These are for you!" "What might this be, Selene?" "These are presents for you with the money I earned!" After saying that, Selene passed us the muffler she had presumably bought from the general store. "It''s going to be winter soon! And they are a match!" "So nice of you. I will cherish them dearly, Selene." The dear gift from my angelic daughter, I must put preservation magic on it and enchant it with all sorts of grand magic else I wouldn''t be able to control myself if I lose it! Our tenth winter came to pass in all these events and we, as always, holed ourselves up in the wilderness for the season. The winter passed as we spent our time doing various activities. Then spring came and we began our usual schedule to visit the town. "I''m off to meet Carl-chan and the others!" "Be careful on the way~" Selene apparently decided to shelve the guild trainee work for later to meet with her friends from the nursing home. The familiar receptionist was there when we arrived at the guild and spoke to us. "A messenger came from the royal family side before the winter regarding the talks about the dungeon core......" "So they have finally decided, let me hear what they have to say." Teto and I were led to the reception room where the beastkin were sitting and waiting. "I''m envoy Rollwalker, an official dispatched to oversee the matter of the dungeon core and the person here is third Princeһһ" "The name''s Gyunton, asked by His Majesty to personally watch over the dealings this time." The ones waiting for us were the young man who goes by the name Rollwalker, a rabbit beastkin and Gyunton, a person with cat-like furһ... I mean Tigerkin. Rollwalker boasts delicate features and was wearing a monocle while Gyunton, on the other hand, was a stark contrast to him with a battle-hardened body that was about twice the size of Rollwalker. "I''m Chise, and this is my party member Teto. Were both B-rank adventurers. Nice to meet you." "Nice to meetcha-nanodesu!" Beastkin Prince''s face twitched at Teto''s tone but he opted not to point it out and sat down on the sofa. "I would first like to express my gratitude for your hard work of clearing and eliminating the dungeon that had suddenly appeared." Prince Gyunton expressed his gratitude and then left the rest to Rollwalker to handle. "To start on the topic of dungeon core, there are a few things I would like to confirm with dungeon explorer Chise-sama regarding the contract you seek from us." "What is it?" "The ?Empty Wilderness? has long been recognised as a land isolated by the Goddess by erecting a giant barrier, barring everyone from entry. Why are you wishing for such a place you can''t enter?" I, who can move in and out of the ?Empty Wilderness?, was seeking the contract so that I could be the owner of that land in their documents too but there wasn''t any explicit need to mention it. I decided to muddle my words with a valid reason. "I have a great interest in the barrier erected by the goddess as a magician and I want to research it. This contract is needed so that I can carefully examine the outside boundary without getting into any hassle." "That seems reasonable. However, it''s a bit hard to agree on all the land as you have requested in the contract. There are also borders from other countries sticking to it. Henceforth, the only land we can offer is the ?Empty Wilderness? region facing our beastkin nation. In addition, if you can develop the outer region by yourself, we can also recognise that land as yours." "The land can be recognised as mine if I can develop that region, means I wouldn''t have to pay any tax for that. I see, it''s indeed difficult considering the equilibrium with other countries. But if I could tie a contract with one of the four countries bordering ?Empty Wilderness?, I believe it should be possible to tie the same contract with the other three countries too and ultimately become the owner of the whole region in their documents too. "Very well, let''s form a magical contract, including the aforementioned points." After saying that, he prepared the magic contract acknowledging my, adventurer Chises, ownership over the region of the ?Empty Wilderness? facing the beastkin nation. "There are three copies of it, one for the royal family, second for Chise-sama and third for the adventure guild to safeguard it." It seems Gyunton has the authority to sign it on the behalf of the King as his representative. I rechecked the document just in case to look for any minor loopholes. "I have confirmed. Let''s sign һһHold on." Gyunton, who was watching over the proceeding until now with a stern expression, raised his voice to pause the procedure. "I still have some doubts. Why are you lying that you''re going to research the region from our nation''s side?" "A lie, you say?" "The ears and nose of us, the royal family, are quite sensitive, you see. With experience, we can tell if the person before us is lying or not from the smell of their sweat and the sound of their heartbeat." He said, staring straight at me. You really can''t underestimate the other world. I was impressed that there are people who possess such remarkable traits. Butһһ "So you''re sniffing the smell of a woman''s sweat huh...... That''s anything but a pleasant revelation." "I, for one, am not going around sniffing for a person''s body odour out of my preference either. Also, don''t try to change the topic so blatantly." Tsk, I guess I can''t fool him. "Then I would like to keep my silence over my true motive." "So that''s how you''re going to play, huh? Then my other doubt, why is there no reward for your comrade when you''re in a party? As far as I can tell, it''s basically revolving around Chise-dono." So he found it odd why Teto''s name wasn''t in the contract when we had cleared the dungeon together but she wasn''t mentioned anywhere when we discussed the dealing of the dungeon core. The one to reply to this was Teto herself. "I had a promise with Majou-sama, that the next dungeon core would belong to her......" "Interesting, by next, so you mean you also got your hands on another dungeon core in the past" Teto subconsciously made a verbal slip, but such matters hardly had any significance. "We had gotten a dungeon core of a small-scale dungeon which only had 5 floors ten years ago. Though we don''t have it anymore." "I see, what a pity......" Expressing his disappointment, Prince pulled a thoughtful expression. He decided to back down after judging what we said was true from our remarks and smelling the odour. He seemed to be pondering once again if he should tie this incomprehensible contract and secure the dungeon core or not. Just as Prince was in the middle of his contemplation, the accessory I was carrying made a shrill sound suddenly. It was similar to a buzzer alarm that children have. "W, What''s with this suddenly!?" "I apologise. It seems my daughter seemed to be caught up in trouble. I am going out for a while, please excuse me." Hurling my words, I opened the window door, put my feet on the ledge and flew to the sky. "Majou-sama, Teto''s also coming with you!" Teto, too, jumped out of the window, landed on the ground and followed after me. "What in the world has gotten into them so suddenly......" I heard the Prince of beastkin nation muttering so in the process. Vol. 3 - Ch. 67 - True Identity of Selene I flew into the sky of Yir town after hearing the buzzer, a security magical tool I created with ?Creation Magic?, and followed the magical power of Selene."She seems to be there." I presume she must have been caught up in a situation when she was coming back after meeting her friends. I had mentioned to her to avoid any less-crowded area, so I was quickly able to find Selene''s whereabouts after seeing the onlookers gathering around a place facing the main street. "Are you all right, Selene?" "Okaa-san, you came!" I landed in the center of the crowd where Selene was and looked at the people who collapsed on the ground having been caught by the wires of the protection magical tool. I added a capture net in the protection magic tool and supplemented it with a sleeping spell so it seems like they fainted at the same time as they were caught in the lariat. "What happened Selene?" "I don''t know. They were calling me Seleneril, saying that my father is waiting for me and that they have come to take me back while surrounding me. I was scared......" Explaining the situation, Selene clinched to my robe and took her distance from the men. But it seems like there was someone among the onlookers who know about these people. "They introduced themselves as wandering merchants who have wandered off to this town in the winter of this year! However they have been in this unremarkable town for the whole winter and asking around about Chise-chan and Selene-chan, so I thought an aristocrat has sent them to invite you to something......" "Maybe they have come after Selene-chan after hearing of her title being the little saint for her efforts during the dungeon crisis in the other town." "They must be kidnappers. I just now reported this to the guards and they will be arriving here soon..." As the situation unfurled with them being labeled as kidnappers and so on, I observed the people who were caught in the net. They were dressed in merchant attire but it was a bit off compared to their features and vibe. The onlookers were amazing to have guessed that they might be an aristocrat or someone serving them. The frontier town didn''t care much about aristocrats or their retainers due to its meritocracy system and magnanimous nature but the backbone of beastkin nation was mostly centered around its various beast tribes or clans, so there are very few human servants. As I was thinking about their origin, a man called out to me after making his way through the crowd. "I believe you must be Chise-sama, mother of Selene-sama." "Hnn? And you''re?" "You can say I''m the boss of these guys. However please let me apologize first for their impromptu behavior, they acted rashly because they were waiting for the appearance of you two for a long time." The man who bowed his head in apology looked more refined compared to the group of people lying on the ground. I could feel the same vibe as Rollwalker I was conversing with not too long ago from him. "With all due respect, I would like Selene-sama and Chise-sama to hear the details of who we are and why we did this." I crossed my arms in front of my chest and pondered his request. I feel inclined to hear what they have to say about the name of Seleneril, since it was a name engraved behind the unicorn ring given to me when Selene was given to us to look after. "Are you going to talk with them, Okaa-san?" I smiled at Selene who asked me anxiously. "There''s no need to be scared anymore. I''m here. You know your Okaa-san is strong, no?" As I was easing down Selene, Teto finally arrived at the spot and as for the unconscious people, I decided to leave them to the guards and head for the adventure guild. They would be directly thrown into prison if it turned out to be just a kidnapping case. There''s the possibility of learning about the people who had been aiming for Selene''s life when she was a child. They were then led to the guild accompanied by guards and adventurers after undoing the net...... In the guild, Prince Gyunton of the beastkin nation and Rollwalker, with whom I was discussing the contract, were also present. "You, Your Highness the Prince Gyunton! And even the minister''s secretary Rollwalker......" The boss, who had tried speaking to Selene, was stunned. He must have not expected the presence of royalty. "So the ruckus was caused by the diplomat of the Iska kingdom. I assume the information should have been transmitted to your side too. Chise-dono here has conquered the dungeon, gotten dungeon core in her hand and we are in the middle of a negotiation." "Y, Yes. I''m aware of the situation......" Seeing the situation going nowhere with the boss faltering at the presence of royalty of another country, I slightly pressured him with my mana and turned his attention to us. "If you have finished talking, can you now tell me about the origin of your group?" The group who had tried to get closer to Selene were still tied up but the effect of the sleeping spell was cleared from them and now their heads were hanging downward after understanding their current situation. Among them, the person who had named himself as their superior began to introduce himself. "We are the people who have been entrusted to search for His Majesty''s lost princess, Seleneril-sama, under the order of His Majesty of the Iska kingdom. We had come here this time to check if Selene-sama is the person we have been looking for." "You''re mistaking my identity! I''m Chise Okaa-san''s daughter Selene." Selene raised her voice, almost like a scream. In fact, I had already told Selene that she had a birth mother different from myself, who''s like a caretaking mother of her, who entrusted baby Selene to us when she was at death''s door. However, she must not have understood what it truly meant when I explained it to her back then. Even the gathered adventurers and guards had complicated expressions. They also must have a hard time accepting that the little girl they have been familiar with since she was a child was actually the dear princess of the neighboring kingdom. Among everyone present, Prince Gyunton and his partner Rollwalker especially had clouded expressions as if they were deliberating on something. "Your Highness. The word of these men are......" "It shouldn''t be a lie from the odor. But, that''s a bit surprising for the name of Seleneril to come out here......" "So you know the inside story?" When I asked Prince Gyunton, he explained with a complicated expression, his eyebrows hunched downward. "Well, we''re royalties after all. Given our status, the circumstances of the royal family of the neighboring country did enter our ears. Apparently, a concubine of the Iska kingdom''s king, who was called Saint, was targeted by the Evil Cult members and assassinated, and the whereabouts of her baby Seleneril had since been unknown һһ or so I have heard." Certainly, the hair color and etc resemble Selene when I asked more about what were the traits of the woman called Saint. Besides, the hair of Selene''s mother I had gotten who entrusted Selene to us also had the same color. Another thing, their King who couldn''t find the whereabouts of Selene inside the whole kingdom even after extensive searches at that time seemed to have strived to purge all the Evil Cult members who had assassinated his concubine. "I don''t know! I''m not a princess or anything!" "No, Im sure of it! The mithril and unicorn rings that Selene-sama is wearing are indisputable evidence!" According to them, these rings were the magical tool with purification and healing magic conferred to her when Princess Seleneril had just been born. They did verify that the effects of these magic tools were restricted to anyone who wasn''t Selene-sama or her mother and saint, Elise and that Selene''s true name was engraved on the other side of the ring. "Certainly, only I can use these rings and Okaa-san Chise isn''t my true mother but......" I hugged Selene, who seemed to be overwhelmed by all the revelation, to calm her down. It was then that an acquaintance adventurer raised his voice. "H, How come you have been searching for so long but only found out about them now?" "That''s... We had searched throughout the Kingdom in the starting years and the last traces of Chise-sama and Teto-sama were them escaping towards the north from the frontier town Darryl but that was where their whereabouts became unknown after that. However, we found their names appearing as the conquerors of last year''s dungeon outbreak, and also come to know about her daughter Selene." As everyone expressed their understanding of the man''s words, only Prince Gyunton narrowed his eyes and asked the leader of the Iska kingdom''s princess Selene''s search party. "...... The Darryl town you speak of, is it in Margrave Reebell''s territory?" "Yes, the town is indeed part of the margrave''s territory. There were no traces of them passing through checkpoints, entering towns, or using the guild at all after that. When we searched for their history again, they seemed to have appeared out of nowhere seven years ago in this town." "There should have been quite a distance from that town to this town. Nevertheless, a gap of three years, huh? Are you telling me you guys passed these three years in the monsters-infested forest north of Darryl town while escaping from the pursuit of the Evil Cult and taking care of a child?" He was looking at us with astonishment-filled eyes. His eyes widened further after confirming the answer with his senses. "Its something else, huh? Wait, don''t tell me, you guys......" He didn''t finish his words til the end but Selene''s shoulder trembled a bit from his words. This seemed to become the final proof for Prince Gyunton''s theory as he exhaled a deep sigh. He didn''t mention where we sheltered but he has apparently confirmed we can go in and out of the ?Empty Wilderness?. "I understand. That''s why you requested a contract of that sort...... I understand." S?a?ch* Th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Twice, he mentioned I understand. I guess that''s how much of a shocking revelation it might be to him. Then I was told that we have to talk about the contract later by Prince Gyunton after he had calmed himself down. "Anyway, we have confirmed you''re indeed Seleneril-sama! By all means, we implore you to return to your father, His Majesty Albert, with us!" "...... Okaa-san" "It''s all right. I will protect you no matter what kind of choice you make." "Teto, too, will protect Selene." When we said that while giving a tight squeeze to her hands, Selene took a deep breath and made up her mind. "I, I want to meet my actual father. I also want to go to the grave of my actual mother. I will think about the rest after that." "I understand. Then we will prepare to receive Seleneril-sama and your foster mother Chise-sama and Teto-sama." For the time being, both parties came to an agreement and so the members of Princess Seleneril''s search party were thus released as they returned to their inn in the town. After taking my schedule into account, we fixed our appointment time for two weeks later. Well, this settled the case about the shady group approaching Selene but the discussion about my contract with regards to the dungeon core with the beastkin was apparently far from over. Vol. 3 - Ch. 68 - Concluding the contract and preparation for homecoming Teto, Selene, and I were now facing Prince Gyunton and Rollwalker after sending back the adventurers, guards, and members of Princess Seleneril''s search party that had gathered in the guild''s reception room."Any lie is meaningless in front of me. So you can go in and out of the ?Empty Wilderness?, don''t you, Adventurer Chise?" "You''re right." "The meaning of contract changes drastically by adding this fact." Prince Gyunton then told us the story passed down to each nation about the ?Empty Wilderness?. It was nothing but a mere plain without anything but once upon a time, a magic civilization prospered in that land, and the result of that civilization''s recklessness was the birth of now ruined wilderness. The goddess thus declared their deed taboo and erected a barrier on that land so as to keep the magic knowledge and magic tools, which a part of mankind used to bring forth catastrophe, away from the rest of the world. And that''s why, inside the barrier was the remains of that ancient magic civilization һһ was what the story was about. "Well, it''s such a big land that there must be ore veins in it even if we remove ancient magic civilization from the picture." "Hmm, that possibility isn''t low." After hearing Prince Gyunton''s side of the story, while there wasn''t anything left on the surface, the magic tools of that era might have been left behind underground, or so I thought. The mana density was still low but it has been slowly recovering inside the barrier so there might be a need to search for those magic tools before they run rampant. Though I guess that''s the story for 100 years later in the future, let''s put it aside for now. "So, you''re not going to tie a contract, is it?" "No, I will sign. In the end, even if there are people who can go in, it''s not like we''re capable of doing the same thing. However, I do hope that you give our country preference first when you think about selling the things you got from the ?Empty Wilderness?. And of course, we will buy them at their right price." Hmm, this is quite a difficult matter. Who knows there might not be any magic tool left behind or maybe the ore veins were already emptied out by the civilization 2000 years ago. But speaking conversely, I could also sell the magic tools I would make with ?Creation Magic? to the beastkin royalty since they wouldn''t know anything without knowing what''s inside the ?Empty Wilderness?. While I was wondering mentally, Prince Gyunton looked at me with his vertical slit eyes characteristic of tigers. "To be honest, not concluding this contract might also be a good option. I don''t know the method but if there''s someone who can enter the ?Empty Wilderness?, we might be able to get new territory under our command by controlling that person." "Your Majesty..." "No, it''s fine. However, you guys are the saviors of Princess Seleneril. Should I cause you harm, our relationship with the Iska Kingdom would be in peril. Besides, there are very few people in the Gard Beastkin Nation who can use magic so we might also lose in the race of magic technology with the other countries." If there are an nth number of magicians, it also means there are equally nth numbers of magic researchers too which is connected to the difference in basic research of magic. They require the dungeon core һ a huge and useful magic stone һ as a magic catalyst in order to not lose against the other countries in the competition too. There were also other benefits as by chipping off the part of a big magic stone of a dungeon core, they can produce tens of magic weapons like magic swords and if you combine the beastkin with their top-notch physical abilities with magic weapons, it can become a strong military power to protect their nation. "In that case, prioritizing the dungeon core while also forming a harmonious relationship with excellent magicians who can move in and out of that barrier would be more beneficial." They have looked at themselves and the other race objectively and understand where their strong and weak points lie. Even I felt a bit moved by his calculative yet sincere opinion. s?a??h th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "I appreciate your sincere response. Is the contract with its initial terms alright with you?" "Yes, I have already checked it. Then, let''s begin the process again." This way, we obtained the ownership of the part of the ?Empty Wilderness? facing Gard Beastkin Nation in exchange for the dungeon core. Teto looked at the dungeon core handed to Prince Gyunton with melancholic eyes though I got her in a good mood when I presented her with a large size magic stone I had made with 100,000 units of my mana through ?Magic Creation? once we returned home. Now, what we ought to do is to prepare for our travel to the Iska Kingdom where Selene''s father, the King, was in two weeks. The first part to prepare for this journey was to solidify Selene''s defense. "There must be a lot of people aiming for the Princess." Even if we remove the already destroyed Evil Cult from the equation, there should be many who would want to abduct her for quick money or to make up a lie and turn it into an established fact like forcing her into a marriage. Besides them, there could be aristocrats who might use methods like poisoning, assassination, or premeditated murder to kill her. "First is to strengthen Selene herself. Skills that can be helpful even for her debut in the aristocratic society......" I searched for the necessary skills while looking at the collection of skills I had bought in the town. First of all, she would be able to keep herself dignified if she has the ?Etiquette? skill. Similarly, it would be fine as long as Teto and I also have the minimum necessary level of the ?Etiquette? skill so I created some skill orbs and used them to grant us the skill. "Next is a magic tool to defend." For protection, I prepared magic tools that would be effective for gas proofing or ones that would erect a strong barrier in case of emergency. "The last is to prepare something she can use to escape at any moment." There''s no telling if the King of the Iska kingdom would be a good father even if he''s Selene''s father. There must be something she can use to promptly distance herself in case he forces her to do something against her will. "Using the 50 pieces of magic crystals that could store 10000 units of mana each`һ?Creation: Transfer gate?. Ah, this is just for one side." I tried making a ?Transfer Gate? magic tool with creation magic that needed 500,000 units of mana. It''s a tool that had multiple useful applications so I unhesitatingly used the 1 million unit mana stored in the magic crystals immediately. I personally was unable to learn teleportation magic like ?Space Magic? so I couldn''t return to the ?Empty Wilderness? instantly anytime I wanted. So I pondered about it and then came up with the idea to install one side of the ?Transfer Gate? in our base inside the ?Empty Wilderness? while I can carry the other side of the ?Transfer Gate? with me in my magic bag so I can use it to return when necessary. What''s more, it''s possible to adjust the transfer gate such that only those whose mana signature is registered can pass through it. I also upgraded various other items like the one item that manages and controls the situation in the ?Empty Wilderness? in addition to the tools I prepared to give to Selene. Just as I was preparing for the journey, Selene asked me`һ "Hey, Okaa-san." "What is it, Selene?" "I want to go to the neighboring kingdom''s royal capital with Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan." "Hmm, I think it would be one month''s journey if everything proceed as planned." "It''s so bothersome. Such a long trip......" I also agree with this. Well, it would be a problem for us to head to the royal capital of Iska kingdom with just us alone using the magic carpet while leaving behind the people who had come here in search of Selene and it was unnecessary and troublesome to create another transportation magic tool to carry them with us. "Well, it''s bothersome but it''s also fun, no? And it''s the royal capital, Okaa-san! You can take your adventurer rank-up test too!" "Ah`, so perceptive of you." If Adventurers, who move from one country to another on a whim, want to be promoted to A-rank, they must take a rank-up test in the royal capital city of any nation. "You can use this chance to take on the test! And then, Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan will become A-rank Adventurers! Isn''t it amazing?!" "Hmm, you''re not wrong." To protect Selene, a backer was also necessary. A-rank adventurers are treated as quasi-aristocrat by each country and, depending on the situation, I heard they are appointed as Knights or Court Mages and they can even be conferred peerage. Selene''s foster mother should be someone better than just a simple adventurer. "Hmm, you''re right. For Selene, your mother will work hard." "I am also aiming for A-rank for the sake of Majou-sama and Selene!" "A-aree? The reactions are different from what I thought, but good luck, Okaa-san, Teto onee-chan!" Since it has come to this, I guess I must confirm when will be the rank-up test in the Iska kingdom. The days passed in this way and soon, the appointed day arrived. Vol. 3 - Ch. 69 - Journey to the Iska Kingdom "Seleneril-sama and the others please take the carriage over there. We will soon be leaving for the Iska kingdom."With the preparations in order and all ready to travel, we board the carriage prepared by the search party dispatched from the Iska Kingdom. The box-shaped carriage was quite simple to be used for a noble''s escort but this may just be the perfect camouflage. However, I was a bit concerned about its defensive ability so I quietly put a defense spell on it as we advanced. "Okaa-san......" "Does your butt hurt because you aren''t used to riding a carriage? Or do you want to go to the toilet?" "I feel sick from the shaking......'' "Should I raise you up so you can look at the outside scenery through the windows? Or, although it''s a bit early, should I ask them to stop so we can rest?" S?a??h th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I rubbed her back while using healing magic and strengthening magic to fortify her semicircular canals, the cause of her nausea. On one occasion during our journeyһһ "Selene-sama, the cooking, letһһ" "I have done the cooking with Okaa-san before, so calm down!" Throughout our journey, the search party tried to stop Selene from helping out in the cooking in camp but had to back down reluctantly at the sight of her culinary skills. In fact, the members of the search party are knights and are kind of like the 3rd or 4th sons of their respective aristocratic families so they weren''t that skillful in cooking. After that, when we stopped at a town to replenish our supplies һһ "Okaa-san, they are selling sweets there!" "They seem to be the popular bean sweets! Ill buy them, quick!" "Alright, let''s buy them. Oh, I also want to visit the bookstore in this town so let''s withdraw money from the adventurers guild." As we were looking around the scenery of the town, we stopped by on the way like we were sightseeingһһ "Selene-sama, you shouldn''t visit places like that! It would be a problem if you were to move on your own!" They tried to restrain Selene''s movement but I used magic to put them into a light sleep and went on our own. They also needed a bit of rest since they were using all their nerves throughout the escort. Using that excuse, we toured around the town. On another occasion during the journeyһһ "The road ahead is blocked due to rocks that had fallen on the road!" "This much is simpleһһ?Breakstone?!" The stone was pulverized into small bits, changing into a size easy enough to be carried. We then put them to the side of the road and passed through. "Bandits have appeared on the highway!" "This is justһһ?Bind Earth?!'' I manipulate the ground and used soil and stone to restrain the bandits and carried them to a nearby city while keeping them bound. "Anyone, I beg you, please save this child!" "Very well, this will be 3 silver coins. һһ?Heal?!" I used healing magic on a child that had been kicked by a rampaging horse. The child was almost all but confirmed dead with an open fracture, excessive bleeding, ruptured internal organs, and brain hemorrhage apparently from their head hitting the road after being kicked but, fortunately, we just made it in time and healed the child. We easily advanced while resolving any hindering obstacles like so with the power of magic. Also, Selene was already bored from the carriage journey in just three days since starting, so I stealthily created a board game with ?Creation Magic? inside the coach, used strengthening and healing magic on the horses pulling the carriage, reduced the box-shaped coachs weight and mixed potions in the drinking water. We arrived at the kingdom''s border in a week as the result of improving the horses movement speed and in another week, we arrived at the capital city. "Huh? It had taken us one month to arrive at that town, how come it only took us half the time?" Each member of Selene''s search party was making a face as if they had been bewitched by a fox. "So, what''s the plan from here on out? Are we going to meet Selene''s father immediately?" "No, we first must report and schedule a meeting with His Majesty. So, Selene-sama will be staying at the church facility to which her mother, Elise-sama, had belonged while she was still alive." "Okaa-san......" Muttering just that, Selene tightly clenched the ring, a memento of her mother. Thus, we headed to the royal capital''s cathedral that worshipped the Goddess Liliel and the others. We then got off the carriage and entered as we were guided inside. "............ Elise-sama?" "Yes?" Selene slightly cocked her small head in confusion but the old clergyman that had appeared shook his head slightly and greeted us. "Nice to meet you, I''m Cardinal Marius of the five theism." "N-Nice to meet you, I''m Selene." "Fufufu, you look just like Elise in her younger days. I almost thought I was seeing her again for a moment there." He greeted Selene with a friendly greeting. "I have heard the details. You have my utmost gratitude for raising Selene-sama. May I know your names?" Cardinal Marius didn''t show a wee bit of surprise seeing us. Apparently, he already heard about our appearance and age. "I''m Witch Chise. A B-rank adventurer." "Likewise, Swordsman Teto-nanodesu!" However, his expression soon crumbled in surprise upon hearing our name. "Chise-dono? No way, the same leading figure in the former capital''s orphanage reformation?" "Did you do something, Okaa-san?" Selene asked curiously. I hadn''t talked about my past before meeting Selene because I didnt have much to say, so I wasn''t particularly avoiding it. "It''s a story just a bit before meeting you, Selene. I just helped some kids from an orphanage so that they could stand up on their own two feet." I explained in a lighthearted manner but Cardinal Marius exaggeratedly shook his head saying You''re being too humble. "You''re downplaying your achievement. The potion compounding and paper-manufacturing techniques that Chise-sama had taught using her own money are now being currently used as teaching materials in the orphanages and the side job of making paper is used to aid various types of socially inept people! You''re a Saint who has instilled hope in many!" After hearing the details, it seemed those books had been properly maintained after leaving my hands. The dungeon city orphanage''s kids dispersed to every location to spread forth the same type of system to the orphanages throughout the kingdom and the general health of the nations populace was improved with the increase in potion yield. Furthermore, paper bag and envelope manufacturing using paper have started to become a side business for orphan kids or widows who had lost their husbands. "I didn''t know that. That''s amazing, Okaa-san..." Her biological mother roamed around various places, providing recovery aid to the masses, and became a Saint while her foster mother aided people on the societal aspect and was now treated as Saint. In either case, the opinion of the church regarding Selene as the princess of the Iska Kingdom might be quite good. People from Selene''s search party, who had escorted us so far, were apparently unaware of this as they also looked surprised. Currently, paper һ manufactured from scarp wood һ has become a valuable income source for the church and the kingdom too seemed to be exporting them to other nations. "You three are the important guests of this cathedral. Please treat it as if it''s your home." Afterwards, several sisters joined us and led us to the room in the inner part of the cathedral which was to be our place of stay. In the night, we ate a simple but balanced meal as one would expect from the church, cleansed our bodies with cleaning magic, and changed into our nightwear. "I want to bathe......" Selene, who was accustomed to soaking in a bath since she was young, muttered her desire. "Hmm, I also want to take a bath, shall we search for a large public bath tomorrow?" "Yes!" As we were traveling previously, I hesitated to undress and enter an impromptu bath around the search party who escorted us so we had been making do with using clean magic every day. Then, as we were idly passing time until it was time for bed, Selene muttered out a different desire this time. "Okaa-san, Teto onee-chan......" "What?" "You know, I, I want to know what kind of things Okaa-san has done." The Okaa-san Selene mentioned must be her birth mother, Elise-san. "So, so I was thinking of trying to work in the church." "I see. Let''s ask Cardinal Marius tomorrow." "Okay, thank you, Okaa-san......" After saying that, she silently fell asleep. I turned off the light without waking Selene up and went to sleep as well. Vol. 3 - Ch. 70 - Assisting the clinic The following day, I requested to meet with Cardinal Marius after we had our breakfast and the meeting was set to be in the afternoon of the same day.I really respected the Cardinal for making time for us even though he''s busy himself. "I want to request something while we''re staying here." "Yes, what might it be?'' "Selene wants to know what kind of work Elise-sama used to do here, so could you allow us to work in the church as our thanks for letting us stay here?" "This is, in fact, just as helpful for us. Very well, I will make the arrangements." The day after our request was approved, Selene had changed into a sisters habit for the kids and she looked adorable. As for me` "It looks good on you, Okaa-san." "You look so cute, Majou-sama." "Wait, why am I also wearing it?" To be honest, I thought it would only be Selene but it seems like even I''m going to help out in the church. Well not that I mind but I had planned to help out in the church for two days a week and I was thinking of venturing out into the city to tour around the royal capital during my free days. I also have to check out the A-rank rank-up test that will be held at the adventurers guild and I also wanted to try out the great library of the royal capital at least once. "If you''re ready, please follow me. Here is the clinic." The members were Selene and me, while Teto accompanied us as our escort. Also, a knight-looking person has apparently been dispatched from the royal palace. He kept a bit of distance from the church by entering the adjacent building while we were being guided by a healing magician sister. I presume that must be the clinic, with the clean look the building was giving. I was impressed that there was a facility exclusive for this purpose, unlike the church of Priest Paul in the dungeon city where priests treat you directly. "Our work is to heal the patients. Since we''re unclear about Chise-sama and Selene-sama''s abilities, I will be assisting you today." "Well be in your good hands." "We, well be in your good hands." Although Selene had the experience of helping out at the adventurers guild, she was nervous as the atmosphere of the church was completely different from there. And so, the time for treatment beganһһ A lot of injured or ill people were brought in. The treatment for adventurers was basically centered around healing the wounds or poison they received while fighting monsters but the people here came for various reasons. һһPeople who had fractured their leg after falling from a high place during their work. һһPeople complaining about the symptoms of their long-standing disease. һһOr the people who suddenly fell ill. "һһ?Search?. Hmm, your ribs and spine seemed to be fractured һһ?Heal?." "Those who are lightly injured, gather here һһ?Area Heal?. Done, please go to this side." Selene unreservedly used her healing magic on severely ill or injured people while I only sorted out lightly injured people, healed them with area magic altogether, and send them back. "Amazing...... You''re younger but much better at healing than us......... As expected of a Saint." I''m glad to be praised for my excellence in healing magic but even so, I''m 23, officially at least, and most likely older than the sister who just muttered so. Once the rush hour for the morning was over, next was the rush hour for the people who had been injured during daytime work. "Don''t give up yet! There''s still time!" "һһHand and feet have been severed. I will do the hand, Selene, you focus on the leg." "Okay. һһ?Clean? ?Search?." A person who had their leg and a hand cut off from some kind of accident was brought in. It''s not a problem for me to handle it alone but I decided it would be better to divide the work with Selene. I sanitized the wound and arm that had been brought together with the ?Clean? magic and then connected the severed arm with healing magic. The arm was easily attached first by joining bones, then restoring the nerves, veins, muscle fibers, and, lastly, skin one by one. Had the arm been completely gone, then the situation could have only been handled by the regeneration magic. Joining the severed limb was hard work but the mana consumption was still smaller when compared to regeneration magic. That person was the only one who was gravely injured. Afterwards, we continued to heal til the evening after having lunch. "Impossible, no way...... How is it that you still have mana...... even after working for the whole day?" Such was the question from the sister who had guided us in the morning and my answer was`һ "My mana reserve is quite vast." My mana reserve was 100,000 units so it didn''t burden me either way even if I used it for the whole day. "I don''t have as much mana as Okaa-san, but I saved my mana by only using it when necessary." Selene''s current mana reserve was 20,000 units. With that much mana, her life expectancy was much higher than other people and she might be able to live around for around 100 years. But I have recently noticed that the aging phenomenon of people with large amounts of mana continues to grow normally until their bodies are at their peak and the aging then slows down from there. Upon discovering that fact, I couldn''t help but doubt that I might not have grown in the past years at all even though I now had eternal youth from the increase of my mana. If I don''t research into it seriously...... I should stop for now. The day ended in this way, and at nightһһ "Please teach us healing magic too." I was approached by sisters who either could already use healing magic or who have the talent but couldn''t use it yet. "Okaa-san......" "Haaa, I understand, so stop staring at me like that. Is there an empty room we can use? I will give you a lecture there." Thus started the sudden lecture on healing magic. I mainly used a human body anatomical chart and supplement the image by filling in information about the various body functions. I taught them an efficient way of healing by using no attribute magic ?Search? to check for the affected part and using ?Heal? only on the area where it was needed to save mana. Then, I showed them the diagram showing the image of cell restoration that clogged the wound. I also explained to them how using ?Search? was advantageous since it could detect latent illnesses or complications before the outbreak. S?a??h the Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. After that was the mana reinforcement training that could help them increase the number of times they could use healing magic. The sisters, on other hand, had grabbed some paper from the church and were jolting down notes about what I was teaching them. It was a scene like a lecture in college, I smiled bitterly while solving the doubts of the earnest sisters one by one. The notes that were taken down became the origin of the healing magic teaching book of five theism in the future and was called the Saint''s textbook, different from the church''s magic index. The result of the lecture was such that the sisters who couldn''t use healing magic until then were able to use it after following the training while sisters who had already known how to use healing magic showed even more talent. Vol. 3 - Ch. 71 - Father and Daughter Reunion On the days we didn''t have to help in church, Selene, Teto, and I went out to see the royal capital along with several escorts dispatched from the royal palace."As expected of the royal capital. There are so many things I''m not familiar with." In contrast to me who was frantically buying books from one store to another, Selene and Teto were having fun munching on the food they purchased from the stalls. Selene hadn''t shown that much interest in clothes or jewelry, maybe because she had inherited my and Teto''s disposition. Meanwhile, the guards at a distance looked like they were going to faint at any moment seeing Selene, a dignified noble lady, buying and eating food from the stalls like a commoner though we ignored them. And when we visited the adventurer''s guild, sure enough, there wasn''t anyone trying to find fault with a small kid like Selene. Though, they may have taken her as the relative of an aristocrat traveling incognito while in plain sight of trained guards tagging along from a distance. "Excuse me. We''re Adventurers from another place so we have come to greet the royal capital''s adventurer''s guild." "Nice to meet you-nanodesu!" "My, that''s so polite of you." Teto and I greeted the receptionist and directly asked about the A-rank promotion test. "When is the A-rank promotion test going to start?" "A-rank? I''m sorry, information about the A-rank promotion test is confidential....." The receptionist seemed to have misunderstood our intention. I''m sure she thought of us as children wanting to take a look at the place where the Adventurers they admired gathered more than people who would be taking the promotion exam. Thus, I displayed my guild card. "I''m a B-rank Adventurer, qualified to take the promotion exam. Check the card yourself." "!? P, please forgive my rudeness! I will check it right away!" Then, she gave a detailed explanation after confirming my and Teto''s registration for the promotion exam. It seems that B-rank adventurers who have obtained the qualifications to take the A-rank promotion exam fight each other in a challenge-type tournament. "I assume there''s no other type of exam like giving out difficult quests and deciding the outcomes based on completion, right?" "We used to have that system in the past but as there had been precedents of examinees dying during the quest, it had now taken this shape so as to not to dwindle the precious personnel of the guild." That''s understandable, I nodded in agreement and asked about the test in detail, and, apparently, it''s a one-on-one battle with the last one standing format since normal tournament battles are mostly influenced by luck. Adventurers could, of course, show their abilities the best when in a party but the goal was to check out how flexible and responsive they were alone in times of emergency. Such a format was to ascertain that aspect, apparently. "I got it. There are some circumstances due to which I currently can''t take on any quests yet but I may borrow the training ground when I''m free." "I understand. However, the other adventurers who are also taking the promotion test are buying information about the examinees. So you can say the test has already begun, in a sense." Since it wasn''t a type of test where one wins and advances to the next round, one''s skills would become apparent from 2nd battle onwards. I see, it''s also a valid strategy to gather intelligence about the participating adventurers beforehand, take measures against them in the second round, or have tables turned on them and then test out how they respond to changes. "The promotion exam will be in half a year." "Got it. That''s all I needed to know, so we are heading back for now. Thank you." "Thank you-nanodesu! See you-nanodesu!" We went back after confirming what I needed to know and our stay under the hospitality of the church continued for a while. Occasionally there would be adventurers coming to the cathedral or clinic where Teto and I were to collect information though I wasn''t sure if they were the adventurers taking the same test as us or if they have been asked to do so. Our days passed like this for a while and at last, the day that Selene and her father, the King, would meet was decided. "Seleneril-sama, Chise-sama, Teto-sama. Please come this way." We rode on the carriage arranged by the Royal Palace, entered the castle through the rear entrance, and then were guided to the waiting room. "We have to dress up the Princess so please wait here a while." "Huh, whaһ, Okaa-san. Help..." "Do your best to look pretty~" "Go for it!" Selene was then led to the bath she had been wishing for so long by the maids who, after the bath, spent a lot of time dolling her up. And when Selene wore a dress matching her physique, it was the moment a beautiful Princess was born. "Okaa-san, this is embarrassing. And I can''t move well either..." "Well, this might be your obligation as someone of royalty. Anyway, put these on." I had sent her packed with defense magic tools when she was taken to bathe and after she came back, I put on her the magic tools I had prepared for her. They looked boorish when I put them on Selene as they didn''t match the dress she was wearing but I was allowed to take advantage of the situation. "Everything is ready, His Majesty is on his way here." "Umm, I''m feeling nervous." "It will be fine. Rather than worrying about that, drink the tea and calm yourself down." "Selene, these snacks are delicious. It would be a waste to not try them, really." Teto and I were unreservedly enjoying the delicious tea and snacks of the royal palace. It was unclear if it was the difference in our skills in brewing tea or the excellence of the tea leaves, but it smelled nice and was easy to drink. It was on a different level compared to the cheap tea leaves I usually produced with ?Creation Magic? (1 pack takes 500 units of mana) back at home. "This tea is delicious. I wonder if you can tell me about the origin of the tea leaves?" "The tea leaves are of roseline variety from the Dasil territory. This is a royal warrant item." "Hee, sounds good. Maybe I should buy them the next time I get a chance." "Okaa-san, you''re acting too familiar." "You should also try these tea cookies, Selene. They''re delicious." "Uuuh, even Teto onee-chan...... Ahh, really, they''re delicious......" As part of Selene''s improvement plan, I had made sure to give her the ?Etiquette? skill and had her take a manners course from the sisters, who were daughters of the aristocrats themselves, during our stay in the cathedral so she was able to carry out tasks like elegantly sipping her tea. As we were enjoying the tea and snacks, the door was knocked open and we saw a group of men just outside the room. The one in the lead was a young King in his 30s, and the remaining two men were, I assume, his attendants, with one giving an intellectual official-type vibe while the other one was a knight who seemed to be his guard. I think the guard knight looked as strong as the A-rank adventurer Alsace-san judging from his movements and the quality of his mana. Selene''s expression stiffened from nervousness at the entry of the group but the King, on the other hand, just smiled silently. "Today''s just our unofficial meeting. So feel free to take it easy." "I see, then we''ll take you up on your offer......" After saying that, I waited for the King to enter the room while reaching out for cookies and requesting maid-san for another refill of tea. Selene poked at me while quietly muttering "Okaa-san" but I had done it intentionally to soften the mood. Though, depending on how the King would react, I was ready to bring Selene to ?Empty Wilderness? with us right then butһһ s?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Well then, let me reintroduce myselfһһ I''m Albert, Iska kingdom''s King and the father of Seleneril." "I''m Selene''s foster mother and a B-rank adventurer." "I''m Selene''s onee-chan, Teto-nanodesu!" Then King Albert''s gaze shifted to Selene, to which Selene introduced herself nervously. "I''m Selene, daughter of stepmother Chise and mother Elise. Are you my father?" "Ahh, that''s right, Seleneril." "That...... I''m not used to Seleneril yet..... So I hope you can call me Selene." "I see, okay. Even so, Selene has grown so much." King stood from his seat and hugged the tiny body of Selene. He hugged her tightly, maybe to personally ascertain the growth of his daughter, or to confirm that his long-standing search had finally borne fruit. "Albert Otou-san?" "I will not let Evil Cult separate us again. I will not lose you this time!" As if reacting to his voice, the maids and his attendant who had followed him wept at the moving scene of reunion but..... Well, I just kept quiet and silently watched over them. The King, who calmed down after a while, let go of Selene and turned his gaze to me. "I''m thankful to you for protecting Selene and raising her so far. I''m also grateful to you for delivering the remains of Elise and others to the nearby town." As the King he was, he couldn''t bow his head easily but he showed how glad he was with his eyes. "I accept your gratitude. Besides, another goal of our journey this time is also to visit the grave of Selene''s mother." "Elise has been buried in the tomb of the royal family. I will take you there next time. And then I will make up for all the time Selene has lost in this royal palace!" King asserted himself strongly but I quickly raised my voice to stop him. "I can''t agree to it as Selene''s foster mother." "What?" "So far, Selene had been leading a life close to a commoner. Do you think Selene would be happy if you suddenly pulled her to a life of royalty?" King''s attendants'' brows raised up at once at my indifferent words. Vol. 3 - Ch. 72 - Transfer Gate The King''s attendants in the room gave me a displeased look for my opposition to the King''s proposal, however, the silent aura from King kept them from butting as he asked me."It''s the reunion of a father and his daughter. So being able to live together should be a supreme happiness for us. And, I can give Selene anything she needs." He said, implying how much authority and finance he had in his grasp but I just looked at him with an indifferent expression. "Selene might not feel good from the difference in the values and manners of a commoner and an aristocrat. Besides, I have taught Selene enough that she can live an independent life without any suffering and she possesses the ability to buy anything she wants just by relying on herself." And that''s not even saying that even I could get her anything she wanted, I quipped mentally though I didn''t say it out loud. "...... let''s see, Adventurer Chise-dono is it? Speaking of which, I forgot to confer you a reward for raising Selene. How much will it take for you to approve of me and Selene living together? Or is it peerage that which you want?" "Money or peerage is something I don''t need at all. I just want to choose something that will make Selene happier." The King smiled bitterly when I clearly cut down his proposal. "Really... You''re just as cool-minded and uninterested in power as the reports had told." With a bitter smile on his face, the King turned to look at his attendants who were standing behind him. They no longer had the displeased looks they had earlier on for opposing their king and were looking at the situation with a calm expression. It seemed the King had wanted to meet with Selene as soon as we had arrived at the royal capital. However, he had to hold himself back to look into Selene''s lifestyle, her ideology, and about us who have formed her character. "From the information my subordinates have collected, Selene is kind, energetic, and strong-willed. But I also know such traits are not in line with the custom of royalty. After all, those customs had also caused Elise trouble." Selene''s mother, Elise, might have the title of the Church''s Saint but she was a commoner by origin. Just becoming a concubine wasn''t enough, she also had to learn manners befitting for her position. "Best for Selene, huh? If Selene wishes to keep the mother and child bond with Chise-dono, there''s also the option for you to become my concubine." "I reject! Who''s going to get married?!" I reflexively replied so against a man in his mid-30s with good looks, position, and financial ability. Selene looked somewhat disappointed while Tet hugged me as if to protect me. "What a pity. And here I thought I might get an excellent magician to join us." "Your Majesty, your playfulness has gone a bit too far." The King was scolded by the man clad in civil official attire, the Premier of this kingdom. King sighed in a joking manner at my rejection and noticed the maids, who were working as waiters, pulling back from him slightly. "What''s the matter? Why such a cold attitude?" "Nothing, we just think our King has finally decided to go after a young girl to have as his concubine." "There are three people including the legal queen so far in His Majesty''s harem. If Elise-sama had been alive, that would have made it 4. There were rumors that the range of our King''s age preference was quite wide when the youngest concubine who was wed to the royal palace five years ago was at that time 18 years old, and now those hands are finally reaching out to even younger-looking girls......" "Otou-san......" "Why am I being looked down on by my maids and my daughter!? And you''re forgetting Chise-dono is 23 years old. She''s the same age as her!" Selene had, more or less, learned about society in the beastkin nation and knew about the polygamous culture of the beast tribes. This trend was especially prominent among adventurers as Selene''s female friends have two mothers who also got along well with each other. But even she knew that proposing to a legal loli was already falling into the territory of special preferences. "I may be Selene''s mother but I don''t have any intention of marrying anyone. I just want to consider various things for Selene''s happiness." "Man, why is it that I''m the one getting dumped...... Oh, well. Then how about you two become Selene''s guards and stay by her side as maids? I will pass Selene the royal villa that Elise had once used. I am hoping Selene can get used to the life of royalty there slowly." That might not be a bad idea, was what I thought of the King''s proposal. I didn''t want to be his concubine but I could accept being Selene''s maid. "I understand. Then, I will become Selene''s maid as her mother and watch over her until she gets married someday." I could feel Selene''s fear that her everyday life with us in the ?Empty Wilderness? would come to an end and smiled at her to reassure her. "Hmmm, Selene will someday get married as you said. If I count the time, there are only 6 or 7 years left? Ahhh, can''t I have more time to be with Selene!?" I felt a little funny to see the King distressed over the word marriage, so Teto and I lightly joked with him. "Girls mature very fast, just so you know. You may not even have 6 or 7 years." "This reminds me, there''s that one boy Selene is particularly close to in the Gard Beastkin Nation." "There''s no way in hell I will accept thaaaaaaaattttt!!!" We received quite an interesting reaction from him when Teto and I teased him, though it also caused Selene to give us a blank look. "Okaa-san, Teto onee-chan. You can''t tease Otou-san like that. And that boy is just 2 years old and the brother of a girl I''m friends with." Teto and I of course knew that already so we just slightly chuckled. The 2-year-old beastkin boy was an adorable toddler with a fluffy coat of hair and clear eyes whose growth we watch over alongside Selene''s female friends. "And I don''t want to treat Okaa-san and onee-chan as servants." "That''s a problem, isn''t it? Hmm, let''s quietly return to our home after the grave visit and find a nice person for you in the beastkin nation." "Even though I have finally found my daughter! There''s no way I will accept letting her go away again!" And so we''re once again back to where we started with the King still in opposition. I guess it''s about time to bring out our trump card. "Well then, can we have maids leave the room for a while? There''s something important I want to talk about." "I see, so Chise-dono has something important to say, huh? For the maids, please leave the room for a while." The King and the Premier nodded at my proposal and ordered the maids to leave the room. With the maids leaving the room, it was now just me, Selene, and Teto on one side while King, the Premier, and the King''s knight on the other side faced us. Selene began to feel uneasy seeing the calm air in the room suddenly taking a solemn turn. I then presented a compromise to King and his attendants. "Our proposal is that Selene will commute between the place she was living and the royal palace and slowly get used to here." "Where you lived. Hmm, that plan sounds feasible if it''s just traveling between here and the cathedral but let me hear your opinion." "I will be speaking on behalf of my position as head of the knight order, this plan will not only increase the burden on the escorts but will also make it easy for others to launch surprise attacks. If possible, Seleneril-sama and her foster mother can instead stay in the cathedral until we strengthen our order and dispatch guards from our side which would be wise." The knight һ or head of the knight order to be precise һ answered that the royal palace would be a better place to stay, factoring in the guards too. Rather than sending the guards to an unknown place out of the blue, it would be better to just stay in the cathedral and send a royal etiquette teacher there which would put less burden on Selene''s mental state as well as on the security guards. Though, I shook my head quietly. "No, I meant it literally. That''s to connect the royal palace with the place we''re staying in." After saying that, I pulled out the ?Transfer Gate? I had made with ?Creation Magic? beforehand from the magic bag. ''I guess I will have to apologize to maid-san since the fur carpet might get wet with our next action'' I thought as my mind drifted out to another matter. "This is, what might it be? Is it some kind of gate-shaped magic tool?" I directly answered the Premier who asked me so. "?Transfer Gate?һһ it''s a teleportation magic tool that links the two spaces with a pair of doors." "T, ?Transfer Gate?, you say!?" The King and his two attendants let out a surprised yell at the true identity of the magic tool. They might not be magicians by profession but they must have known about the existence of Transfer Gates. "Is, is this real thing!? You''re saying that a magic tool that can let you teleport really exists?!" Apparently, teleportation magic was a difficult magic to use even for magicians who specialize in space magic. In addition, the teleportation distance changes depending on the mana quantity and it was on a level that you might be hard-pressed to find someone who can use it even among the royal magicians. It was famous for guzzling down the caster''s mana depending on distance and it was a magic that I, too, was practicing secretly. "You can check it by trying it yourself." After saying that, I set the passage setting of the Transfer Gate to free and pass through it with Selene. After passing through the Transfer Gate whose surface rippled like water''s surface, we found ourselves back to our familiar home. "Ah, sure enough, the humidity has made its way into the house since we haven''t been home for around two months. I have to make sure to ventilate the rooms." I opened the small door and windows and saw the control-type golems working in the fields. Although they couldn''t do intricate work like removing weeds or harvesting, they gather the ripe crops that had fallen on the ground, throw them into the composite repository, and water them. Just like that, the fallen crops would then become new soil for the ?Empty Wilderness?. As I was checking out the situation, the knight leader arrived to test the ?Transfer Gate? then returned to the royal palace at once and came back with the King and the Premier in tow. "I can''t believe it, did we really transfer to an unfamiliar place? And is this the house where Selene was raised.....?" "Yes, that''s right." After hearing that, he looked around. That being said, it was just an ordinary, tiny house with a kitchen, dining hall, our personal rooms, and a workshop. And scenery outside the window was filled with a kitchen garden, golems, and the wilderness stretching wide into the distance. "Where might this be? Selene lived here which means... Is it the beastkin nation?" "No. We aren''t in any country. We''re inside the barrier of the ?Empty Wilderness?." The King looked surprised, the Premier nodded as if understood something while the knight leader moved in front of the ?Transfer Gate? to secure a route for retreat. "I did find out about Chise-dono and the beastkin nation Prince Gyunton signing a contract regarding the ?Empty Wilderness? but I never thought you could go in and out of the barrier here....." "It''s no wonder we couldn''t find Selene. No one would be able to chase after her by escaping into this place. Chise-dono, perchance, is this ?Transfer Gate? the so-called magic tool of ancient magic civilization said to be sleeping in the ?Empty Wilderness??" "Yeah, that''s right." Well, the truth was I made it with ?Creation Magic? but either way, it wasn''t something that could be made by anyone so the meaning doesn''t change much. "I think a better option is to install this ?Transfer Gate? in the royal villa you''re giving to Selene and choose the lifestyle where she can come and go between here and there." "So that''s why you asked to clear away the people......" The King, who said so, showed a face of a King this time, instead of a fatherly face. "Chise-dono, I wonder if you could sell this ?Transfer Gate? to our country?" "Unfortunately, it''s impossible." I cleanly denied him and pointed out the reason one by one. "First is, you can use this to dispatch soldiers to anywhere instantly and I don''t want to sell something that can be used for war." They could send troops to any place instantly by installing one part in their garrison while letting a spy carry the other part in their magic bag. That would be horribly dangerous. Besides`һ "It would be useless even if you send the knight order to the ?Transfer Gate? placed in Selene''s royal villa to occupy the ?Empty Wilderness?. Only those who had registered their mana beforehand can pass through it." And that''s now saying that even if they somehow passed through, I could just simply destroy the ?Transfer Gate? which would isolate the dispatched people. Another thing, I have a barrier erected around our house that keeps mana from leaking outside so they would be exposed to the low mana environment if they took even a step out of the barrier. Those unaccustomed would be assailed by mental numbness from the rapid discharge of their mana from their body and besides this area, there''s no hope for them to procure any resources too. Meaningless, worthless, such was this place. "...... A pity. It seems that I have to give up on this ?Transfer Gate?. Anyway, what does Selene want to do?" The King gave up on acquiring the ?Transfer Gate? after hearing my explanation and asked Selene, going back to his fatherly face once again. "I, I want to be able to stay in this house where I have spent time with Chise Okaa-san if possible. But I also want to get closer to Otou-san and know more about Elise Okaa-san." Am I being too selfish? Selene looked at me and King with upturned eyes as if asking such. "There''s no problem. I approve of installing the ?Transfer Gate? in the royal villa. You can come and go to this place at will." S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "That''s right. It''s fine to escape to this place if you feel suffocated in the royal palace. It''s not a bad thing to escape." The King and agreed on the compromise plan һ the installation of the ?Transfer Gate? һ since we both wanted to stay beside Selene. My plan was to keep the function of the ?Transfer Gate? active until Selene either marries or distances herself from me and makes up her mind to completely live as royalty. "Your Majesty...... I can''t approve of installing a tool that can be used to directly transfer inside the royal palace from outside, taking into account the security of the royal palace. And the fact that Chise-dono can pass through the barrier of the ?Empty Wilderness? and even bring Teto-dono and Seleneril-sama along with her means she can also bring people from outside of the barrier inside." "I also agreed with this point. While there''s a mechanism where only the users who registered their mana can pass through the ?Transfer Gate?, it''s to be noted that Chise-dono is the one who set this up. We have a debt of gratitude towards Chise-dono for protecting and raising Seleneril-sama but there''s always the possibility, even if minuscule, of something going wrong." "Majou-sama will not do such a thing." Teto muttered in annoyance against the objection of the knight leader and the Premier. His Majesty the King showed a thoughtful expression listening to the opinion of the two who held their respective authorities and passed the baton of the discussion to our side. "Or so they say, Chise-dono but what do you suggest?" "Let''s see. I think we can tie a contract with maids who will be made aware of the ?Transfer Gate? to stop them from ratting it out and also with me and Teto that we will not send anyone else inside the royal palace using the ?Transfer Gate?." Magic Contractһһ a magic contract similar to the one tied with Prince Gyunton was a powerful element that will continue to remain in effect until either the written contract document was destroyed or the contract condition is achieved. One would have to comply with the content written on the contract which has an effect closer to a curse of sorts no matter how one looks. "There''s no problem in that case. So the content will be about the ?Transfer Gate? installation and keeping it a secret. But what should we do about the compensation regarding this?" However, an equally powerful magic contract demands an equally demanding compensation. "Compensation...... That''s a fix. Will you accept my ownership of the part of the ?Empty Wilderness? facing Iska Kingdom?" "A magic contract like the beastkin nation? Maybe....." The Premier nodded helplessly when the King turned to him. "This settles it. However, that will have to wait until Selene''s debut to publicize that she has returned. We will proceed with the magic contract with Chise-dono after that." At present, the other countries have no choice but to accept this arrangement since none of them could interfere with the ?Empty Wilderness?. "That works for me, thanks. Now let''s return to the royal palace again, bind the contract and install the ?Transfer Gate? in Selene''s royal villa, shall we?" We then returned to the royal palace through the ?Transfer Gate? and concluded the contract. After that, we were quickly guided to the royal villa that Selene''s mother, Elise, had used where we installed the ?Transfer Gate? in the room adjoining the one for Selene''s use. Although I installed it such that only registered users could use it, it would be bad if it was found out by others, so I put magic like ?Recognition Inhibition? in the room to put it into the blind spot of other people''s perception. Once everything was over, Teto, Selene, and I returned to the ?Empty Wilderness? using the ?Transfer Gate? under the reluctant gaze of the King and renewed our slow life. Vol. 3 - Ch. 73 - Selenes commuting lifestyle Selene''s lifestyle of traveling between the royal palace and the ?Empty Wilderness? every alternate day began, and so the rhythm of our lifestyle became abnormal as well.Although we decided that Selene would stay on each side for half of the week, a week has 7 days. So Teto asked Selene what she wanted to do while the King and I were busy glaring at each other, with sparks scattering, to decide where she would spend her 7th day. "Majou-sama, it seems like Selene wants to continue helping out in the church." "Voluntary service in the church''s clinic huh...... I see, it can''t be helped then." "Elise also used to go there once a week. Alright, I will arrange things." In this way, Selene was now taking all sorts of lessons three days of the week, while she would spend the other three days idly basking in nature in the ?Empty Wilderness? where the restoration had just begun. And on the last day, she would voluntarily help out in the church. With such a life of Selene commuting to and from the royal palace, I sent her away believing in the King and his knights. "It will be alright. They are the best knights of our Kingdom. They will protect Selene even at the cost of their lives." "Majou-sama, your mana is leaking out. Calm down, there, there-nanodesu......" I suppressed my leaking mana after being told to calm down by Teto. "It''s also about time for us to go back." We passed through the newly installed ?Transfer Gate? after saying our greeting and arrived at the single house we had purchased which was located in one corner of the Iska Kingdom. The King had suggested we could use the ?Transfer Gate? installed in Selene''s royal villa and commute back and forth between both locations but I thought that I, Selene''s foster mother and adventurer, going in and out of the royal villa where royalty resides might not look good. So we purchased this single house as a necessity and moved to the Iska Kingdom. On the days Selene would be in the royal palace or in the church to help out, we would spend our time either going to the beastkin nation or wandering around in the royal capital of the Iska Kingdom. "Ah, these sweets are Selene''s favorite." Our recent favorite pastime was eating delicious food we find in the downtown area of the royal capital and eating them together with Selene in her free time when she returned. I also spent my time reading a lot of books after getting permission from the King to visit the royal capital''s library while Teto would indulge herself in the mock battles she was fond of in the training ground of the adventurer''s guild. ----I heard that Princess Seleneril-sama whose whereabouts were unknown up until now has been found. ----You mean the child of Saint Elise-sama whose tracks were lost 10 years ago? ----Apparently, she was being raised by a person connected to the church while protecting her. ----I had recently seen a child resembling Elise-sama treating people in the clinic. Word is that she was entrusted to another Saint-sama by Elise-sama and that Saint-sama taught her. I heard that she seemed to be quite skilled. ----I know, I was also healed by that girl. My fractured arm was perfectly healed. The news of Selene''s homecoming was disseminated among the populace under the lead of the royal palace. It was easier for the populace to accept that she was being raised by a church-related person rather than an adventurer and Selene''s voluntary act in the clinic had also won the favor of the populace which has now set up the foundation for her. I wandered around the royal capital while feeling that knowledge about Selene''s homecoming would become more commonplace before her debut in the aristocratic society in this way. I would stroll around, accept the routine quests for the downtown area, and watch over Selene''s growth during the holiday while waiting for the A-rank promotion test. And when the promotion test was just right around the cornerһ һ "I want to go and see Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan in action." "Even if you say so......" It was the day for her to visit the royal palace. The ?Etiquette? skill granted by the skill orb was working fine, but Selene''s memory was also quite good so she was slowly getting better at it. "I had asked Otou-sama and he said it''s fine as long as I got your approval." Selene had begun to use different terms and now calls the king ''Otou-sama'' and the late Elise-sama ''Okaa-sama''. Also, I wasn''t aware of when Selene was born but, apparently, she was now 11 years old. And it seemed like her debut day had been set to be on her 12th birthday. Leaving that asideһһ "You mean secretly? Hmm, so guards will be coming with you?" "Yes, they will come along with me." "Oh, Selene is coming to cheer us on? Alright, Teto will give her 200%!" How should I put it, it''s a contest with the A-rank title on the line even though it''s a mock battle with fellow adventurers. Not to say adventurers weren''t particularly mindful of respectful approaches. S?a?ch* Th? ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I couldn''t think of showing Selene the battle of such people but...... "Hmm. Haaa, I guess you won''t give in. You can come." "Thank you Okaa-san! I''m off then, see you later!" After saying that, she rushed into the ?Transfer Gate? "I heard the A-rank promotion test might take around several days. Is it really fine for her to come?" Promotion test evaluation was based on the performance of the B-rank adventurers. Hmm, she may have received permission but it might be impossible for her to come to cheer for us every day. But there''s also a chance that it might be wrapped up in one day. "Oh well, let''s leave it for when the time comes. Teto, we''re going out today as well." "Right after you-nanodesu!" Teto and I left for the adventurer''s guild of the Iska Kingdom while carrying medicine grass harvested from the batch growing around the vicinity of the world tree as well as the potions made using them, just like what I had done in the Gard Beastkin Nation. "Thank you very much for your effort. It''s really a lifesaver to have good quality potions prepared beforehand since there aren''t just a few who get injured during the promotion test." "Oh, I''m glad then. I''m happy that the potion I created would come in handy." I was only making normal potions or mana potions before but ever since I found the recipes in the library of the royal capital I frequented, I was now able to create all sorts of abnormal status cure medicines or high-grade potions and mana potions. As we were chit-chatting with the receptionist, someone loudly called out to us. "Ahhһ! Is it you, Chise!? And Teto!?" I turned around to look at the person who called us in such a loud voice and found a familiar young elf girl pointing her fingers at us. "You''re Refrya-san...... right?" That person was the elf archer Refrya, the rearguard member of the dungeon city''s top party [Sword of the Dawn]. Our last meeting should have been more than a decade ago but hardly anything had changed about her, though I think she had grown up a bit. "So it''s really you! Long time no see! Wait, how come you haven''t changed at all? You should have been human, right!?" "Refrya-san seems to have grown up a bit." I felt as if it was just yesterday when we first met but I could feel a completely different air around her. Meanwhile, Tetoһһ "Hmm? Who-nanodesu!?" "Oh my, did you forget about me? Even your speech pattern hasn''t changed a bit from the past......" Refrya-san smiles as she said that, making an exasperated face but even so, she had her eyes squinted as if recalling the past. "Really, it''s been a long time. A lot has happened after that." "It seems like you had your fair share of fun. I also want to hear about what happened, my treat." After saying that, we shifted to a corner in the tavern of the adventurer''s guild and listened to the story of Refrya-san. Alsace-san''s party [Sword of the Dawn] had continued with the exploration of the dungeon using the magic sword һ which is now called a holy sword? һ I had created with ?Creation Magic? after we left the dungeon city. Alsace-san, who was already an A-rank adventurer from the start, was like a tiger with wings when paired with that magic sword and he apparently reached the deepest floor of the dungeon, the 30th floor. Afterwards, they left without taking the dungeon core since the city''s economy had the dungeon as its core and they were now focusing on nurturing the next generation. "Alsace-san and Lenna-san got married after that and had kids. They have an adorable baby boy and girl in turn." "Oh my. Those two......" The marriage of a cool-looking swordsman and a magician in her prime was just like a dream for adventurers. "The others wereһһ" The scout boy left the party and joined another party somewhere it seemed. That boy''s mana wasn''t that much and his body had already begun to lose performance as compared to what it used to be in his heyday. Still, the experience and perception he had acquired from his many years of scout job were sufficient enough to support him throughout his old age. The other clergyman-looking comrade was once an orphan raised by Father Paul so it seemed like he returned to the church to help out Father Paul after quitting being an adventurer. "I see. I wonder how the kids from the orphanage are doing?" "Everyone is as lively as ever. Oh wait, it''s already been a decade so they aren''t kids anymore you know." "There are even kids who have grown to be that tall", I couldn''t help but smile after hearing that there were many kids who have grown a full head taller than the elf Refrya. I was impressed that they have grown so much but also saddened at my lack of growth. "So why is Refrya-san here?" "I''m here for the A-rank promotion test. I''m continuing to work as an adventurer at the dungeon city and I also qualify for the promotion test, I have been coming here every year. This marks my third year." So sighed Refrya-san. Refrya-san''s abilities as a high-rank adventurer were excellent even ten years ago but even such a person was losing every year so this might be tougher than I had initially thought. And it seemed that, including me, Teto and Refrya-san, there were 16 contestants for this year''s promotion test held in the Iska Kingdom. Among them, only 2 or 3 adventurers could be promoted but there were also years that went by without anyone having been promoted to A-rank depending on the judgment of the guild. After hearing Refrya-san''s side of the story, I talked about our life over the past ten years. I explained while blurring out some parts here and there and when she heard about our lifestyle, she quipped jovially, "My, your stepdaughter sounds cute." "She''s an adorable kid indeed. She''s our cherished daughter." "And Teto''s beloved imouto-nanodesu!" (*Imouto - little sister) Looking at me and Teto asserting ourselves so positively, Refrya-san showed a melancholic smile. "Haa, I''m so jealous of you. I''m glad that I left my village behind but I haven''t encountered anyone from the same race so far and that''s not even mentioning the fact that it''s hard for elves to have children. I am truly envious." "Maybe I should return to my village after another decade of adventuring", as expected of long-living species, I smiled bitterly as I heard Refrya-san unhurriedly mutter her thoughts. Well, I''m immortal now so I might be the same. A few days after our parting with Refrya-san, the day for the promotion test was finally at our doorstep. Vol. 3 - Ch. 74 - A-rank promotion test (1) It was finally the day of the A-rank promotion test, Teto and I left the home we had bought in the royal capital and headed for the examination venue for the testһ the guild''s training ground.The training ground of the royal capital guild was an arena-like circular area equipped with audience seats. B-rank adventurers of the Iska kingdom could be seen gathering in the arena, the venue for the A-rank promotion test, and they numbered 16 people. "So it would be a contest between these 16 people." "I''m so pumped to fight these people-nanodesu!" About 10 adventurers out of the 16 were taking this promotion exam more than once while the rest fulfilled the criteria for the test just this year. It was also said that those who qualify for the A-rank promotion exam are twice as many as those who take the exam. However, half of the count who didn''t take the exam were either satisfied with being B-rank or had already reached the limit of what they could achieve as adventurers. "There seem to be spectators beside the examinee, maybe party members?" The venue generally wasn''t open to the public but there were a few people who seemed to be cheering for their comrades. Among them, I spotted Selene dressed in a church sister''s attire surrounded by other sisters and escort knights waving her little hand at me. "Majou-sama, Selene is there-nanodesu." "Yeah, she found a good spot to not be easily seen." Just as Teto and I had spotted Selene, the guild master of the royal capital''s adventurer''s guild appeared. "I''m glad to be able to conduct the promotion test this year again. I''m not a fan of long-winded speeches so I''ll keep it short. As I see that there are many fresh examinees, I''ll explain the rules briefly." The rules for the tournament, which was the promotion exam of the adventurer''s guild, were as follows: Examinees aren''t allowed to kill their opponent. They will be disqualified if that ever happens. (The reason is to not lose excellent high-ranking adventurers) Examinees can use any kind of method as long as it doesn''t kill their opponent, the guild will bear the responsibility of healing the injured. However, examinees cannot participate in further battle if it was judged that they aren''t in a state to continue even after being healed. But, the result of their test would be judged based on their battles up to that point. This contest isn''t to vie for the most win count but to see the necessary qualities of an A-rank adventurer. The guild master finished explaining the rules and soon, draws were pulled. "...... I''m number 8." "Teto is number 3-nanodesu!" It seems like it would begin with the battle between No.1 and No.2 and afterwards, the winner will continue to fight to defend his rank. Both the number 1 and 2 adventurers were human warriors. And thus, the contest began. The first battle was fought between a rough and wild-looking adventurer with a unique skill and another who was taking the exam for the first time. The victory was decided in a short moment under the onslaught of the unique skill holder''s overwhelming might. It wasn''t like the first-timer adventurer wasn''t good, but ?Body Strengthening? alone wasn''t enough to deal with the sword swung by a unique skill holder on whom a glimpse of ?Body Hardening? could be seen. The fact spoke for themselves, the first-timer adventurer was blown tens of meters away with their arms broken. This decided the outcome. "I''m heading on, Majou-sama!" "Be careful, Teto." Continuing on with the match was number 3''s turn, Teto. It seems like the unique skill holder was a B-rank adventurer with the alias Flesh severing Lock. His behavior was just as his looks suggested, violent and easy to get into a fight, and he had been classified as an inferior adventurer because of his unskillful use of his power. Apparently, he had killed his opponent whose provocation got into his head in last year''s promotion test and was disqualified. "Let''s have a good match-nanodesu." "Tsk, to be looked at by a brat. Go and be pulverized!" The match began with the unique skill holder swinging his large sword down which Teto received upfront. Clang A dull sound of metal colliding against metal resounded into the venue, Teto had stopped the blow. "Ohh, amazing. You have good strength there." "Shiiitt, just shut and die you bitch!" He must have taken down powerful opponents with the synergy of his tough body, body strengthening nearing ?Body Hardening?, and unique skill. Had it been a normal adventurer, their hands would have gone numb, and they would have been blown away, unable to withstand the shock. The strike had enough power to cut apart an arm or fracture ribs but Teto easily received the thick blade of a big sword with her magic steel sword. "A pity, there''s just too much difference between our levels." His unique skill should have been about instantaneously detonating his mana to strengthen his physical abilities. However, Teto, who had a huge amount of mana and was clad in ?Body Hardening?, which gives no blind spot to be exploited, far surpassed him in both attack and defense. The barbarian-looking adventurer''s attacks were unable to dent Teto''s defense and even the mana he had detonated instantaneously with his unique skill began to exhaust him. "Fuck, why are my attacks not working." "Your attacks don''t have any substance. An attack should be like this." Teto slipped into the chest area of the hulk-like adventurer with an unhurried tempo and swung her sword down. Normally, torsos would have been sliced apart by that blow but Teto had intentionally covered her sword with body hardening, thus dropping its sharpness, and used it like a bat. The hulk-like adventurer, who bore the brunt of the magic sword''s strike, rolled onto the ground just like the other adventurer he himself had sent flying and fainted. "I won, Majou-sama~" She waved her hand at me and then turned to look at the audience seat where Selene was. Like before, Teto was to guard her rank. Adventurer number 4, this time, was a magician. The magician began by firing magic while keeping their distance from Teto, back-stepping from his starting position, all while firing their magic. In contrast, Teto slashed apart any incoming magic while closing the distance between them, cutting apart the barrier covering the opponent''s body, and finally pointing her sword at them. "I, I surrender......" "I won again." Continuing on, adventurer number 5 was Elf Refrya-san. "I''m different from that time!" She began to rapid fire with her bow and arrows enchanted with spirit magic. Arrows enchanted with magic attacked Teto from various angles. Teto tried to escape but the arrows kept following after her until they hit. "Un, that''s so annoying." "Be prepared! I''m increasing the number!" This time she fired more than 30 arrows simultaneously. And thenһһ Compressed air exploded when they hit Teto which blew her away. Such arrows continued to strike Teto and Teto who had hit the inner wall of the arena һһ "Hey, that hurts!" "Are you joking, it was my deadly attack which could take down even a red dragon......" Teto was covered with dust but was, otherwise, unscathed due to her whole body being wrapped in ?Body Hardening?. "...... I surrender." "Registered. The victor is adventurer Teto!" "Huh? The fight''s already over?" A puzzled-looking Teto repaired the inner wall she had crashed into with earth magic while waiting for her next opponent. Number 6, this time, was a scout-looking adventurer, the complete opposite of No.1. He hurled out numerous knives at the same time as the fight began and accelerated them by supplementing them with wind magic. Teto swept them apart but this also undoes the pouches tied to the knives'' hilts as the fine powder inside them spread around Teto. "What''s with this smoke, it has such a weird smell to it!" "So you inhaled it! It''s an instant-effect anesthetic that could paralyze even grown-ups!" He must be an adventurer specialized in subjugating bandits. That person''s mana seemed to be average and the magic that he could use was only weak wind magic. Drugs and wind magic. He may have average physical strength but he has risen so far by using wind magic to assist and control the drugs. "It''s ineffective against Teto." "I, Imposs......guh." Drugs are ineffective against the golem girl Teto. He was probably using a gas-proofing magic tool as he lunged towards Teto unhesitatingly while holding a dagger even though the anesthesia was dancing in the air but Teto effortlessly caught his arm when he got close and slammed him into the ground with a shoulder throw. "I, surrender. Heck, so you even came here with drug-proofing. Just how strong are you?" The gazes with which surrounding people were looking at Teto changed, seeing her almost unscathed as she won the rounds while consuming only a slight amount of mana. The next opponent, number 7, was a magician-type adventurer. He captured Teto inside the ice prison to seal her movements and fired a huge mass of ice toward that prison. "That''s the end for you!" That Adventurer, too, must have fought with everything he had to win. Teto readied her magic steel sword inside the ice prison. "Get ready! nanodesu!" She swung it together with a slow shout and fired the mana coiling around her magic sword. The mana slash attack strengthened by ?Body Hardening? split apart the mana prison and shattered the ice block. Teto used her hand to brush off the tiny pieces of ice on her head, approached the adventurer who was shocked from seeing his ace attack magic being defeated and pointed her sword blade at him. "That''s the end-nanodesu!" "I, surrender!" "It''s finally the time to fight against Majou-sama! I''m not going to lose~!" It''s a tournament so I know I''ll have to face Teto. I wasn''t keen on fighting against her but she would sweep down all her opponents alone at this rate. I''m also aiming for an A-rank promotion after all. Besidesһһ S?a??h the Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Good luck Okaa-san, Teto oneechan......" Selene was cheering for us. I don''t like the idea of losing to Teto while Selene was watching. "Selene is looking at us, so I can''t show her my uncool side. I will be quite serious with my methods." "I got it. Teto will be serious too!" Teto readied her magic sword and further released the mana she had been saving until now, pressuring me. I, on the other hand, quietly cover myself with ?Mana Hardening? by compressing my enormous mana to the limit. "S, Startһһ!" Teto came rushing at me swiftly so I escaped into the sky with flight magic by jumping backwards. "Here I come. һһ?Thunderbolt?!" It was the lightning bolt magic I used against the land dragons. The magic just now was an even more improvised and fuel-efficient version but even such a strike drained around 3000 units of my mana which was the total average amount of a normal adventurer''s mana. The adventurers in the venue showed an astonished expression when I fired that lightning-strike magic ten consecutive times. My mana reserve at present had surpassed the count of 100,000 units, so it was a great magic I could fire freely but Teto escaped all of the attacks by running and dodging. "It''s unfair to escape into the sky. Since it''s like thatһһ" Teto slammed her hand onto the ground, manipulated the ground, cut it into a long strip of clay, and lifted it up. Then she compressed the soil to produce a mass of stone. "I will do this-nanodesu!" "That''s dangerous!" Teto threw the stone at me who was in the sky with such speed that if I dodged it carelessly, it would fly out of the arena. I stopped the rock by covering it with a barrier but as the stone itself was thrown with the magic of ?Body Hardening? coiling around it, its strength and momentum were like that of a cannonball. I tried to stop it by erecting multiplex barriers but they were smashed one after another. One multiplex barrier consumed 1000 units of mana and I made 10 but to no avail. At this moment, my mana reserve was reduced to 60,000 units. Teto, on the other hand, wasһһ "This is, the lasttt-nanodesu!" The stone she had thrown was a feint apparently as she took that moment to kick the ground and launch herself into the sky towards me. She jumped as high as ten meters into the sky butһһ "һһ?Gravity?!" I barely stopped the sword from striking me as I used weight magic and Teto slammed onto the ground with great momentum. "Gugigi...... I can''t move anymore, Majou-sama. I surrender-nanodesu, it''s Teto loss-nanodesu~" I relaxed at Teto''s declaration of surrender and unbind my magic while letting out a long sigh. The outcome of a magic battle basically boils down to how much of your opponent''s mana can you consume. Mana is needed for offense and when the barriers were destroyed, my mana decreased. The crux of such a battle lies in either a strong attack that can breach an opponent''s defense or gradually chip down their mana. "Good grief, I really didn''t want to fight Teto. That was so chilling." "But if I hadn''t done that, it would have been impossible for my attack to reach Majou-sama." Teto had reduced my magic quite efficiently as compared to the amount of magic used by ?Body Hardening? and earth magic. In fact, Teto, who has reduced my mana reserve to half, had consumed around 10000 units of mana in the matches so far. She could have resisted the binding of weight magic with ?Body Hardening? but she might have considered that it was the best time to get off the stage. "Y-You!? Where are the healers?" "Majou-sama." "Yes, Yes. һһ?Heal? (also, ?Charge? for mana replenishment)." I healed her with magic and further replenished the mana she had consumed so far. With this, I now have 40,000 units of mana left. Well, I have enough free time to drink a mana potion before the next match, so it should be enough to recover. Though the people watching were dumbfounded at the intensity of the battle between me and Teto and looked even more surprised when I used healing magic even though the next match was just a few moments away. Vol. 3 - Ch. 75 - A-rank Promotion Test (2) With my victory over Teto, the baton to defend their rank was thus passed to me.I drank a mana potion but the recovery amount was only the average of your usual adventurer, about 3000 units, which was only enough for one magic shot. My lightning strike magic could take down opponents like a red dragon which usually requires several capable individuals to subjugate. B-rank adventurers wouldn''t just end up with a slight injury if they received such magic with their bodies alone, even if they have enough ability to take on this A-rank promotion test. Any normal adventurer would be burnt to a crisp if I used ?Thunderbolt? against them. So I decided to not use it in the upcoming matches. Soon, number 9 һ a dwarf adventurer һ appeared before me. The dwarven adventurer came slashing at me just as I had erected a barrier and was thinking about taking a wait-and-see stance. "Are you mocking me by not making a preemptive strike or dodging even though you''re a magician!?" "I''m not though." He was using body strengthening with impressive precision. But my barrier was created to cope with the power of Teto, who could use ?Body Hardening?, in mind so the mana injected into it and its density was on a whole other level from the standard barrier strength known to others. So it easily stopped the ax in front of me. The dwarven adventurer was surprised at the strength of the barrier and followed his attack up with a flurry of strikes. But after seeing that it wasn''t showing any signs of breaking, he tried to put some distance between us, unfortunatelyһһ "Too late." "Guh, Darn it...... I surrender." A wall emerged from behind the escaping opponent and he was captured by the arms growing from that wall. I already demonstrated the lethality of my attacks with ?Thunderbolt? while barrier, flight, and healing magic showed that I could defend against or evade an opponent''s offense. This time I showed my ability to easily capture my opponents without any violence. I''ve been delivering medicine, herbs, and materials to the guild for a while now so that aspect also has no problem. Then number 10 adventurer showed up just as I was wondering what else I needed to display. That person too seemed to be a magician like me. Their mana capacity wasn''t bad either with their mana capacity already having crossed the 10,000 unit mark if I''m not wrong. "To show my respect to you, who can easily use so much magic, I''ll use my special move!" A tempest of fireballs came flying at me from every possible direction. I enclosed them in barriers one by one and pushed them down onto the ground to crush them inside. It was a method I had come up with to cope against assailants like the ones that attacked me years ago and with my ability to control huge amounts of mana precisely, I stopped the fireball tempest without any hiccups. "һһI surrender." Continuing on, number 11 was a spearman who looked for a brief opening using his swift speed and then poured his strength into the tip of his spear with body strengthening. I saw a glimpse of ?Body Hardening? in his magic and erected a multiplex barrier, and sure enough, I was surprised to see his unexpected strength that cut apart 3 barriers. Though I captured him using earth magic right after. Number 12 was an adventurer who seemed to have prepared countermeasures against magicians as they were carrying a magic sealing magic tool. "Now you can forget about using mana for a while!" "That''s quite an unusual magic tool you have there." The theory behind the magic seal was mana jamming. It made the constructed magic go haywire by introducing mana of different wavelengths that had been exposed to outside mana. But since magic sealing abilities were based on that theory, the best they could do was slow down the activation of magic. S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. But from my perspective, since I have enormous mana capacity then I could just easily push on by conjuring up magic using huge amounts of mana. Though, this time, Iһһ "I have taken countermeasures against such a situation you know." "Wh`, guh!" I closed the distance between us instantly and bashed them with my wand. All I had to do was knock the opponent down by simply fighting them in close combat. Magic seal could obstruct the magic constructed by the mana the magician emitted outside but it''s ineffective against mana inside the magician''s body. So, while I''m not as good as Teto, I could fight in close combat with ?Body Hardening?. On this note, magic seals aren''t used to restrain criminal magicians; instead, they use another magic tool to absorb their mana, ?Mana Drain?. With that, the mana inside their body would be forcibly absorbed, and with their physical restraints strengthened, they could use neither magic nor body strengthening thus making it more difficult to break free. I could understand the perplexed feeling of adventurers who didn''t know how to attack me, who could fight with both magic and close combat skills. Furthermore, I could see Teto proudly sticking her chest out and Selene being delighted as they watched me fight. And so, the adventurers from numbers 12 to 16 tried various methods and fired their deadly strikes to break through my defense but to no avail. With no one to fight anymore, the challenge tournament entered the second roundһһ "No.2 is still riddled with injuries from their earlier battle so they have retired." "I see......" Healers had been dispatched to the guild but the adventurer must be gravely injured if they still couldn''t be fully healed. After that was Teto who was number 3 but she found the rematch boring so she declared her withdrawal from the tournament. And afterwards, numbers 4 to 7, including Refrya-san, looked like they had already lost their fighting spirit. In that case, the final opponent was`һ "Don''t act smart, you''re just a brat who can use a bit of magic." "I''m not playing smart though. Even if I look like this, I''m already over 20 so I''m not at the age of a brat or anything." "There''s no way a brat like you could be anyone powerful when I can''t feel any mana from you." I had suppressed my mana to not leak it outside needlessly. Certainly, it was hard for others to judge my mana due to this. The reason why the other adventurers who were taking the promotion test didn''t show any contempt was that they couldn''t sense the bottom of my mana and so they fought me with all seriousness. Because conversely, the fact that they couldn''t sense my state meant that their mana perception abilities weren''t enough to gauge me and they must have realized it too. Well, he should have been able to judge my ability when he saw that I could use all sorts of magic like floating, lightning, barrier, and healing but I guess that''s how much confidence he has in his strength...... No, I guess that''s his arrogance due to having a unique skill. "That''s just my ability. But you sure are tough since you''re still barking even after losing to Teto." "Ahh!? So a brat like you is also ridiculing this lord!? Do you know who I am, you brat?! I''m the great Lock-sama who has a magic sword, Severing Fleshhhhh!!!" He released his mana in an attempt to pressure me but that much was like a breeze to me. Even the battle with the long worm I had defeated not too long ago in the dungeon felt more dangerous to me. "Very well. I killed my opponent last year because he greatly annoyed me and was disqualified so I won''t kill this year! But I''ll make sure that you won''t be able to live a proper life!" ".....so boorish." He swung down his big sword at my barrier as he charged at me. Excluding Teto, he was probably the one with the highest offensive ability among all the adventurers I have fought so far. Though, the barrier didn''t show any signs of breaking. (He has a rough and sturdy body. I guess he will continue to get up no matter what if I choose a half-hearted method.) Just as I was pondering on what method I should use to take him down, the hulk-like adventurer probably misunderstood seeing as I was neither moving my hands nor legs, and taunted me. "Is that all you have, brat?! So you can''t even move your limbs before Lock-sama!" "Let''s see...... I should use that. һһ?Freeze Water?!" I conjured my magic. Countless floating water globes appeared and struck the hulk-like man. "Hmph, so all you can come up with is this shoddy magiһ! Cold!?" Some water globes were split apart by the swing of his big sword and spread around the man''s feet but the ones that struck him instantly froze. "It''s just a simple magic to steal the temperature of the opponent. What will you do now?" Water globes that were being produced one after another were a fixed 0C water formed with supercooling. Water globes retained their shape until they hit the opponent since they''re made with magic but the moment they hit, they instantly transform into ice and become a huge block of ice. "Shiitttttt!!!" But the opponent was an experienced adventurer. He tried to melt the ice by forcibly raising the temperature of his body using ?Body Strengthening? butһһ "һһ?Breeze?." The wind blew away the melting parts of the ice and further lowered the temperature with vaporization. His temperature then continued to rapidly go down when a supercooled water globe hit his body again. His teeth clattered, and since his hands that were swinging his sword had stiffened, he couldn''t even move his sword skillfully anymore. The people around were again surprised. ?Will such a type of fighting really work? Does she not have pride as an adventurer?? ?Is this the battle of an upcoming A-rank adventurer? I really can''t see the bottom.? ?It''s said that magic is influenced by the amount of one''s knowledge, I thought it would end with lightning great magic but it''s so terrifying to see that a B-rank adventurer could be manhandled so easily with low-rank magic.? ?That''s for sure. Look at how Lock, whose essence and offense are equivalent to an A-rank, is being handled.? I tried to ask my opponent if he was going to surrender as I heard such voices. "Aren''t you going to surrender? You know you will die at this rate." "You bastard! What did you do?! This Lock-sama has...... magic resistance!" "It''s a simple physical phenomenon. Even if you can defend yourself against magic attacks with skills, you can''t win against the transformation of great nature itself." He tried to swing his hands to muster up fighting spirit but his movement was dull from the blood running in his veins turning cold and there was no strength in his attack. Hypothermia could be dangerous to one''s life so I began to break down his fighting spirit. "Surrender." "Like hell...... I will!" "I see...... Then I will say it once again. Surrender!" I pressured him with the enormous amount of mana I had been restraining up ''til now. I had used around half of my mana in the battle against Teto but it was still enough to match the mana of top-class magicians among court mages and so I slammed him with everything I had. The hulk-like man''s body began to tremble, perhaps because of the pressure from my mana һһ whose density I had raised inside my body by applying the same principle behind ?Body Hardening? since there was a limit to how much mana I could use to pressure someone at once һһ may have awoken his instinctual fear different from the cold inside him. Though other people couldn''t feel it since I''m directing it only towards him. But just before I could once again ask him to surrender, the eyes of the hulk-like adventurer rolled back. Apparently, his instincts decided to make him faint. "That''s the end huh? Quickly send someone for relief." I once again restrained my mana and tried to warm him up by raising his temperature and sprinkling a potion on the areas where he got frostbitten. I just hope he understood the difference between our abilities with this. In this way, the baton to challenge me was once again passed to Teto butһһ "Teto doesn''t want to fight with Majou-sama anymore, so Teto surrenders-nanodesu." Good grief, what a sloppy way to surrender. Afterwards, there was also a battle against numbers 4 through 7, including Refrya-san, but almost everyone surrendered seeing my battles so far with only Refrya-san standing up to challenge me. "Takeeeeee iiiiiiiit!" Just like in the battle with Teto, she began her rapid fire with her bow and arrows enchanted with spirit magic which came swooping down towards my barrier. What''s more, it wasn''t an omnidirectional attack like before but she was concentrating her attacks on one point and I could see a fissure running across the barrier. And so, the barrier began to break apart one by one, her attacks might rival Teto''s stone throw attack with ?Body Hardening?. Also, my mana was running low because of the repeated battle earlier, so maintaining the barrier was getting harder. "My remaining amount of mana is pretty low now so I surrender." "Huh, no way, I...... won? I mean, that''s not it, you should be able to use mana from a magic crystal, no?" Refrya-san had once seen me refilling my mana using ?Mana Crystals? when I created the sword of Alsace-san with ?Creation Magic? and that''s what she was asking but... "I have already consumed them. Not only that, but I''m also shocked to see cracks running down my barrier." My barrier had never faced such a situation except when facing Teto''s attacks so I simply wasn''t in a state to fight anymore with that mental shock. Besides, the ground was giving out because we had used too much magic. I had constantly continued to empty my mana to fill up the ?Empty Wilderness? even if it was just a drop in the ocean but that and using my mana for magic were completely different things so I just wanted to rest now. In this way, my and Teto''s A-rank promotion test came to an end. Vol. 3 - Ch. 76 - Invitation to the party The A-rank promotion test was over, and a short meeting was convened.After I abstained, the elf Refrya continued the challenge the other adventurers. As numbers 1 and 2 were unable to continue battling, Refrya was able to put up a good fight against her opponents once she used her trump card and managed to take out seven adventurers. After that, the battles between other adventurers continued, though most of them were handled by Teto and so the tournament came to an end. Surprisingly, the promotion test was over in one day. Selene already went back but I guess the knight left behind in the guild would pass the results to her later. And when the orange hue of the setting sun was upon us, the results were announced. "This year''s A-rank from the promotion test areһһ Chise, Teto." It was obvious if you considered our win count in the challenge tournament. And then there was one last name. "һһand Refrya." "Whaa, no way! Even though I lost to Teto and Chise surrendered on her own!" Certainly, it was just as she said, she lost against Teto while I surrendered because I was running out of mana even though I was able to defend against her ace attack. "In the test, we have checked out the extent of your abilities over the years. So, we judged your fighting spirit and instantaneous burst ability you used against Chise-dono in the end befitting of an A-rank. You should be able to break through any obstacle as long as you have reliable comrades to help you out." "...... Yes. I will work hard to find one, just like Chise and Teto." So Refrya-san received her A-rank promotion while bowing deeply but, in the end, this is just a checkpoint. What we have to aim for was the ability even beyond A-rank. Though I think her rapid-fire attack with spirit magic enchanted arrows could do plenty of damage against the five-headed hydra I had fought before, whose strength rivaled A-rank "It''s over, shall we return?" "Yes-nanodesu." Teto and I had our guild cards upgraded, then we did some shopping and when we were about to go back to the ?Empty Wilderness? with the transfer gate, Selene was waiting for us. "Okaa-san, Teto onee-chan, congratulations on your A-rank promotion!" "We''re back, Selene. Your Okaa-san gave it her all." "We''re back-nanodesu~" We received congratulatory well-wishes for our promotion from Selene who had returned ahead of us and other guests also came to our home. "The King? And the Premier, even the Knight leader?" "Otou-sama has something to talk with you about with Okaa-san......" s?a??h th? ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "I see......" I wonder what it''s about, I thought while urging them to sit on the chairs while I faced them. "First of all, congratulations on your A-rank promotion. Such excellent personnel is scarce even in our kingdom, with numbers not surpassing 50." "It''s hard to say if that is a lot or not." There were also A-rank adventurers deployed as the guild masters of each guild but, in fact, only around half of those numbers were active as adventurers. The remaining ones usually either assume an official post in the guild or get scouted by the kingdom to be employed as knights after their retirement. For the rest, one such criterion to be judged as A-rank was their strength. "Roland here, who has been assuming the position of knight leader and the pride of the Iska Kingdom, has the strength rivaling an A-rank adventurer. There are also a handful of people among the rest of the knights and royal court magicians who are just as strong as A-rank adventurers." If that''s to be taken into account, I guess there should be around 10 to 20 such people in the castle, where the nation''s greatest force resides. "And what business do you have with us who have just become A-rank adventurers?" "I will get straight to the point, how about working for us?" A-rank adventurers are treated as quasi-aristocrats so I understand why the kingdom suddenly came to scout us. "I will decline. I''m not the type who can have unwavering loyalty to royalties." Both the Premier and the Knight leader made a troubled expression at my blunt and unreserved words. In contrast, the King chuckled as if my straight-to-the-point reply amused him. "Ahaha, I knew it will come to this. Viel, Roland, you lost your bet this time." "Yes, it''s just as Your Majesty had said." It seemed like they had a bet between them on whether I will agree to work for royalty or not. I guess King won this wager, huh? "You came here only for this?" "For the kingdom, it''s obvious to look out for any chances of recruiting excellent personnel. The main topic is something else though. The date of Selene''s debut into the aristocratic society has been decided. I hope you guys can attend too." I was surprised by his words, and my eyes widened. "What do you exactly mean by that?" "It would be the return of the adventurer who had taught the church about potion-making and paper-making to help out the orphanage ten years ago. As well as the fact that you are now an A-rank adventurer, you have enough qualifications to participate in it." "Certainly, I would love to see a dolled-up Selene but I''m not fond of being looked at as something rare." The King put on a troubled expression at my clear-cut rejection and brought up the main topic. "Actually, there seems to be some movement within the remnants of the Evil Cult." "...... You mean those who attacked Selene''s mother." It was apparently a group of heretics who used external methods like letting devils possess their bodies to strengthen their abilities. "I did direct the destruction of the cult before but it seems one part of them had gone underground and is now aiming for Selene once again. Besides, those rouges must be aiming for me, the King, for revenge alongside their goal to summon the great devil." Because of this, he wanted to tighten security around Selene as much as possible for the event where many royal family members will gather on Selene''s debut. "...... I understand. I will accept your invitation in that case. So, what will be the reward for this confidential escort service?" Even if I will go to protect Selene, the King was still secretly employing an A-rank adventurer for this. I accepted the invitation but I''m not just going to work for free. "We have come up with the reward of ten big gold coins to pay you guys." It should be quite a steep price for a one-day escort request. And there''s also the fact that if Selene''s debut party ended safely, my ownership over the ?Empty Wilderness? would be recognized as well. Thus, the request for Selene''s protection was decided, and the three returned while Selene, who was left behind, looked delighted that we would be coming to her party. "I''m looking forward to Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan''s dressed-up figures!" "Ahh, there''s that too...... Dress, I have to come up with something......" It was then I realized that I would have to do more than just a bit of preparation to participate in Selene''s debut event. First, I can''t attend with my usual attire of a triangular hat, black mantle, and a wand. In this case, I have to prepare an adequate dress. "What to do........." "Majou-sama will be adorable in anything you wear~" "It''s not just me, you also have to dress up." I also have to think about a new dress for Teto who usually just wear her leather armor get-up. But an even more pressing problem was instilling the minimum level of etiquette into her. "I think I will consult the church''s cardinal." There were people among the sisters of the church we had stayed in who have a firm grasp over the mannerism of aristocrats so it was the perfect place to drum etiquette into Teto before going to the castle. I can also rely on them for advice about my dress. "I also have to reflect upon my performance in the promotion test today and improve myself." Even if I''m immortal and have a huge mana reserve of 100,000 units, today''s performance proved that I could be injured by attacks piercing through my barrier with instantaneous bursts of firepower and that I have to keep spare mana for emergencies. "I have to prepare an accessory with a large-capacity ?Magic Crystal? and a replacement wand to work as a medium to conjure magic. They also need to have a design that wouldn''t stand out unnaturally in a party." I think I ought to consult with the sisters about this part too. The following day, we went to the church to discuss dresses and manners as I had decided. Then we talked to a clothing store about the design we came up with, had them make it, and tried them out. "Majou-sama, you look so cute." "Teto also looks beautiful." I was wearing a light-green dress with a subdued design and, to accentuate my long black hair, some accessories that were made of silver. Teto, on the other hand, was wearing a deep blue dress that goes well with her chocolate skin. For Teto who has a baby face that made her appear a bit childish, the sleeveless design was quite eye-catching and gave her a mature look. I also had some gold accessories matching Teto''s skin prepared and bought for her. "Alright, time to go. һһ?Enchant?!" Using the design of purchased dresses and accessories, I created items enchanted with lots of magical effects with ?Enchantment Magic?. I enchanted my dress with defensive properties, remolded the gem part of the accessories into large-capacity ?Mana Crystals? and turned the other accessories into mediums for magic activation and abnormal status resistance. As for Teto''s dress, I enchanted it to be knife-proof and changed one of the prepared accessories into a small-scale item bag so that she could carry her magic sword and shield anywhere. Although it was just putting enchant magic on our dresses prepared for the event, it drained 50,000 units of my mana. They were now loaded with effects that made me involuntarily ponder just how low the performance of the equipment we were using was until now. Selene wanted to see our dresses for the party but I told her to wait until the day of the party. Also, the height of Selene, who just turned 11, has already surpassed mine and she''s still growing. I couldn''t help but feel lonely thinking that even though we were seen as older and younger sisters up until now, our outward appearance will soon be reversed. Vol. 3 - Ch. 77 - Princess Selenerils debut The day of Selene''s debut into the highs-societyһһTeto and I received an invitation through the adventurer''s guild. After a discussion with the King, we stayed in the castle for three days before the party and hung out around the royal palace library. Teto fought mock battles with her opponents this time being the royal palace''s knights. I heard she also had an intense training battle with the knight leader Roland who was with the King at that time. Teto hadn''t gone all-out since there was a need to preserve the reputation of the knight leader. In my case, I spent the days either immersing myself in the royal palace''s library or debating about magic with a Court Mage grandpa. The tales of the long living һbecause of their huge mana capacity һ court mage about his experiences was quite interesting though it was kinda embarrassing to be treated like a grandchild as he would gift me tea or sweets. "Devils are of the same kind as spirits, they are magical lifeforms." "Oh, so that''s what they are. Spirits possess the power of the attribute they govern, so what about the devils?" "Their types are extremely varied and wide-ranging. If spirits are born out of the magical power of the great nature, then devils originate from human society." To be more specific, virtuous beings graced by gods are called spirits or wishes, or in folklore terms, divine or heroic spirits. In contrast, sinister beings or those who harbor a similar nature become evil spirits, and, after becoming one, their consciousness gradually gets erased. Then they finally turn into evil harboring magical lifeforms, devils. "And demonic possession refers to the situation when a devil houses itself inside a human." "Why is it called an external method? Is it different from spirit magic?" "They''re fundamentally different. A human who houses a devil inside of them assimilates the devil''s mana into their own for a quick increase in strength. However, the person''s consciousness gets eroded, twisted by the devil''s will, no, by the devil''s malice and, eventually, their mind would be taken over." S?a?ch* Th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Devil''s possession was the phenomenon of assimilating a devil in themselves and, in most cases, the human''s ego gets devoured by the devil because of the latter''s huge amounts of mana. With Spirit magic, the caster transfers their mana to the spirits to bring forth the desired phenomenon. "Thus, those people eroded by the mana of devils ultimately go rogue, and then those devils gain true bodies. This form is what they called a devil of the demonic race." "I see...... I certainly learned much." Teto was a lifeform born with the assimilation of a golem and an earth spirit who lost her ego, so she''s close to a being of the demonic race. The discussion with the magician grandpa was interesting because he was more of a researcher than a practical magician. " I am 150 years old, so talking with young ones like you is fun for me. Here, candies for you." "Thank you very much. And you have lived for quite a long time." "I have lived for way too long. I wanted to die at around my 50s or 60s." Medical arts rely on healing magic or potions but even then, the average life expectancy in this world where medical arts have stagnated a bit was around 50 years. Although it''s said that people with higher mana reserves could live longer, even then, their maximum life expectancy was around 60 years. Regular magicians, adventurers, or those who have tapped into their mana can live up to 70 to 80 years. I was also able to learn about such information on mana and life expectancy. "Actually. I have found in my research that two different types of lifespans develop among humans." "Two different types?" "That''s right. In one kind, lifespan grows and maintains the prime of a human while on another type, a human who has their appearance fixed when their mana was raised to a certain limit." Well, the more mana one has, the longer one lives but I, who had not grown up at all, might be in the latter group, I thought while askingһ "Why do some magicians have their appearance fixed when their mana grows to a certain level?" "This, I don''t know. After all, a majority of humans fall into the former category while very few are in the latter. It is said that the humans created by the gods at the genesis of the world held similar qualities. Specifically, they''re like a high elf among elves or an elder dwarf among dwarves." And when I asked about examples of humans or beastkins that are like high elves or elder dwarves, the old man said that their numbers were either reduced in the long history of war, since they can still die no matter how long their lifespan can be, or they escaped and hid somewhere to avoid wars. "There are also cases where they were worshipped as Sages due to them not getting old and having their appearance fixed at a certain age or, the more prominent one, labeled as witches or evil beings and persecuted. Well, these might be cases where they were confused with the devil-possessed humans I guess." "I never knew that......" "If you ask me, I would push forward my theory that although anyone can have a long lifespan under the influenced of their mana, perpetual youth has existed since the beginning of the world, though people who have that are extremely rare in the present time." "Thank you very much for telling me such a wonderful story." "Fufufufu, as long as you like it, young lady." Humans created by the gods, huh? I guess I should be having same qualities as the genesis humans since I could be counted as the creation of a goddess. "Finally, me being an eternal loli is confirmed", I thought. In that case, maybe I should just give up. With such feelings inside me, I passed my days hearing the amusing tales of the court mage grandpa, and, finally, the day of the party arrived. "Majou-sama~ the food is there! Everything looks so delicious-nanodesu!" "If Teto wants some, then you are free to eat." There''s nothing like a ball dance in a high society event so we stand by the wall or the place where food was arranged and waited for the event to begin. People frowned at the appearance of Teto piling food on her plate and eating. Though it was just a good grief moment for me, I must not let my guard down. I sharpened my senses since there was a possibility of an attack from the Evil Cult and while I was doing that, I found a trend among the people gathered in the hall of the royal palace. "Interesting, there sure are a lot of people with high mana capacity." I guess it should be a lineage thing. Those who raised their military exploits inevitably excelled at ?Body Strengthening? or magic and they have higher mana reserves to support that. The average amount of mana I could sense from them was higher when compared to commoners. I wonder if they were born with high mana reserves or if it happened after they had gone through the aristocrats'' traditional mana training. Just as I was waiting for the event to start while thinking about such things, I noticed some fleeting glances towards me. (What''s the matter? Is my attire so strange?) I looked at my appearance to check but I didn''t see anything significantly strange. My attire was prepared by the aristocrats'' purveyor. I did give them all sorts of effects with ?Enchant Magic? but the design should have been on the light and subdued spectrum so I really don''t get the reason for the attention I''m getting. When I was trying to figure it out, a young boy spoke to me. "N, Nice to meet you. I''m Oland, the second son of the House of Count Flamea. Which house member are you? This is the first time I''ve seen you, is today your debut?" I was perplexed when the boy suddenly talked to me. I see, so I was thought of as the daughter of an aristocratic family from somewhere when they spotted me, a 12-year-old-looking young girl they haven''t seen before. Now that I carefully surveyed the hall, there were many young boys and girls closer to Selene''s age, I wonder if anyone among them was her future fiance or friend candidate. I see, so I was misunderstood by these kidsһһ "I''m Chise, and I came from the Church of five goddesses. Unfortunately, I do not bear any family name." "Chruch...... I see." It was the answer I had prepared beforehand for the time when I was asked from which side I''m attending the event. һFrom the church, this was one of the means used by people who have joined the church and discarded their family name and I''m using this fact to my advantage this time. Though, sisters who joined Chruch could also return to the mundane life and reassume their family name when the situation calls for it. "I have to say, you have very pretty hair and eyes. They''re as beautiful as obsidian." "Oh? You sure are a smooth talker." Maybe this should be the conventional phrase of society. I don''t usually get praised since I wore my triangular hat too low to the point that my hair and eyes were hidden from others so an awkward smile crept up on my face unconsciously. Then, the boy looked slightly dejected, maybe thinking I was just being polite, but he steadied his emotions and spoke once again. "What do you think? Can we talk a bit more over there?" "Unfortunately, I have to decline your offer. Please don''t mind me and enjoy yourself." "You don''t have to say that, it would be such a waste to stay here like a wallflower." After saying that, he tried to make me accompany him but someone suddenly release their pressure using mana from the sideline. "What are you trying to do?" Teto, who was holding a plate with food on it, slightly pressured the boy with her mana while smiling. "I, I''m sorry." He then distanced himself seeing Teto, who looked older than him, glaring at him. "Teto, thank you......" I felt like the gazes of the other boys and girls softened up when Teto returned to my side. "Hmm......" "What''s the matter, Teto? Was the food not delicious?" "Food was delicious but there are a lot of people who are giving Majou-sama rude gazes." "Rude......?" I wasn''t mindful of my appearance that much but it seemed to me that I looked quite beautiful and was attracting the gazes of boys. It''s just, I kinda feel pity toward the boy who first talked to me and was overwhelmed by Teto''s pressure. "Majou-sama, have some self-awareness. You''re beautiful." "I wonder about that? Isn''t that more suitable to describe Teto?" The boys'' gazes towards me softened up when Teto approached me. But in exchange, fervent gazes from aristocrat kids who looked to be the same age as Teto gathered on her. Teto, a beauty with healthy light brown skin, a baby face, and huge boobs, was also popular because of her unusual appearance. That''s why there were so many ardent gazes on her. But I still couldn''t feel like I''m that much of a beauty and just tilted my neck in wonder and waited for the event to start. һһHis Majesty the King, and Her Highness Princess Seleneril have arrived! At last, Selene, today''s star, entered the venue. Selene, who always act spoiled to us in the ?Empty Wilderness?, was now walking gracefully with a smile on her face and her back straightһ probably the teachings of the royal palaceһ while dressed in a beautiful gown. I was so moved to see this image of Selene, whom I have raised since she was a child and now her height has even surpassed mine, that tears threatened to spill from my eyes. "Let''s make this evening, a day to remember. My missing daughter, Seleneril, has returned! Seleneril was saved from that heartrending event and was looked after and raised by an outstanding Saint even from the standard of the church! Let''s celebrate the return of Seleneril and drink the night away!" һһCheers! The King took the lead and began the event. Selene, who probably had to make a round of greetings, smilingly greeted every individual participating in the party alongside the King. "It still feels like this is all an illusion, she has grown into a splendid kid who won''t embarrass herself no matter where she goes." "Same-nanodesu. But it''s also sad. There will not be such chances to eat these sorts of delicious food." Teto gave a bitter smile while eating the party food she had piled on her plate. And then, after she received the greetings from all the aristocrats around and when the general greeting was over, that happened. Vol. 3 - Ch. 78 - Remnants of the Evil Cult "Everyone please take refuge! Intruder alert! We''re under attack by the Evil Cult!"Imperial guards of the royal palace appeared at the party venue and shouted. Sounds of weapons clashing and explosions from magic echoed from afar, with the shaking and destruction of the royal palace''s walls or corridors creeping closer. They had already begun to guide the aristocrats to take refuge while the elites of the imperial guards and court mages gathered around the King, Selene, and the other royalties. "Good grief, they have completely destroyed the big moment of our daughter......" I resolved internally that I would absolutely not spare these so-called evil cultists. "How the hell did these rogues get inside?!" "It seems that they have been led in by the aristocrats invited to the royal palace!" s?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Hadn''t we already smashed those rogues who infiltrated the aristocrat ranks, how come they''re still some left alive?!" The King gritted his teeth in frustration while Selene looked scared. Then in the hall appeared three men. "Oh my, if it isn''t Your Majesty. Good day to you." "Lord Levin! So it was you who helped them get in! Why?! And what the hell is with your appearance!" The one whom King questioned was a man clad in aristocrat-looking menswear. However his face looked ghastly pale, and something like fish scales was growing on his head. "Why, you say? We, the House of Marquis Genuise, have been engaged in a power struggle for a long time, aiming for the top. We wanted to become a Duke. More precisely, we want to become the Regent and control this countryһһ" "But you see", the aristocratic-looking man stopped there with such preface and flashed a villainous smile. "I realized. I realized how tiny the position of both the Duke and the Regent is! Thus, I decided I will become the King!" "Consequently, that''s why you led them in. No, that''s why pulling this coup." "Yes! So I decided that with the mighty power of the devil, I will kill the King and will take control of the rest with force!" "Don''t forget, the royalties are mine to take over." The one who interrupted the man called Lord Levin was an old man with hunched back, withered tree-like legs, and sunken eyes. The mana of the old man, who was dressed in a black clergyman''s attire and wore a creepy gold skull necklace on his neck, felt even more malevolent than his looks. "The precious blood of royalty! The mana of the great devil will become mine by sacrificing the chaste flesh of the Saint! The days of suffering for these ten years were nothing but a tribulation passed to us by the devils we worshipped! With this, I will have our revenge, oh the sweet joy! And then, by gaining the enormous power of the devil, immortality will be mine!" It seemed the old man''s sanity erosion has already reached the final stage due to the mana of the devil, mixing together the deep-rooted delusion of immortality and his goal of summoning the great devil. He probably took in the mana of several devils judging from the fact that he has the most mana out of the three. And the last member was`һ "Hahahaha! Power! I''m overflowing with power! Come on, you little brats, I will smash and kill you thoroughly for sure this time!" "You''re...... Who?" "I don''t think I''m acquaintance with that guy." "Okaa-san, that person. That person was there for the promotion exam......" I looked at the man carefully at the feeble voice of Selene and realized he was the Adventurer that had taken the A-rank promotion test and whose rough and wild manner of talking had left a long-lasting impression. "?Butcher? Nick?" "?Flesh Severing? Lock! My humiliating defeat from you was because I lacked power! But now I have become stronger with the mana of the devil given by the geezer!" True to his words, his body was one size bigger than the last time and his skin had become black as if suntanned. But, the fact that the method he used was devil possession meansһһ "Isn''t the risk too high by becoming stronger with a cheap method?" "Hmph! You''re talking about sanity erosion, don''t you!? This lord doesn''t have such a weakness! Get ready to be killed! Come onnnnnn!" It was hard to discern if he attacked because of his own desire to take revenge or because of destructive impulses. "Teto, I''m leaving that muscle brain to you. Butһһ" "I know. I will not let him lay even a single finger on Selene!" Teto pulled her magic sword from the bracelet-turned-magic bag and slashed at the devil-possessed high-rank adventurer Lock On the side of the King, knights were dealing with the devil marquis. He shouldn''t be strong from the beginning but he was fighting with imperial guards on equal terms with the combination of the devil''s mana and his high mana capacity as a high-rank aristocrat. And the last and most dangerous of all, the founder of Evil Cult, the old man was aiming at Selene with a creepy glint in his eyes, so Iһһ "һһ?Purification?!" I faced the most dangerous leader old man and used ?Purification? with all my might. Whether it was the mana coiling around cursed equipment or the mana he had gained through devil possession, the whole of his dense mana contained negative factors. Purifying magic like ?Purification? which dismantles and purges the target''s evil mana was the most effective countermeasure. Gee, Gyaaaaaaaaaah! My dream of immortalityyyyyyyyy! The old man bathed in the max firepower purification light. I presume he had been using devil possession for many years since the malevolent mana had not only contaminated his mana but also most of his body. So all that was left behind was a tiny pile of ash and a creepy skull necklace after being burnt by purification light. "Okaa-san...... isn''t it too easy?" "Don''t sweat over such things. There''s no way a perverted monster old man who aimed for Selene could have been a serious opponent." From a glance, his mana had crossed the mark of 40,000 units. He boasted quite a high mana capacity, around 20,000-30,000 units more than the court mage grandpa I had met in the library, and, as a matter of fact, the situation could have taken an unnecessarily dangerous turn had he succeeded in increasing his mana by absorbing the mana of the great devil. "Wh!? Impossible! That founder-sama!?" "Oi, Oi, don''t tell me that Geezer really kicked the bucket after all that? Hahaha!" The Devil Marquis was shaken up seeing his boss, the founder, burnt to ashes while that B-rank adventurer continued with his battle against Teto. "Well, that settled my side, now time to clean up the Devil Marquis quickly." "Guh...... Come!" Devil Marquis tried to attack us by producing shadows in the surroundings, dark magic probably, but I wiped those shadows clean by spreading the purifying magic ?Purification?. "I will take over the will of Founder-sama! I will summon the great devil! And then, I will become the King!" It seemed like the dark magic was for blocking our vision as the Devil Marquis, who had picked up the necklace from the ashes of burnt Founder, moved behind Selene and attempted to pierce her body with a hand strike butһһ "Wh!? Gyaaaaaah!?" "We have prepared enough you see, knowing you lot are trying to lay your hands on our precious daughter." After consulting with the King beforehand, Selene''s dress and accessories were given firm protection using royal-grade, deep blue ?Enchant Magic? which has defensive properties. Furthermore, she would have my barrier protecting her immediately after an attack. Thus, the arm that he had extended to attack was chopped and dropped from my wind blade magic without being able to destroy a single layer of defense. "You, You bastaaaaaard! Are you going against me, who will be the king of this Kingdom!? I will kill you! I will kill youuuuuuu!" "Rest assured. You will either die here or be executed for treason. һһ?Purification?!" He began to groan as if someone was tearing apart his body when I purified the devil''s mana he had assimilated into himself. His ghastly pale complexion became slightly better and the mutated fish scales crumble off. "Let''s see, a quick ?Appraisal?, alright. It seems he is fine now. Capture him please." "R, Right away!" I took out the ?Appraisal? monocle to check the Devil Marquis'' status and confirmed that the demonic possession status or the skill derived from the devil had disappeared. "Now let''s see Teto''s sideһһ" "Gahhhhhh! Arm! My aaaaarmmm!!" "You''re even weaker than before. Go back and start again!" The B-rank adventurer might have gained overwhelming firepower with the devil''s mana and his unique skill but in exchange, his movement had become monotone. Teto deftly handled his attacks very well for a while but seeing that he didn''t have any noteworthy technique, she immediately chopped off both his arms. "Yikes...... Something sticky is coming out from the arms." "Like hell, I''ll let it end like this! There''s no way this lord will end here!" I guess it was the devil''s mana instead of blood. Pitch black, viscous mana overflowed from his wounds and was about to take form in place of the arms he had lost butһһ "That''s the end. һһ?Purification?!" Aaaaaaaargh! Mana that had materialized in the form of arms vanished along with the possessed devil''s mana due to purification which probably brought back his sense of pain since he screamed. I guess his human senses were somewhat normal since the time frame he had been under demonic possession was much shorter compared to the Devil Marquis or the Founder. "Soldiers. Secure that person." Soldiers move to apprehend the Devil Marquis and the now armless Adventurer. However, no sooner had I heaved a sigh of relief at the end of the attack of the Evil Cult remnants that I sensed a huge amount of mana coming out from the skull necklace the Devil Marquis had picked up. "Don''t move. һһ?Barrier?!" Sediment like malevolent mana һ so much so that it could be called miasma at this point һ overflowed from the skull necklace immediately after I erected a barrier to protect the knights who had rushed out to apprehend them. "W, what is it?! Stop! Don''t get closer to me!" "Ahhh, my power! My power is rapidly leaving me!" Then that miasma clung and coiled around the bodies of the Devil Marquis and the Adventurer and began to absorb not only their mana but also life force, and turned them into dry husks of their original selves. As Teto covered Selene''s eyes to hide the scene from her, the King and I strengthened our vigilance again the mana that had begun to take a form. Vol. 3 - Ch. 79 - Descent of the Great Devil Those subordinates are really trash to not even prepare enough sacrifice even after I let them go through demonic possession.What had appeared as the manifestation of that malevolent mana was a black humanoid harboring crimson patterns. It had sharp claws, crooked horns, bat-like wings, and a long barbed tail. "So you''re that so-called Great Devil in the words of the Evil Cult?" That''s right. I''m the Great DevilһһArchfiend! "Archfiend you say!?" The King exclaimed, for Archfiends who could maintain corporeal bodies, rare among magical lifeforms, were once wiped out from each nation. Rather, they were such a terrifying existence that the nations didn''t have a choice but to wipe them out. It was said that their subjugation requests are designated as either A+ or S-rank. "But I have to say, he doesn''t have enough majesty despite holding the name of Great Devil." ......you brat. It seems like I need to teach you the horror of my existence! After saying that, he sent forth waves of malevolent mana but I fended them off with a barrier. The mana of the Great Devil should be the total of the mana of the demonic-possessed perverted old man, the Devil Marquis, and the adventurer. Maybe he was guiding those demonic possessed secretly while his will was hiding in that creepy golden necklace. So the manifested Great Devil has roughly 100,000 units of mana, rivaling mine. "Teto, you hold the fort and reduce his mana. I will prepare countermeasures in the meanwhile." "Leave it to me-nanodesu!" Teto dashed towards the Great Devil and swung down her magic sword. S~?a??h the N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The Great Devil accepted Teto''s heavy strike with his hands and then tried to swing his arms in retaliation but Teto deftly dodged it and made another strike from another angle. I could feel his mana dwindling down little by little as the impact from ?Body Hardening? and the mana-charged magic sword offset the devil''s mana with each strike. "This should do, the way to take down devils is``?Holy Shot?!" I held out my arm and shot forth light spheres from behind. Fumes arose from the body of the Great Devil when several dozens of ?Holy Shot? loaded with purification waves that were effective against unclean existences touched him. Guooooooh! I.....IIIIIIIIII! "The total sum of mana of a materialized body of a magic life form is their combined firepower." Teto''s status doesn''t have MP or HP but what it shows was the mana amount of the magic stone that shares both properties. Similarly, the mana of the Great Devil was both its strength as well as its mana reserved. Besides, he was supposed to be summoned by using a sacrifice so he most likely couldn''t exert his true power due to the incomplete manifestation, different from what it was supposed to have. Had it been a perfect summoning, his mana could have spiked up to 5 or 10 folds of what it is now and it would have instead spelled out our defeat most likely. Guooooooh! There''s no way I would be pushed back! "A, Amazing..... So this is the true power of Chise okaa-san and Teto onee-chan." Looking at the Great Devil being outperformed, everyone, whether it was Selene, the King, or the imperial guards, had shocked expressions. My mana is vanishing! A pity this body can no longer be maintained! But I''m a Devil! I will come back again into this world and take my revenge against youuuuuuu! Fuhahahaha! The Devil smiled triumphantly, no longer able to maintain his body against Teto and my attacks. Magical lifeforms were usually ` except for some exceptions ` undying existence. Low-rank devils don''t have any will but high ranks do and, as the Archfiend said, they most likely do come back for revenge. But when this Devil comes back to disrupt the mundane world again, Selene or the King would already be dead so he might target Selene''s descendants or unrelated personnel to execute his revenge. "That''s a fancy thought you have there but a pity.``?Purification? Sealing Gem!" W, what the hell is thissss! Gu, guooooooh, why am I being sucked in! I used the mana of the ?Mana Crystal? embedded into the jewelry on my chest to create a gem that could seal the Devil with ?Creation Magic? and then sealed away the Great Devil, who was about to run away, in it. The transparent sphere which was like a clear crystal gem was now giving off the crimson light which the Great Devil had possessed. The disturbance around me quieted down then and I sat down on that spot. "Haa~ it''s finally over~. I''m beat~" "Okaa-san!" "Oops...... Selene. Good girl. I know it must have been scary, but you did your best." I gently patted Selene, who came to hug me, while holding the sealing gem. "Majou-sama~ Teto also wants to be praised." "I got it, I got it. Teto, too, helped beat down that Great Devil. Thanks." "Fuhehe, Majou-sama praised me." The imperial guards were bewildered at the sudden flip to the now tepid air when there was a terrifying existence just a while ago and even the other imperial guards who rushed here soon looked puzzled at the absence of the enemy they came prepared to fight. "Your Majesty, where might the intruders be?" "It''s alright." "Pardon me?" "The intruders have already been subjugated. Immediately dispatch soldiers to Lord Levin''s residence while maintaining utmost caution! Gather all the evidence about the Evil Cult and Lord Levin who planned the raid today, I will make sure not even their ashes are left behind this time!" Everything was now over with the absence of the Devil and the remnants of the Evil Cult which calmed down the situation. "Chise-dono, is the Devil from earlier inside that jewel?" "Yes, it''s a combination of a storage magic tool and a magic tool that can seal magical lifeforms." "Is this also from the ?Empty Wilderness??" Well, I could only nod in affirmation when the King asked me so. It shouldn''t be strange for an ancient magic civilization to be capable of capturing magical lifeforms like spirits or devils. "So what will you do with this Orb now?" "Please don''t worry about it, I will make sure it will not see the light of day anymore." "...... Alright. Then please take care of it." Still not fully convinced, the King just muttered that and left the place. Teto, Selene, and I moved to Selene''s royal villa, and, after confirming Selene had fallen asleep in her room, we moved to the ?Empty Wilderness? through the ?Transfer Gate? carrying the ?Sealing Gem? with us. In the meanwhile `` Kukuku, you bitches greatly cherish that daughter of yours, don''t you?! I will absolutely break through this seal and will use every method in my arsenal to rape her, shame her, break her, and then, when her body is just an empty shell of her former self, I will use it as my vessel! The sealing gem was indeed capable of capturing the devil but it seemed like there was a limit to what it could do against an existence like the Great Devil. There was the possibility of him breaking through the seal by himself with the mana he recovered inside the gem or the gem degrading over time. And then I will make this world a hell you bitches simply can''t imagine! I will make you regret opposing me! There we are, he had already recovered enough mana to send telepathy waves from the sealing gem. He sure is tenacious with his outstanding mana regeneration ability. "Shut up. You''re already annoying enough now, to be honest. I really want to smash that orb." "The Devil will be released from its seal if you smash it, Teto." "I know." Teto and I changed from our party dresses to everyday clothes while we bantered and moved to the central region of the ?Empty Wilderness? while confirming the stockpile of ?Magic Crystals? in the magic bag. It was the first place we had lived with Selene and, even now, a tiny forest made of many trees centered around the world tree was growing there. "Well, I think this area should be fine.``?Creation?!" The thing I produced using around the entirety of my mana was a mana converter device. It was a type of magic tool that decimated mana stones and crystals and released the produced mana into the atmosphere. What, what type of magic tool is that?! Don''t tell me it''s equipment to reinforce my seal?! It''s useless, I will eventually recover no matter how long it takes, and even if your reincarnated selves take a different path in life, I will come for your soul! For the Great Devil who was still continuing with his loud laughter saying thatһһ "Alright, settings complete.``Now click!" Guooooh! My mana is being absorbed! But, I can still recove``gaaaahhh! "Oh, so you can feel pain when your mana is converted. Oh well, good luck. Come Teto, let''s go back." "Okay-nanodesu!" Hold on! Explain what this mana converter thing is! Help me! I will not think of revenge anymore! I don''t want to disappear! I don''t want to die! Don''t goooooo! This process was for raising the mana of the Great Devil sealed inside the sealing gem to its limit, then converting the structure of the magical lifeform into mana, and then releasing that malevolent free mana into the atmosphere. It was simply hitting two birds with one stone. It fills up the mana of the ?Empty Wilderness? while also destroying the immortal devil. Afterwards, the devil''s ego was destroyed in the first three years due to the pain from the mana conversion, only continuing to spit out the mana, and around 100 years later, the device ceased to function and the Great Devil was thoroughly decimated. It was hell in the truest sense that would make even devils cry and run away. Vol. 3 - Ch. 80 - Girls Gathering in the Dream Oracle ?Fufufu, you really did it, Chise. You have once again shortened the cultivation time of the ?Empty Wilderness?!?Liliel showed herself in my dream and enthusiastically talked about the changes in the ?Empty Wilderness?, and beside her was another beauty, Lariel, displaying a joyful smile. ?It''s simply unbelievable, I never expected you to not just make the devil, who manifested in the material world, retreat but even dismantle its mana and succeed in devil slaying!? ?Human creativity never ceases to amaze me. It should have been the alternate method due to the lack of mana to create the ?Immortal Slayer? sword to purge them completely but even so, you still managed to pull it off to kill the devil.? Liliel showed her admiration at the method I had found to kill the devil while the one who gave her lavish praise was the ever-lively goddess Lariel. "It''s been a while since I last had a dream oracle. Good evening Liliel, Lariel, I guess." ?Indeed, good evening. You know, your efforts have vastly surpassed my imagination, Chise.? ?That''s why I''m saying it''s about time for her to help out in the cultivation of my territory.? Liliel expressed her gratitude while Lariel again requested help with what she had talked about the last time. Sigh Lariel, assuming that I was going to reject her request when I let out a spiritless sigh, packed even more vigor into her words. ?Come on, Chise! Help me out in the cultivation of the land under me as I had talked about last time! Look, there is no longer any danger of the Evil Cult targeting your daughter so just help me out on this, okay?? "You''re right. ......With Selene''s debut in high society, she should be completely acting as royalty from here on out...... In that case, I guess we will also resume our journey.? The reclamation system of the ?Empty Wilderness? has begun to work just fine and, at this point, I really don''t need to do anything besides periodically checking on the three points; the reforestation, the world trees, and the barrier. Any other drastic transformation should be due several decades later. With everything settled, it should be fine to move to another region and then travel from there to the ?Empty Wilderness? for another decade or so just like our current lifestyle of frequenting from here to the royal capital of the Iska Kingdom. "Ah, it almost slipped out of my mind. I wanted to know what kind of existence the devil is for the gods?" Spirits and Devils. Then there were also magical lifeforms called angels that existed in this world. ?Spirits govern nature while the angels govern the goodness of the people and the Devils govern the desires of humans and monsters.? ?Well, all of them are just lumps of mana in the end. Although they exist in three different forms, they can separate their ego from their mana when they get tired of their current life, return to the world, and then be reborn as a new magical life form. It''s like reincarnation for the magical lifeforms. However, it looks like the reincarnation process isn''t working as it should be.? Liliel gave a concise answer, then Lariel took over the explanation as she let out a sigh in the end. "What do you mean by that?" ?This is also related to Chise, actually. The earth veins underground of the ?Empty Wilderness? are in tatters so the mana isn''t flowing there. I mean it''s thanks to you that there are signs of them being repaired even if it''s just a tiny fraction of it. As long as the mana continues to flow into it little by little, even the land of the ?Empty Wilderness? can begin to give birth to spirits or fairies.? "Mana circles around the atmosphere of the world, after which it returns to the ground and then is released into the atmosphere once again. It''s like the breathing of a planet." Lariel conjured up the image of the planet on her palm where she showed the flow of the mana on the planet''s surface, which was similar to the flow of air currents or ocean currents, and then the flow of mana in the ground ` earth veins ` which were like the magnetic lines spread from the north pole to the south pole. ?Mana currently is circling the world like this. But, 2000 years ago ``? Flashes like the explosions occurred in various places of the planet, causing the mana which was circling alongside the air current and the ocean current in the world to thin down while also throwing the current flow into disorder. Thus, those flashes shredded the earth veins which had been flowing like magnetic lines into pieces. ?Mana insufficiency on the planet''s surface is being recovered under the management of Chise but the flow of the earth veins is still disarrayed.? ?Natural disasters occur when mana flows inside the chaotic earth veins while mana-clogged places induce various types of mana calamities.? Those disasters were not simply restricted to earthquakes, tsunamis, or volcanic eruptions, there also happened to be fantasy-esque calamities as well. Mana calamities that occurred due to the clogged-up mana of earth veins were as follows`` Crystallisation of the earth vein''s mana into a dungeon core which then gives birth to a dungeon (on this note, a dungeon''s depth is based on the amount of mana clogged up). Monsters in the ground get stimulated due to the earth vein''s mana causing a stampede. The earth vein''s mana turning into minerals and those peculiar minerals making huge changes in that region (like floating stones flying off the ground, resulting in something like a floating island). ?All of the planet''s surface would have flown off and floated into the air, turning it into a place unsuitable for humans to live on if the mana calamities were to be ignored.? I have seen lots of games or other works with such world settings, I wonder if there''s such a reason behind those. ?That''s why Gods fiddled with the settings of the world to some extent so that those places with clogged mana will turn into a dungeon instead and try to release that clogged-up mana as the dungeon''s monsters or mana stones.? ?Well eventually, the abandoned dungeon causes a stampede, forcefully releasing the clogged-up mana in the ground as monsters and mana stones and we try to adjust it.? Nevertheless, released mana raises the mana density of the planet''s surface temporarily but, in the end, it still returned to its clogged state after circling the planet and that''s why it was necessary to increase the mana emitted by the life activities of animals and plants. How should I say this, I feel like I have touched upon one of the truths of this world. "Is it really fine for me to hear that?" "For better or worse, you will have to come into contact with the truth when it will be time to restore the earth veins of the ?Empty Wilderness? one day." To sum it up, there was a mana deficiency in the air at present, and, also, because earth veins were in bad shape, the situation was such that the mana wasn''t flowing well. Eventually, the mana in the air would be refilled and if the mana route in the ground gradually gets repaired, there would be a need to shape it properly. ?And while you''re getting the hang of it, come to my region to restore it.? S~?a??h the N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I created a table with ?Creation Magic? in the vacant dream space while listening to what could be called the world''s truth (?) or the idle talk (?) of the goddesses, prepared the sweets, and started a small girl''s gathering. And when it was about time to endһ ?See you later, I will visit again when I have free time. I''m looking forward to the upcoming development." After saying that, the girl''s gathering with the goddesses was over and I opened my eyes. I decided to laze around that day since my mana was completely dried up due to the dream oracle. Vol. 3 - Ch. 81 - A farewell with the resolution to meet again The next day, I met with the King in the absence of Selene after they were done dealing with the aftermath of the raid on the party.I once again confirmed that the Evil Cult has been eliminated from the root just as the Goddesses had told me and collected our rewards for the escort request of the event. Outside of the ownership of the ?Empty Wilderness?, Teto and I were given 50 Mithril coins for successfully completing the request and even going beyond that by sealing the Great Devil. "Hey, isn''t that too much?" "No, it''s your rightful reward. I consulted with our court mages about the price of a tool that can seal the Great Devil and they concluded that the value of your service is the same as requesting 10 A-rank Adventurers to subjugate and even seal the Great Devil." Apparently, this was still on the cheap end of the spectrum since the Great Devil would have needed more than just 10 A-rank Adventurers, more so if you also add the preparations to seal it. "I see...... I will gratefully accept them then." I heaved a long sigh after accepting the money and ownership right. Silence filled the room for a while after that which was then broken by the King''s speech. "If it''s okay with you, that is if you both don''t mind, I would like to have Chise-dono be a Court Mage here and Teto-dono an imperial guard." "Your Majesty......" The Prime Minister and Knight leader looked at the King who asked us so with a gaze appealing to him to continue with his words and not just stop there. "And well, you know. How about becoming my concubine someday? But if you don''t like this idea, how about considering an engagement with my son?" I guess they must have sensed how out of the norm our strengths were from A-rank Adventurers and were now trying to rope us in. However, I could also sense something different from the King''s eyes which was unrelated to our strength, something like a bit of interest in the opposite gender. "If you''re considering my standing as Selene''s foster mother, I don''t need it. More importantly, we''re free-spirited adventurers. We don''t wish to be tied to one place and I dont want to become your concubine. Or is there something else at play?" The King chuckled in self-derision when I asked back in return. "...... That''s sharp of you. There''s indeed a reason. Ive made serious offers to anyone who made me think this is the woman''. I was charmed by the beauty of you two when you fought against that Great Devil." "Err...... I don''t know what to say. Rather, don''t you love your legal wife or your current concubines anymore?" "No, I love them. My love is impartial, it has no bounds!" Oh, that was kinda cool of him but he reeks of disappointment. And so, I am at the receiving end of his no-bounds love huh...... "I''m serious." "............ Sorry. I have to reject it." "I also am not interested in you." The King suddenly leaned back on the sofa as if his strength was sapped away at my and Teto''s rejection. "Hahaha, I was turned down." He laughed but I didn''t sense any deep melancholy in it. Sure enough, I wonder if people with lots of love have many such lovelorn adventures. I for one don''t get it. "Sure so, it has come to this. I will get Aria to comfort me this evening." Aria...... Most likely, it was the nickname of his legal wife. He was talking about the new stepmother of Selene who often talked to her whenever she visits. She seemed to have become attached to her as she heard about the stories of her mother Elise when she was alive. After that, we talked about some other things with the King. And since we were already talking, I also consulted with him about Selene and entrusted him with a certain something. And after King and his two retainers returned, I ceased the function of the transfer gate on their side. SIDE: Seleneril A lot of things happened. I made my debut as royalty, then the attack of the Evil Cult. The days went back to normal after dealing with the aftermath, though. Every day passes by so fast after my first appearance as Princess. ?Selene. You must make sure to not get blinded by wealth and authority. Always consider the what, why, and how when the time to use them comes, and consider the effects your actions might have on others.? The words of Chise okaa-san һһ those were the same words she had said about the magic power I possess and now for my authority as royalty as well. I received teachings and etiquette as royalty. I, who didn''t understand the impact of the royal authority I suddenly got ahold of might have, carefully weighed each one and understood them. Just the point that I lived as a commoner up until now shows that I wasn''t your normal Princess. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. But the lessons and teachings about advanced healing magic I received from Chise okaa-san helped me out a lot. From then on, I familiarized myself with the lifestyle of a royal, as if to make up for the time I had lost. I talked with Otou-sama, chatted with the Queen consort who knew my Okaa-sama, and, for the time ever, saw the appearance of my birth mother Elise Okaa-sama in a portrait. I acquainted myself with my half brothers and sisters and, as I continue to ponder that it might be better for me to stay here as a royal, the time I spent with Chise okaa-san and Teto onee-chan decreased. I felt alone. There were some painful moments when I couldn''t get used to the lifestyle of royalty. But even so, I felt relieved that I am linked to the house I had lived in with Chise okaa-san and Teto onee-chan due to the transfer gate. If possible, I would like to be with Chise okaa-san and Teto onee-chan``I wished so. I was so happy when I learned that Otou-sama was considering bringing them into our family. The day came when Otou-sama and his attendants passed through the transfer gate to propose to the two the idea of joining the family but this apparently turned out to be a failure as Otou-sama was turned down. I thought maybe I should try to plead with them myself, so I stretched out my hand toward the transfer gate but I realized that couldn''t go back there like usual. "Huh? Why...... Why can''t I go there?" "...... Selene. Chise-dono gave me this letter." I received the letter from okaa-san with a shivering hand and read it as tears overflowed. To Selene, The threat of the Evil Cult has been uprooted. Your debut as a royal is now over as well. To be honest, I had wanted to look over your growth until you''re 15. This might be a bit early to do this but I''m considering passing this role to His Majesty and the others. There are so many people with Selene now. The King, the Queen consort, your half brothers and sisters, the knights, the maids, and the sisters from the downtown clinic. They will be there to look after you and guide you from here on. Then, I considered that having the presence of us adventurers with unknown origins in your shadow, who had become royalty, would leave a dark spot on your inevitable bright future, so I think youll be better off without us. That''s why I have closed the transfer gate. "How can it be? I can''t go back? I can no longer go to the home where I lived with Chise okaa-san and Teto onee-chan! I can no longer be with them!" My tears refused to stop at the sudden farewell. Then I looked at the next letter. Selene. These 11 years Teto and I had passed together with you were incredibly amazing. It was my first time acting as someone''s mother so I think I might not have acted as much as a true mother. I also had my work as an adventurer so I can''t really say that I was a good replacement as a mother with pride and, to be honest, I still brood over the fact that the things I taught Selene were really for the best or not. "Okaa-san, you''re thinking about such things...... But for me okaa-san is, there''s only one okaa-san." I continue to read further. I have passed a present for you to the King. First is the ?Sense Crisis Necklace?. This was a cursed accessory I had found in the dungeon in the past which I had purified. Its color would change when there is danger approaching you. Rely on the people around you when that happens. "Okaa-san......" I took the accessories handed over by okaa-san from the Prime Minister uncle and held them in my hand as I read the letter. One of them, a necklace, should be the one okaa-san wrote in the letter. Another one was a simple ring-shaped magic tool. Another one is a ring. It''s a magic tool I have created. Its effect is, well I can''t explain in detail, but it will save you in case you are in danger and no one is around to help you. If you ever fall into a truly disadvantageous situation with no way out, I will come for you no matter where you might be. I thought I could no longer meet them but as long as I have this ring, I will always have a connection with okaa-san. And finally, Selene. We love you. Live happily. Tears flowed out uncontrollably due to the sadness from the sudden parting and for her selfless love for me at that line. Otou-sama and the others just silently watched over me who had such an appearance. Vol. 3 - Ch. 82 - A Reunion Once Again and the Farewell Teto and I ceased the function of the transfer gate connected to Selenes royal villa and had it self-destruct through remote control.After dealing with that, we teleported to our single house in the royal capital from the ?Empty Wilderness?, retrieved the transfer gate installed there, and then left. "Majou-sama, what was that ring you passed over to Selene?" The A-rank promotion exam was over and Selene too had begun to live with her biological parents. Just as I was about to leave since there was no more reason to stay in the royal capital, Teto asked me that question. "Hmm, the ring huh? It was a protection ring I created with ?Creation Magic?." S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. It was a high-performance magic tool and its specific effect was to absorb and accumulate the surrounding mana over time. When danger befalls Selene, it would immediately perform actions such as detoxification, barrier creation, and healing among other things. Furthermore, she would be forcefully teleported to the coordinates of a remote magic tool in the ?Empty Wilderness? in case she fell into a hopeless situation, and I also gave the ring the function to contact me after that. In layman''s terms, it was a piece of urgent-escape equipment. "Well, it is a magic tool to help Selene in her time of need." "Hmph, I''m jealous that only Selene gets to have such a thing from Majou-sama." "We''re always together so it''s not needed, right?" I tried to comfort Teto who was pouting in childish envy but, even so, she still felt jealous of Selene getting something I created. "But I''m still jealous." "Then how about this, Teto? Let''s go to a place where you can eat all the magic stones you want after a while." "Really!? Hurray-nanodesu!" It seems to have a connection with the place in Lariel''s request and that''s how I persuaded Teto. "It will get lonely." "Yeah, but I guess we will have many more such moments in our life." Certainly, parting with Selene was heartbreaking. To be honest, I burst into tears due to regret and surging sadness from our parting after I ordered the self-destruction of the transfer gate connected to the royal villa through remote control. Teto had consoled me and I slept in her arms after tiring myself out. I, who had become immortal, and then the golem girl Teto with an unspecified lifespan. I''m sure we will have more encounters, parting, and changes in our life. We will enjoy the changes and then feel the farewells again. "Let''s first return to the ?Empty Wilderness?! һһ?Teleport?!" Once we were done with recovering the transfer gate installed in our single house in the royal capital and said our goodbyes to the places we frequented, we walked out of the royal capital. When we were at a far enough distance and I confirmed that no one was around, I used teleportation magic to take us away. We returned to our home standing alone on the unmanaged land while feeling light dizziness. "Just my mana alone wasn''t enough for the one-way teleportation to the ?Empty Wilderness? from the royal capital and I even had to use mana of ?Mana Crystal?. That''s quite the feisty magic, honestly." I squatted down on the spot, feeling the languidness from losing a great amount of mana at once after a long time. I assume it takes around 300,000 units of mana for one-way teleportation. Indeed, its not something to be used lightly. As for its limitation, it has to be at a place I have gone to once or there needs to be a mark that will serve as a guide for the teleportation destination. For example, a place I''m closely familiar with or the ring that I had passed to Selene. "We''re back, huh? It kinda feels strange." I was just relaxing every day but entering our home through the front door after teleporting in front of it instead of using the ?Transfer Gate? to directly enter inside gave me a different feeling. "Well, we made it in time for the winter. We''re going to take it easy til spring, so let''s do our best next year too." "Ayeһ, nanodesu!" In this way, I returned home with Teto. And then, six years laterһһ I was looking at that scene from the spot where the Iska kingdom''s church bell hung. It was a scene woven by the people giving their Congratulations! blessings. It was a wedding ceremony of a certain groom and a bride that day. "Beautiful, isn''t she, Teto?" "Yes-nanodesu! Selene has truly grown up and has become so beautiful!" Today''s wedding ceremony was the wedding ceremony of our daughter Selene. Selene passed these six years without any hiccups. She received support from lots of people and welcomed this day without having to reveal the effects of the ring. The groom was the son of Marquis Reebel, the one who ruled the frontier territory near the ?Empty Wilderness?. The frontier region was home to lots of monsters and it was also closer to the national border of the Beastkin nation. Selene was someone who doesn''t discriminate against beastkin due to her upbringing. A highly capable healer was warmly welcomed there, for it was a region constantly locked in a battle with monsters. Furthermore, it was also a place closer to our base, the ?Empty Wilderness?. For so many reasons, it was decided that Selene was going to marry into the family of Marquis Reebel. "I''m so happy to see her grow up into a splendid lady." I rejoiced seeing grown-up Selene dressed in a beautiful wedding dress. And at the same time, there was this sense of loneliness inside me of not being able to see her growing until she reached the prime age of a woman from up close. Theres also the fact that she had totally surpassed me in both height and chest. "It''s great to see her so. I think it''s about time to give her our present. ``?Illusion?!" I projected the light magic that brings forth the phenomenon of illusion and had it envelop the place of the wedding ceremony. It was the illusionary flower shower dance. A lot of people gasped in admiration at the auspicious sight of falling cherry blossoms above the heads of the bride and groom as they were taking their exit. "...... Okaa-san? Teto onee-chan?" Selene and the son of Marquis Reebel turned to look over their heads to see the source of the illusionary flower shower and saw Teto and me coming down from where the bell hung. "Selene, congratulations on your wedding." "Congratulations-nanodesu." I passed my congratulatory words only to Selenes ears. "I''m so glad you both came, okaa-san, onee-chan." And after hearing Selenes words, we returned through teleportation from there. Afterwards, it was the wedding of the new couple blessed by a lot of people. Vol. 3 - Ch. 83.1 - Selenes Epilogue (1) L 30.5 - Selene''s EpilogueAfter my debut into the aristocratic society as royalty, Chise okaa-san and Teto onee-chan disappeared from my life. They passed a letter to my father and closed the transfer gate that connected to the home where I was raised. "Okaa-san...... Onee-chan......" I knew this would happen someday. But even so, this was just too sudden. I locked myself in my room for three days and three nights in sadness and loneliness and cried. The maids and knights who had known about my situation called out to me, their voices filled with worry. Otou-sama and Queen Aria-sama, who was now my new Okaa-sama, also came to my room and voiced their concern for me. I cried myself to exhaustion, slept and, when I remembered okaa-san wasn''t by my side when I woke up, I cried again. And then I noticed it when I woke up on the 4th day...... My stomach was empty. "Ah, I forgot. Tomorrow will always come......" I unconsciously muttered, remembering one event from my childhood. I once had a fight with my friends in the nursing facility of Gard Beastkin Nation. I would be in the nursing facility from morning to evening and spend my day playing with the other small kids. I had a fight with my good friends in that nursing facility and then we parted when okaa-san came to pick me up while our fight was ongoing. I was sad and blamed myself for fighting, I didn''t feel like facing my friends after that, and I also lost my appetite. I remember talking about not wanting to go to the nursing facility anymore as I cried in the dead of night. "Okaa-san, I''m hungry......" "Alright. Then let''s have our meal." "Majou-sama~ Selene wants to eat syrupy sweet bread." "I got it. So our meal is French toast. With plenty of honey." At that time, I waited for breakfast while looking at the retreating figure of okaa-san, whom I respected, and then the three of us had syrupy sweet bread. "Selene. No matter how sad you might be, no matter how painful it might be for you, tomorrow will always come. That''s why live a life with no regrets, where you can face the incoming day with your chest puffed out." Okaa-san kindly advised me as I was frantically eating the bread. I didn''t understand her words at that time, but I at least understood that it was no good to continuously trouble myself over a quarrel, so I properly apologized to my friends the next time we met. Then, my friends also apologized and we were able to reconcile. I wonder if my friends would have apologized had I not done so. Or maybe, we might have continued to carry those bitter feelings inside us without apologizing. "Welcome the day with no regret." I felt like I now understood a bit of what okaa-san meant by those words. I know I would feel sad, there''s no helping it. But I can''t let okaa-san and onee-chan be the reason to hole myself in my room. "Let''s have a meal. Then I will apologize to everyone for making them worry and do my best today." I wouldn''t have any face to meet with okaa-san and onee-chan again if I continue to remain depressed. I healed the redness of my eyes with healing magic, left the room, and apologized to everyone who was worried about me. After getting over my sadness, I continued with my studies for royalties and my volunteer work at the church. As I was a female member of the royal family, I learned about tea parties, the aristocratic society, the art of conversation, and the current trends from the Queen and Church members who were in charge of teaching me this. I was completely a blank slate in this regard since I didn''t know about them when I lived with Chise okaa-san and Teto onee-chan. Also, I asked Otou-sama to arrange a tutor about science as I remembered I found the science knowledge Chise okaa-san taught me quite interesting and learned even more technical things. It''s just, I was surprised when I casually talked about the knowledge I learned in my days with okaa-san in my discussion with my tutors and they began to analyze what I told them as if they had been suddenly enlightened. I found it strange. "Seriously, where did okaa-san get all this knowledge from......" This once again refreshed my understanding of how amazing Chise okaa-san actually was. My involvement in tea parties or events was kept to a minimum as I was a royal raised incognito in a town. I mainly moved around for my volunteer work in the church. Around that time, I became friends with a girl of my age who was also a sister. I taught her healing magic and we worked together in the clinic. Then a shocking incident happened to that friend һһ someone died. I used my healing magic so that the person I tended to could continue to see the light of the day and, in case death was inevitable, I made sure to keep it as painless as possible so that they can be at peace. The girl healed the patient she was in charge of but they didn''t feel much better after the hospitalization and eventually passed away. After that incident, the sisters of the clinic began to rack their brains to identify what was the cause of death and what steps they could take in case a similar situation happened in front of them. At times, I called the doctors and anatomists who were knowledgeable of the human body and tried to research the cause. "I should use my authority and position in such a way that it doesn''t tarnish the name of the royal family." This might be a time I, for once, should actively use my position. I summoned specific people using my authority as a Princess. This use of authority wasn''t to fulfill my self-interest, but it was necessary to improve the chances of saving those in similar situations. I used my power because no one else would use it if I don''t do it. Furthermore, Cardinal Marius, who was watching over our efforts, let us browse through the grimoire of the church for our sake. In it, We took notice of the spell ?Bless? written in the grimoire which could strengthen the physical ability of a person. It was a spell to smoothen a patient''s recovery post-hospitalization by partially applying ?Bless? to strengthen the patient with magic. There was this one time when I was feeling sick in the carriage before but that feeling disappeared when okaa-san patted my back. She told me she just strengthened the specific part of my body that was responsible for making me nauseous but I was amazed back then at how okaa-san was able to use it so intuitively. That''s why we aimed to make it into a spell that anyone could use. At first, it was a struggle to lower the grade of the spell ?Bless? so that anyone could use it. ?Bless? was a strengthening magic used in battle so eats up a significant amount of mana. S?a?ch* Th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. However, we managed to bring the one-time consumption down to 500 units of mana by lowering its effect and limiting its range to where it was invoked. With the invention of the ?Low Bless? spell, it became possible for patients, whose internal organs had become weaker due to injury or illness, to absorb necessary nutrients through food that could help them recover efficiently. This mode of thinking was also taught to me by Chise okaa-san. The developed ?Low Bless? and the new treatment became a new lifeline for physically weak elderly or people whose internal organs were weak by birth. At the age of 14, I һwho had been the central figure in developing this spell һ was recognized as a new saint by the church and got the church''s grimoire. Around that time, I met with someone who had come to see the birth of a new saint in the church. "It''s my first time meeting you, Princess Seleneril. I''m Father Paul." "Nice to meet you, Paul-sama. Thank you very much for visiting today." I had heard about the story of okaa-san helping out at an orphanage she was connected to before she started raising me and I finally had the chance to talk with Father Paul who once managed that orphanage. The slightly hunched-back Father Paul was supported by a well-built man whom he had introduced as his successor when we chatted. I learned about an unknown side of okaa-san, and also a side that was just like her. I chuckled at the okaa-san-like idea of helping out the orphans so that they can get jobs and felt envious imagining the figure of Teto onee-chan surrounded by kids and running around. The successor of Father Paul was also a former adventurer who had seen the battle scene of Chise okaa-san and Teto onee-chan and I remember getting overly excited after hearing the impressive tales about them. Because it was the first time I heard that okaa-san fought against the dungeon''s stampede. The defensive battle inside the dungeon had continued for one week and, even though it was her first time, she continued to defeat one monster after another coolly with the amazing amount of mana and firepower she possessed. I was amazed at her courage to not flee even when a super strong monster came out. On the one hand, while I was listening to such amazing stories about okaa-san and onee-chan, Otou-sama and Onii-sama were going through my marriage candidates. A fiance selection at the age of 14 for a royal family member was a bit late but it was fine considering my childhood circumstances. Besides, it seemed most of the outstanding men had already decided on their fiancee quite early. "Well, I think it might not be bad even if I don''t marry......" I was having fun with my volunteer work in the church and I even considered entering the church at a certain age...... I was thinking of such things. My mana reserve was 30,000 units, just in line with Court Mage Ojii-sama so I would be able to live for more than a century. So when I said that it might be better to give up on marriage, my maids gave me a teary-eyed look. "Every day, I dream of hugging Ojou-sama''s child one day, so please don''t say such cruel things!" "I, I''m sorry." Such a thing happened. Afterwards, my fiance was chosen while I was busy with my church volunteer work, studies, and spell improvement research. My fiance was Weiss-sama, the eldest son of Margrave Reebel. Although he was the Margrave of a remote region, the House of Margrave Reebel possessed considerable independence, authority, and armed force. They were a crucial aristocratic family keeping the Mubado Empire, the monsters in the northern region, and a bunch of small countries in the northwest in check. They also trade with other nations so I heard they''re quite a prominent family. The question was: why does the heir of such a prominent family still not have a fiancee? And the answer was that his family had scrapped his previous engagement. The reason for that was Weiss-sama had been injured in his first battle campaign to subjugate the monsters, and the acid of a monster had melted the skin on his face, disfiguring it into a hideous look. Weiss-sama''s financee showed an adverse reaction to his face and apparently pleaded to annul the engagement. I was quite shocked by the fiancee''s reaction. Otou-sama and others, taking advantage of this situation, had proposed the talk of an engagement to Margrave Reebel. After their discussion, I met with Weiss-sama who had come to the royal capital to present myself as his healer and fiancee. "My, that sure is quite an injury you have there." I accidentally slipped out my impression as I looked at Weiss-sama''s face after the bandages were removed but it was quite a familiar condition commonly seen on adventurers who visited the clinic. Vol. 3 - Ch. 83.2 - Selenes Epilogue (2) "I apologize for showing you such an unsightly face. I am unable to annul this engagement from my end, so I will try to pass the time by hiding my face as much as possible."Margrave Reebel''s side could not turn down the engagement this time since Otou-sama, i.e. the royal family, initiated it. A smile appeared on my face at his kindness for considering my possible disgust for his face. "No, it''s fine. It was just my impression as a healer that had slipped out. Well, let''s finish this quickly, һ`?Search? ?Antidote? ?Regeneration?!" I detoxified the poison after confirming the condition of his face and then healed the melted face skin, the contorted bones, and the cloudy and drooping eyes with the regeneration magic. I was facing downward for a while as I was focused on using my magic and when I raised my head after healing was done, a young man with a calm and extremely normal face was sitting in front of me. ''He seems like a kind person.'' While it wasn''t love at first sight like the recently trending romance novel written on paper made with the vegetation of this world, that was what I thought after looking at his face. "How is it? Can my face be healed? Or will it stay like this, unable to be healed?" He apparently wasn''t able to use his healed eyesight well yet since I had just finished using recovery magic on him so he was making an apologetic expression with a crease forming between his eyebrows. "Yes, I''m done. You should be able to use your eyes after a while." I quietly got up and gave Weiss-sama some space as I was previously near him to heal him. Then Weiss-sama''s retainer checked Weiss-sama''s face as if to change places with me. Tears welled up in his eyes from joy when he saw his master''s face back to normal. Weiss-sama turned his face to me as if asking for help since his vision was still hazy. I could only let out a troubled smile. After that, I had many opportunities to meet with Weiss-sama. Our friendship deepened as he started living in his residence in the royal capital instead of the frontier territory since he now had a fiancee, went to the academy in the royal capital to learn about territory management, and mingled with the knights for training to secure the necessary military power needed as a Margrave. We would also meet once a month for a tea party, ask about each other''s recent situation and also receive letters or presents from each other once every two weeks. In the beginning, I was troubled by the frequent delivery of jewels or expensive dresses. "Well, I don''t have much interest in jewels or dresses......" If I have to state what I personally prefer, then it has to be delicious snacks and scholarly books. After I revealed my thoughts to him once at a tea party, I began to receive simple yet beautiful flower bouquets, sweets from the famous shops of the royal capital, and all sorts of books collected from foreign countries. "Ah, Weiss-sama is really considering my preference." On the one hand, I was happy to receive different presents. When I once again glanced at the jewels and dresses on the side, I found out that all of them were subdued but refined articles matching the color of my hair and eyes. I quickly understood from the changing of his gifts and the bi-weekly letter exchange that Weiss-sama had a straightforward personality as he wasn''t just imposing his preference upon me. "I think I am also having fun interacting with Weiss-sama." The distance between Weiss-sama and I had greatly shortened after that. In fact, I also had Weiss-sama teach me horseback riding which I had an interest in for a long time and I even rode Weiss-sama''s beloved horse together with him. We also did other things like going out after receiving an invitation for a drama but that drama was about a love story. It was personally recommended to me by my friend, a noble young lady, so I read it but if I had to be honest, I like the heroic tales that young boys or men prefer the most. I wasn''t quite fond of making roundabout talk about something so Weiss-sama was surprised when I frankly told him about my preference. In fact, Weiss-sama also liked dramas for men so both of our interests coincidentally matched. And at the same time, I also battle Weiss-sama in a match using ?Body Hardening? taught to me by Teto onee-chan. I''m not even sure how it turned into this situation. I just talked about how I was capable of defending myself and decided to show Weiss-sama to what extent I could do so while he offered to be my opponent. S~?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The phrase ''I hate strong women, let''s break this engagement off'' echoed in my mind...... I broke out in cold sweat internally but, "I will become even stronger and protect you, Seleneril-sama!" After saying that, Weiss-sama plunged himself into even more intense training with newfound motivation, and he got stronger by thoroughly mastering swordsmanship and ?Body Hardening?. Even the knights acknowledged his effort and he finally acquired adequate strength as the eldest son of the Margrave. "To be honest, I hadn''t expected this type of development...... All''s well that ends well, I guess?" My gaze drifted to the faraway sky when I remembered that time. Chise okaa-san, Teto onee-chan. I really wish you had raised me to be a bit more like a girl when I was young. Sometimes, I also felt anxious that my fiance might fall out of love with me. With such feelings swirling within me, I spent three years nurturing my affection for Weiss-sama...... or so I would like to say. It felt more like spending my days with a like-minded friend. However, I also had thoughts like ''It might not be bad to marry him'' when I played with the idea of marrying Weiss-sama in my head. He agreed to me continuing my volunteer work in the church; our interests were more or less in line with each other. Actually, Weiss-sama held a bias against dressing extravagantly since his former fiancee smelled intense of perfume so I think he also liked me as I dress moderately һһ that being said, it was more like I left my fashion up to the maids since I didn''t have any interest in it. ''This world surely held a lot of mysterious coincidences in its bag'' `һ this thought came to my mind at a certain point in my life. "What, so the foster mother of Selene-sama is the ''Ogre Killer'' Chise and her partner!?" It turned out that the guard of Weiss-sama, a former adventurer, knew about okaa-san''s earlier days of adventuring. I was astonished to hear the wild tale of okaa-san and onee-chan killing a group of Ogres that had appeared out of the forest. Furthermore, there was a person I met through the introduction of Weiss-sama who came to me to sell the specialty of a certain villageһ` "What, you were raised by Chise-san? Oh oh, please take this much too!" In the past, Chise okaa-san once accepted a request and helped develop a reclaimed village and the high-quality soap they manufactured from the soap leaves Chise okaa-san was carrying became a precious source of income for that village. The scent of that high-quality soap reminded me of the soap I used to use in the bath in my days in that parched wilderness. I listened to the stories about okaa-san in that reclaimed village and that night, I slept surrounded by the smell of soap leaves. And finally, an event on the eve of my weddingһһ "It''s been a long time, Princess Seleneril." "It''s been a while, Prince Gyunton." Prince Gyunton, the third prince of Gard Beastkin Nation and also its diplomat, came to greet me when I was having a pleasant discussion with my fiance, Weiss-sama. "It''s really a joyous occasion, the little girl from that time turned into a fine lady." "Thank you for your compliment." "Besides, I was also happy to hear a woman like you who doesn''t differentiate between beastkin and humans is marrying into the family of Margrave Reebel." After saying that, Prince Gyunton, whose young tigerkin face belies his true age, looked at us with a gentle expression. "It''s about Chise-dono after that......" Weiss-sama tightly held my hand, which I was about to hold in front of my chest, seeing Prince Gyunton whisper in a low voice. I hadn''t heard anything about what Chise okaa-san and Teto onee-chan were doing since I thought I shouldn''t search for them when they already entrusted me to Otou-sama but I couldn''t deny that I had wanted to hear about them. "After returning you, Princess Seleneril, to your rightful place, they stayed in the wilderness for one year, and, after that, they were sighted flying into the Beastkin Nation for requests. I heard they made a lot of noise everywhere they went." I abruptly lost all my nervousness thinking it was just so like okaa-san at the words of Prince Gyunton who said so with a troubled smile. And since they''re in the Gard Beastkin Nation, they might not be able to come to my wedding tomorrow. Late in the night, I couldn''t sleep on the eve of my wedding and so I stood in front of the transfer gate. The transfer gate in the royal villa was destroyed after they left and even the other transfer gate installed in their residence in the royal capital was retrieved. Occasionally, I would dream of the broken transfer gate once again connecting, and Chise okaa-san and Teto onee-chan waiting for me in that house from my childhood. "Chise okaa-san, Teto onee-chan, I really want to meet you....." I also wanted them to see my wedding. I faced the transfer gate that no longer connected to them and let out a whine while thinking about them. I prayed while holding the ring left behind by Chise okaa-san in my left hand and the Unicorn and Mithril ring which was the memento of Elise Okaa-sama in my right hand. If possible, I really wanted to meet them. However, there wasn''t any spell to call okaa-san when I don''t even know where she might be and I also couldn''t meet her on a whim considering my position. At last, I welcomed the day of my wedding. "Albert Otou-sama, Aria Gibo-sama. I am getting married today." (T/N : Gibo-sama - step mother) I went out to greet Otou-sama and others at the wedding hall. Even as I received the blessings of many people, a part of my heart couldn''t stop feeling lonely. Our wedding proceeded smoothly as I put a lid on my feelings. But just as we were walking on the carpet in the church as our last act, a large number of flowers showered us from the sky. "A flower shower?" I stretched my hand to them, wondering if we even had such an event planned but they slipped through my palm. Apparently, these flowers were illusions. I turned my gaze to look at the source of this illusion and found my eyes glued to a girl dressed in a familiar triangular black hat and robe with a wand in her hand from where the flower illusions were coming from and a healthy brown-skinned woman near the bell. "...... Okaa-san? Teto onee-chan?" My fiance...... No, my now husband hugged my waist when I muttered so, and then a gust of wind passed by my ears as we both stared at the place where the bell was hanging. Selene, congratulations on your wedding. Congrtaulations-nanodesu. Okaa-san passed on their words of congratulations that reached only my ears. "I''m glad you came, okaa-san, onee-chan." I guess my words reached them, I thought so as the smiling okaa-san and onee-chan teleported from that place and went back. I had hoped for them to look over my wedding until it ended, but there was also the feeling of not wanting to act spoiled inside me. It was the best day of my life, and I couldn''t have asked for more. "Okaa-san, onee-chan, I love you." Vol. 4 - Ch. 84 - Status Quo of the Empty Wilderness Let''s turn back the gears of time before Selene''s wedding. It was the story about when Teto and I had returned to the ?Empty Wilderness? after entrusting Selene to the King."I was able to learn ?Teleportation Magic? but I still have a long way to go to use it efficiently." Long-distance teleportation was difficult but I did get accustomed to short-distance teleportation that is within the range of my sight. I used it to move along with the flying broom that I had been using up until now in the ?Empty Wilderness? and inspected the magic tools installed in each place which took several days. "I had built our base outside the barrier of the ?Empty Wilderness? with raising Selene in mind, but now we need a base in the central region." There was also the magic tool that was functioning as a seal for the Great Devil while also dismantling his mana to destroy him. I didn''t want to take any risk of the seal loosening so I wanted to build a base near it so that I can quickly reach it for repairs in case it malfunctions. "We''re here. Even this place now has lush green trees growing in it." The land which used to have nothing except its barren soil in the past now had a tiny forest thriving on it after a decade of cultivation. The trees we had planted formed a forest and in the center was a tree towering over them allһһ the World Tree. "World trees grow fast. Hmm, this place''s mana quality is so dense already." Microbes and insects were now breeding in this mana-rich place where we had planted trees while slimes and other small animals could barely survive in the outer region of the wilderness where weeds are growing despite the low mana. I reckon mana density would grow enough for the small animals to live in ten or so years when the forests growing in various places in this wilderness connect and form a huge forest. Once that happens, Goddess Liliel will lower the established setting for the giant barrier erected over this land so that small animals could come in. In my opinion, I think it will be fine to remove the barrier then. "My, there''s even a small spring now." I was inspecting the trees in the woods when I found a small spring welling up beside the World Tree. I''m sure the roots of the World Tree must have penetrated the stiff and hard soil deep underground which caused the spring to gush out due to the pressure. Similar scenery was present in other places of the ?Empty Wilderness? too and there were now even more green lands visible as the seeds of plants carried by the wind germinated. "Right, if I form a small river with this spring here...... It might be a good place to build our home. ``?Summon Servant?!" But before establishing our base, I used summoning magic to call forth either one''s family or an employed or contracted individual using teleportation magic. My partner, Teto, then appeared from the dazzling shining magic circle with a light gait. "I have come on the call of Majou-sama! And, I was sad that you left me alone!" I accepted Teto who rushed over to hug me after she appeared from the summoning magic circle and took a pose. "Thank you for going along with my experiment, Teto." "Fuehehehe, thank you-nanodesu." My teleportation to the ?Empty Wilderness? from the Iska Kingdom while carrying Teto had cost me 300,000 units of mana at once. Teleportation magic is a magic whose consumption exponentially increases based on the teleporting distance along with the number of people and the weight of what I''m bringing with me. After thinking about other ways of long-range teleportation, I thought that a fixed teleportation magic tool like a ?Transfer Gate? or calling forth Teto with ?Summoning Magic? after I teleport myself would be more efficient. "Alright, let''s make our temporary home here. I''m leaving the handling of the ground to you, Teto." "Leave it to me, nanodesu!" A fixed area of the ground which I had decided beforehand wrigged like a living creature and the trees began to move away when Teto held her hands over the ground. I couldn''t bring myself to cut down the trees we had so painstakingly raised just to build our base so I have Teto slightly shift their position with earth magic. Once Teto was done with that, she created a bedrock for the foundation by compressing soil and stones on which I later casted a ?Fixed? spell so that it doesn''t deteriorate. "Now it''s time for our temp home һһ?Creation?." Then I created our temp home over the bedrock foundation with creation magic, took out the transfer gate from the magic bag, and installed it to connect with our home in the outer region, southwest of the ?Empty Wilderness?. "Considering the next course of action, I would like to add a transfer gate over the other places with this place as sort of a central hub." "Hub? What does this hub thing mean?" "Well it''s like a wheel design in layman''s terms, I think." I drew a picture of a wheel and an axle on the ground to make it easier for Teto to understand and she finally got it after that. "So that''s the hub thing! Teto becomes one step more intelligent again!" "Fufu, good for you. And I have a blueprint I had asked the architect in the royal capital to make for the house that we''re going to build, so let''s slowlһ..." I was about to say so let''s slowly save mana and build it when I sensed a strange movement in the range of my mana perception. "Majou-sama? What happened?" "Something is absorbing the mana of the ?Empty Wilderness??" This place, the ?Empty Wilderness?, used to have the lowest mana density...... More precisely, it used to be a mana-less region. We planted a lot of vegetation over the span of ten years and I also released my mana to raise the mana density but it was still far from enough. There was a chance for our reclamation to be prolonged if there was something that was absorbing the mana of the ?Empty Wilderness?. "Teto, we''re going to look at the situation." "Alright-nanodesu!" I took out the magic carpet from the magic bag and started searching for the place that was absorbing the mana from the sky with Teto. I concentrated my mana in my eyes to check out the mana flow and spotted a gap in the crevice of a completely normal piece of land in which the mana was being absorbed. I slowly lowered the magic carpet on the ground and had Teto, whose forte lay in earth magic, investigate the situation below the ground. "Majou-sama. A building is buried beneath the ground." "Ah, the relics of the ancient magic civilization. They do have some leftovers." The aftermath of their runaway mana experiment had given birth to this ?Empty Wilderness? but the buildings of that time had been left behind underground. I had found the control type magic tool before when I was searching the central region of the ?Empty Wilderness? from which I created a magic tool with similar functions using ?Creation Magic? and incorporated it into the barrier management system. I had considered the possibility of the legacy of ancient magic civilization being buried in this ?Empty Wilderness? but I never found the right time to search for it. I mean, no way, I never expected there might be a functioning legacy that remained even after a couple or so millennia had passed. "Alright, let''s first isolate this area with a barrier so that it doesn''t affect anything then excavate whatever it is." "I got it, nanodesu!" I, alongside Teto, began to dig out the soil after setting up a barrier and cutting off the mana absorption. "Seems like it can''t absorb the mana of living beings or mana from spells." Whatever was absorbing the mana, it seemed like its range was limited to absorbing the surplus mana in the air released by the flora and fauna and it wasn''t able to take in mana directly from living beings or interfere with the mana we used to cast our spells. "I wonder if it''s a self-operating facility that has started after absorbing mana from the surroundings." If my guess is right, then I could understand why it started functioning when mana had risen to a certain level within the ?Empty Wilderness?. "There''s something, Majou-sama." "This is...... A concrete building?" Apparently, we had dug up a part of a building that had Protection and Fixed spells casted on it. A building the size of a gymnasium showed itself when Teto and I dug the surrounding soil carefully so as not to damage anything. "What is it, Majou-sama?" "I don''t know. But well, let''s enter inside first to check it out." I found the place where the door was and tried to open it however the door was tightly shut. It seemed like most of its functions were dead due to being buried in the ground for 2000 years. "No other way, huh? һһ?Laser?!" I created a light sword by gathering light at the tip of my wand and burnt the door off its hinges. "Oh, Majou-sama. Is it alright to use such a high-handed method? Relics are important right-nanodesu?" "I guess it''s fine to use a bit of a crude method. In the worst-case scenario, we will have to destroy whatever is there if it''s related to the rampage of the mana experiment so its fine either way." A thorough purge of the documents related to the mana experiment, which was the cause of the birth of the ?Empty Wilderness?, was necessary to avoid that tragedy from happening again. The inside of the building was pitch black when we entered. "So dark. һ`?Light?. Woah..." There were traces of people living inside the building that had been buried underground for 2000 years. It seemed like it was an underground shelter. s?a??h th? N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Weathered clothes and mummified corpses were lying all over the floor. And there may have been some strife among colleagues as there were also corpses left behind with their skull parts caved in. Vol. 4 - Ch. 85 - Ghost of the Ancient Magic Civilization We found an anomaly in the mana flow of the wilderness and tried to find the cause of it which led us to discover an underground shelter of the ancient magic civilization buried underground for 2000 years. We found the remnants of human skeletons and mummified corpses when we made our way inside."So that means not all of the ancient magic civilization was immediately reduced to ashes by the runaway magic experiment? There seemed to have been some delay so they were able to retreat to this underground shelter, got locked up inside, and ended up like this......" "It''s sad." Whatever the case, I decided to bury them above ground under the sun after 2000 years of being stuck here. Rattle I had just taken one step forward when the mummies and skeletons scattered around made rattling sounds and poisonous-looking smoke came out from the underground shelter to envelope this place filled with stagnant air. "Majou-sama, there are enemies!" "I wonder if it''s a spirit-type monster or something." The growing poisonous mist took the shape of a huge gaseous spirit monster that let out resentful voices. ?һIt hurts, It''s painful, it''s cold, no food.? ?Help, anyone, take us, out, from here.? ?I don''t want to die, I don''t want to die like this.? "A monster born out of the accumulated grudges of people''s grief and their fear of death which then brewed deep underground for 2000 years. I think it''s some sort of Fear Spirit." The Fear Spirit tried to chase after us when I grabbed Teto''s hand and escaped to the surface through the big hole I had made using flying magic but it couldn''t leave after reaching a certain range. "Hmm, so it''s like an earthbound spirit. It''s tied to the underground shelter." I understood the situation by looking at the Fear Spirit and the underground shelter through my mana-enhanced eyes. The whole story could be summarized as the resentment of the deceased who had been left behind 2000 years ago had fermented here for all these years and it began to absorb mana from the ?Empty Wilderness? when the mana density of the land increased. After saving enough mana, it bound itself to the underground shelter and manifested its existence. This whole situation gave birth to an earthbound spirit that couldn''t leave the premise of the underground shelter. "It isn''t much of a threat since it was born in a low mana environment even if it''s a 2000-year-old collective spirit." "Majou-sama, I can''t bear to look at the pitiful state of these children. Let''s free them quickly." Teto requested me with a sorrowful voice. Earthnoid Teto was originally born out of a clay golem that had taken in an earth spirit who had its ego destroyed after being trapped in a dungeon. She might have been influenced by the feeling of the earth spirit which couldn''t bear to see someone else being trapped in the same way. "Of course, let''s help them. һһ?Purification?!" I used the purification spell from above the underground shelter. The waves of purifying magic passed through the building and rained down on the Fear Spirit. ? ? ?Aaaahhhhһһ? ? ?! The surge of cleansing mana destroyed the mist form of the Fear Spirit which caused it to howl in anguish. However, that voice gradually faded alongside the disintegrating mist body of the Fear Spirit. After that, the grudge and soul of the Fear Spirit also got purified. "Is this the end, Majou-sama?" "Yeah, there shouldn''t be any more evil spirits left behind." I had fired that purification spell using 50,000 units of mana, which was almost half of my whole reserve. All of the evil spirits were cleansed without getting any chance to escape from the overwhelming mana. Then I used wind magic to send fresh air inside the building and carried out the corpses and trash with Teto. "Majou-sama~, is it alright to cremate all the bones and dead bodies?" "Yeah, well burn them later after collecting them in one place." "Roger!" Teto and I carefully carried the bones and dead bodies to the surface, burned them with fire magic, and scattered the leftover ashes with wind magic. "May you all reincarnate and lead new lives." I faced the scattered ashes and prayed for their souls to lead new lives just like how I had been reincarnated into this world. ?һһThank you, we''re finally free.? We felt like the wind carried these words to our ears. "Now that this is sorted out, let''s restart our investigation of the underground shelter." "Right-nanodesu!" S~?a??h the ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. There was the incident of a resentment-filled spirit monster halting our advance but we finally resumed our investigation regarding the inner part of the shelter. There were wreckages of disaster prevention tools for emergencies mixed in with the garbage of the underground shelter. In fact, there were also residues of preservation magic on the remains of the tools which had modern catchphrases like A disaster relief item guaranteed to last for 1000 years. But sure enough, even they couldn''t withstand the passage of time and were in a half-weathered state. We also found broken remains of guard golems and other similar things, most likely due to the strife underground. As we were carrying them out, we spotted something that was absorbing the mana we released in the same way as the underground shelter did the last time. "This is, a human? I thought we already took out all the dead bodies. There are still some left?" "No, Majou-sama. That''s not a human." "Not a human...... So it''s a doll?" Its outer skin had peeled off due to degradation over time and it may have been damaged during the strife among the refugees as the limbs of the bare metal skeleton were shattered. The doll, carved to look like a human, was absorbing mana as if breathing. "I wonder if it''s functional." "It might be dangerous, Majou-sama. "Don''t worry. һһ?Charge?!" I held my hand over the doll and transmitted my mana in the same way as when I replenished Teto''s mana. The doll shined slightly as it absorbed my mana and opened its eyes. ?...... Good morning. I''m Service Doll Model B20984. Current status, to be sent to the manufacturer due to damages incurred, requesting repair.? The doll''s voice was hard to listen to, maybe its vocal cord had degraded. "Service doll...... Do you remember the situation?" ?Situation...... I was deployed in order to take care of the refugees inside the shelter and was damaged when I attempted to mediate the infighting among fellow humans on the 67th day. I confirm that I went into long-term sleep mode due to low mana reserve. Are you a rescuer?? "No, you can say we''re Archeologists. Everyone that had been inside this shelter had already perished and we just cremated them above ground. Also, 2000 years have passed since the era you have lived in." ?......I see. The situation, if you don''t mind, can you tell me in detail?? "I don''t mind. Let''s talk after carrying you to our home. Teto." "Leave it to me-nanodesu!" Teto gently hugged the service doll and carried it while I searched for its broken limbs to take them back with us. Vol. 4 - Ch. 86 - Service Doll ?Model B service doll, a fusion of organic composition and metal, is a humanoid magic tool for the purpose of assisting in general activities.?"It sounds like a homunculus." ?The general consensus is closer to putting human skin on a golem.? "Hmm, model B, so I assume there are other model series?" s?a??h th? N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?Yes. Model A is a combat purpose doll, Model B is a general purpose doll and Model C is a sex purpose doll.? We carried the Service Doll to our home and put it on a chair while I checked its state. It wouldn''t be strange for the Service Doll ` created using machine parts, magic tools and artificial skin ` to be called a modern out-of-place artefact. "Majou-sama, can it be repaired?" "Hmm, it''s complicated." ?һһService Doll''s warranty period is 300 years, so it''s no longer under the manufacturers guarantee. It''s recommended that you buy a new replacement.? "Those manufacturers also perished in that mana experiment runaway. That''s why I can only try to fix you on my own......" I couldn''t help but let out a bitter smile at the doll''s machine-like speech pattern. Anyway, I have ?Creation Magic? so I could make its parts one by one and replace them over time. "I want the blueprint for Service Doll Model B. ?Creation? Blueprint!" I attempted to create the blueprint but, like a string cut, my mana vanished. "Sure enough, a mere 100,000 units of mana wouldn''t be enough to re-create the knowledge from 2000 years ago. Sorry, it seems like there''s no immediate solution for now ." I would need some time to get a hold of this technology. ?Why must you apologize? There''s no need to feel thankful or apologetic to us, the Service Dolls.? "Objects that have some attachment acquire a soul after 100 years, in my opinion." The notion in my words was the so-called Artefact Spirit (Tsukumogami). That''s why I am not going to treat this Service Doll, who has been in existence for more than 2000 years, like a mere machine but as a person. ?This idea has already been studied in magic science under ghost theory. An anti-spirit spell has been applied on the Service Dolls, effectively reducing the chance for the aforementioned ghost theory from occurring to the minimum of 0.01%.? "But it''s not impossible that the spell could wear off due to deterioration over time." This ancient magic civilization sure is closer to modern civilization with the technologies it possessed һ` I replied while thinking so. Teto was the only one tilting her head in confusion which looked a bit strange. "Either way, I found you so I will surely fix you and have you by my side" ?...... Understood. In the absence of any owner, the current Service Doll transfers to you the authority to be the new master. I will be in your care, Master." "Yes, look after me too. I''m Chise." "I''m Teto-nanodesu!" "Hmm, it''s a bit inconvenient that you don''t have any name. You will be... right, Baretta." ?...... I''m Baretta. Very well.? After saying that, the Service Doll, who couldn''t move by itself, slightly bowed its head. I guess this confirms what I''m going to do from now on. I ought to carefully check each place in the ?Empty Wilderness? to look for any similar facilities to repair this Service Doll. SIDE: Broken Service Doll - Baretta ?Why did I awaken? Why didn''t I break down like others?? Midnight. I muttered that from the bed on which I was laid like a patient after my Master, who had picked me up, went to sleep. A strange feeling swirled inside me when I was on the receiving end of nursing like a living person when I was supposed to have been made for the purpose of assisting people in their work. I turned my crooked neck joint to the left side and looked at my appearance in the mirror with my night vision which I was equipped with so that I could do nighttime work too. (Such an unsightly appearance......) This appearance of mine, the bare skeleton frame which has lost its artificial skin, the artificial muscles under it, and even the artificial hair that has been transplanted on the head to mimic human hair could only be summed up as bizarre. My thinking was the only thing that was clear when even my voice was on its last leg due to the deterioration of the magic vocal cord that made it possible to communicate with others. (For what reason, I''m the only one left. No, it was only this metallic frame of mine that was left. Was it the work of someone?) I closed my eyes and recalled the event from 2000 years ago that Master had explained to me from the records. In the Mana Experiment Runaway that Master told me about һ` an abnormality had occurred at that time and around 1000 people had taken refuge in that underground shelter. What happened afterwards was an enormous explosion that blew away the surface which resulted in a mana-less world for a brief period. Even those who might have managed to survive the explosion couldn''t have lived in a mana-less environment. It had been revealed in research that the people of the ancient magic civilization had mana-dependent bodies since they were born in an environment with high mana density, and that thesis has been left in my records too. Speaking of, there was also research that monsters who had lived through many generations in low-mana environs would be able to adapt to low-mana environments. It was revealed that they would have longer lifespans if the mana became denser as their body becomes mana-dependent. Following their research, the ancient magic civilization was able to get their hands on an exponential amount of mana and achieved longevity. But even the civilization that had managed to tap into the long lifespan factor had something they couldn''t get their hands into no matter what and that something was the ?Immortality Factor?, the origin created by the gods at the genesis. Master had that exponential amount of mana which could rival even the mana of people from the ancient mana civilization. But the main point about Master was that her body was not dependent on the surrounding mana and her ageing had stopped even before her prime. The question now was whether the age of 12 was the prime age for Master or if she was the very human from the genesis holding the ?Immortality Factor?. Their characteristics match but...... No, Master is Master. There''s no need for me to contemplate it whatever the case may be. My thoughts got sidetracked but either way, I concluded that our underground shelter luckily managed to endure the impact of the explosion. However, it was buried in the ground and, due to loss of mana, the people who were taking refuge couldn''t even use spells to clear out the soil and stones underground. Life from there on һһ borrowing the words from humans һһ was hell. People, in the beginning, encouraged each other while holding on to hope as we, the service dolls, tended to their needs. However, supplies gradually began to decrease in the shelter and the closed environment started taking a toll on the people''s spirits. We were service dolls to assist people in their work. Had we been the combat purpose Model A, we would have managed to suppress the evacuees that had turned violent and kept the situation in check. Had we been the sex purpose Model C, we could have snuggled up with the anxious people and calmed them down. But being neither of them and being created only for the sole purpose of helping out, Model B service dolls could only try to mediate to keep the situation in check so that it wouldn''t become troublesome later. However, our limbs were destroyed by the humans who found any movement from us an insult to their eyes and then they tossed us into a corner. I found the other service dolls and security golems broken in a similar fashion in the shelter with my barely moving head, most likely for the humans to vent out anger. At last, when even the last bit of food supply was consumed and the situation was such that fellow humans began to quarrel frequently, and even kill each other, I fell into sleep mode from the lack of mana. My records were only up to the 67th day from the time the refugees'' lives had begun but whether or not there were people left alive afterwards, the number of dead bodies Master had buried was few even if counting the aggregation of vengeful ghosts. The dead bodies of nearly 1000 people had possibly either disintegrated over time until barely anything of them was left or they were eaten til not even their bones were left by fellow humans. Why was it me, and not any other human of that time, who was rescued from that hellish environment? That was the only thing left on my mind, and even as I was broken beyond recognition, even as I continued to exist without any purpose for my existence, Master gave a name to this unsightly me. And yet, why was it that I was feeling a slight tug of joy inside me? Was I broken from the deterioration over time in those 2000 years? Would this body of mine really get repaired and be of service to my Master? The train of thought of a Service Doll who couldn''t sleep continued on as it reflected on many things. Vol. 4 - Ch. 87 - Humanoid Sorcery Weapon After finding the broken service doll Baretta, I wondered if there were similar types of facilities sleeping underground. Thus began an extensive search of the ?Empty Wilderness?.I combed through the whole ?Empty Wilderness?, its size rivaling that of a small country, up to 100 meters underground with the ?Earth Magic? ?Earth Sonar? which took me half a year. However, I also found 37 ruins as a result. There were several underground shelters like the one we found Baretta in among those buried ruins and, of course, all of them had given birth to vengeful spirit monsters whom I purified and later buried politely. I found all sorts of magic tools from the ancient magic civilization in those buried ruins but I just couldn''t find any intact service doll that could substitute for Baretta''s body. Each and every one of them was in a broken state. I found high-class magic tools in the other ruins too and, after checking them with the ?Appraisal Monocle?, I concluded that those tools just had different fundamentals rather than saying they were too advanced compared to the current era''s magic tools. I also found magi-tech used to produce magic tools left behind in one of the ruins that appeared to be a production factory. The uniform standard appearance of service dolls and golems also made me realize that maybe large-scale production was possible at that time. "To create an intricate device like a service doll, most likely they made magic tool parts first then assembled them later on in a large-scale factory like this one." The magic tools left behind didn''t have any worth individually. Still, when you linked those magic tools into each other and made them reproduce those remarkably humanlike movements, they gave shape to a highly functional magic tool like Baretta. "And by installing all sorts of magic tools on their joints, they can function even in low mana rather than opting for using mana to fiddle with the base body." The effect of each magic tool, like altitude or weight control for carrying the goods for example, might look insignificant individually but it''s because of the accumulation of such insignificant magic tools that they could work so meticulously at low consumption, unlike the traditional golems. This also explained why the small articles that were found on the bodies of the refugees in the shelters were on the level of artifacts. Their performance resembled what the current era''s hand-crafted magic tools would be at their peak. "Now I will not stand out even if I create things with similar abilities through ?Creation Magic? and pass them to others. Still, I didn''t get everything I wanted ." S?a?ch* Th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The facilities I found were all built sturdily but I noticed that they were concentrated around the outer edges of the ?Empty Wilderness?. Just this fact alone was enough for one to guess how powerful the explosion from the mana experiment was 2000 years ago. The silver lining was that there wasn''t any document left behind about the mana experiment that had caused the magic civilization''s downfall, probably because the records couldn''t withstand the flow of time. "Majou-sama, the next seems to be the final one~" "Thank you, Teto." And finally, the ruins hunt in the ?Empty Wilderness? has reached its final act. It took us around half a year to search the entire wilderness without missing any nook or cranny but it was finally going to end today. "Haaaaaaһһ Hyoooooһһ" Teto scooped up the ground with magic with accustomed movements. But what appeared in front of us wasn''t another ruin, but a large golem buried in the ground. "Ah, what a surprise. It looks more like a robot than a golem." It was a humanoid weapon with four legs that could be boarded by a human. The large-size golem, which would be four meters tall if stood up, was giving me the image of a tank. "Hmm? This is also absorbing mana and trying to activate itself. It will surely activate in the near future if we leave it alone." "What are we going to do, Majou-sama? Destroy it?" "Ah, no. For now, it''s better if we don''t touch it in case it might mess something up. I wouldn''t want it to go on a rampage." We then returned to our base for the time being using teleportation magic after erecting a barrier around that sorcery weapon. "We''re back, Baretta. How''re you feeling?" "We''re back-nanodesu!" ?Welcome back, Master. I apologize for not being able to welcome you.? Bareta, who was sitting on a wooden rocking chair under the edge of the eave, welcomed us when Teto and I returned to our base in the ?Empty Wilderness?. The cross-section of her limbs that had been broken 2000 years ago was draped with a cloth after carefully polishing them with earth magic''s ?Refining? spell. She was now wearing a new classic maid dress instead of her old maid dress that had been in pieces and a blanket was laid on her lap as she sat on the rocking chair. "I''m sorry. I really want to repair your limbs but I still haven''t found any viable solution." ?We''re not made to retain our shape after 2000 years in the first place. Master shouldn''t worry about it.? "You''re really kind. Actually, we found a large-size golem in our investigation today. So I want to hear your opinion about it." Baretta explained it to us when I told her about our new discovery. ?The threat of monsters had existed even 2000 years ago. It should be a bombardment-type sorcery weapon to deal with them. The ancient magic civilization, in Masters words, didnt have any particular edge when it came to the might of their invoked spell? "Oh, now that''s a new thing." According to Baretta, the ancient magic civilization had its advantages but the scale of the spells they could invoke apparently wasn''t any different from the current era. The people of the ancient magic civilization who flourished in a dense mana environment also had large mana capacities. While individuals had magic they specialized in or were bad at, they had the aptitude for what''s called absolute affinity. But on the reverse side, the chance for people to use magic had been very low since they developed magic tools that helped them with household chores and these magic tools charged independently by absorbing mana from the earth veins. Another point about the people of the ancient magic civilization was that they were 24/7 in body strengthening mode due to their long lifespan and huge mana capacity. Apparently, monsters back then had identical mana reserves so what they sought wasn''t AoE-type magic but magic with high penetrating power and spells that interfered with or neutralized the opponent''s body strengthening. It also seemed like there wasn''t any skill concept that existed in that era. I assume these statuses and skills that depended on the individual''s level and abilities were compensation conferred by the gods of this world, including the five goddesses of this continent, to the people who now had to live in low mana regions for their survivability. ?That''s why the magic of that time wasn''t particularly flashy.? "I see. One can cause a tsunami or tornado but the aftermath left behind will be big." I had always wondered just what kind of mana experiment did they perform that would result in such an explosion and caused the demise of their whole civilization but researching about it in itself was banned. It was human nature to be curious about the unknown after all. ?Yes, so back to the topic. In my opinion, that thing can be left alone since there''s no way itll be able to move properly. In fact, it''s fine to demolish it even.? "You may be right. I can''t pilot it but what about you?" ?We service dolls don''t have fundamental compatibility with golems so it''s impossible for me to operate it.? "A pity. Demolish it, huh? Let''s analyze it and extract the metal resources from it once we''re done." "Majou-sama, Majou-sama. Such a huge golem should be using a large mana stone. Teto wants to eat it." I chuckled wryly at Teto who made a gluttonous expression while saying that and glanced at Baretta. I was wondering if she had any sentimental feelings towards a fellow magic tool that had once existed in the same era but Baretta was completely indifferent. Afterwards, I carried Baretta in my arms and went to the bombardment-type golem. Vol. 4 - Ch. 88 - Physical Magic ? Revised Chapter 5 -(Changing the numbering sequence for chapters as stated in previous chapter.) Whomp Whomp Whomp I just returned to the place where we discovered the sorcery weapon alongside Teto and Baretta, this time using teleportation magic, only to see the said sorcery weapon that was supposed to be isolated in a barrier moving around while making a thump-thump sound. "Say, Teto. Do you also see that machine moving? It''s so strange, I''m sure I even placed a barrier to isolate it." "Teto also sees it moving. Oh, and there''s something like a long cylinder set-up on its shoulder too." The sorcery weapon''s external armor had decayed with the interior coming out, most likely because it had been buried in the ground for such a long time. It was already missing its right arm when we had excavated it and one of its four legs wasn''t functioning properly as it was practically dragging it. Nevertheless, the artillery golem was moving around as if surveying the ?Empty Wilderness? with its remaining three legs, left arm, and the turret that had been extending from its right shoulder irrespective of its tattered outlook. ?Master. This type is equipped with a mechanism called Mana Absorber if my records serve me right. My conjecture is that it may have neutralized the Master''s barrier and used its mana to boot up.? "Is such a thing even possible? Wouldn''t it be dangerous, then?" ?It''s hard to say. After all, it wouldn''t be strange for it to malfunction. Besides, even if it went on a rampage...? The artillery golem spotted us just as I was listening to Baretta who was in my arms and aimed its turret in our direction. "Hey, it''s not planning to shooһһ dodge quickly!" I immediately used physical strengthening to the limit and avoided the incoming attack. A concentrated light beam with high penetrating power escaped from the turret and gouged out the ground of the wilderness. ?Its concentrated beam of light is laced with Mana Canceller. Any normal barrier would be pierced by its beam.? As she explained, I invoked floating magic and jumped into the sky to escape from the bombardment while carrying Baretta. Teto, on the other hand, went straight for the bombardment golem. "I''m going to take it down!`` huh?" The artillery golem turned to Teto and fired a beam of light laced with the mana neutralization effect at her whose body was strengthened with magic. However, the beam was easily repulsed when Teto swung her magic sword with her heightened strength through body hardening. ?Impossible...... Teto-sama''s strength is on an absurd level. However, situations like the artillery golem being pitted against similar types of sorcery weapons have also been considered so...? The artillery golem took the repulsed light beam on its armor but it didn''t even scratch it. Maybe a defense mechanism like spell scattering was put on its surface. Also, it had begun absorbing the surrounding mana to prepare for its next beam at the same time the light beam fired by itself scattered. But the beam fired towards Teto this time divided itself into innumerable smaller beams of which Teto cut through some while evading the others. "I see. The low mana region is capping its bombardment charging speed but the spell counter is still working fine. It also seems to have the ability to change the nature of its attacks to cope with the changes in battle." ?Master. Teto-sama might get caught up in danger if we don''t take action soon.? "You don''t need to worry about Teto. But indeed..." I wonder, how effective would physical attack spells be against it, then? "Let''s start. ``?Hard Shoot?!" I took out a ?Mana Crystal?, hardened its structure, and fired it at the artillery golem with extreme speed. S?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. This mana crystal has 10 times the mana capacity of the crystal I had made before. Furthermore, the density of the crystal, which was achieved through hardening, could even go toe-to-toe against ?Body Hardening?. The hardened crystal approached the artillery golem in no time with supersonic speed. "Oh, that''s quite a violent sound." ?Nonetheless, it didn''t take it down.? The crystallized body landed on its target with an intense sound but the artillery golem undid mana crystal hardening through mana neutralization the moment it collided with its armor, canceling even its extreme speed. However, it wasn''t able to cancel the kinetic energy and the result was that the crystallized projectile formed a huge dent in its armor when it struck the artillery golem with the speed of sound. "So worked, huh? It should be easy to take down as long as a much sturdier object is used as the projectile. һһ?Creation? Tungsten Shell!" I created a shell out of tungsten with creation magic. Albeit this lump of metal in the shape of a temple bell similar to a ?Mana Crystal? drained 30,000 units of my mana which was on the same level as creating a huge Iron Guillotine. "This Tungsten Shell is 10 times heavier than a mana crystal. Take it!" I hugged Baretta with my right hand and launched the shell floating in the air using wind and gravity magic while adding high-speed rotation at the same time. It would neutralize hardening either way so this time it was a physical force that used magic to pour in all the energy at the moment of its launch. The tungsten shell pierced the abdomen of the dully moving golem with supersonic speed and broke apart its upper and lower body into two parts. "Bull''s eye, that''s the end. Alright, let''s search it for usable parts." ?A terrific attack it was, Master. A single attack was enough to take down the artillery golem on the level of an army...!? It''s still moving!? The artillery golem that was still somehow functioning turned its gun barrel towards us with just its upper body when I leisurely landed on the ground to retrieve its parts while carrying Baretta. And just as it was about to fire its concentrated light beamһһ "Protecting Majou-sama is Teto''s duty!" Teto, who had been dodging the scattered beam attacks of the Golem until now, got closer to the artillery golem that had been split in two from my single attack and cut apart its barrel, left hand, and head. And thus, the concentrated light beam it was just about to fire dispersed and the artillery golem ceased functioning completely this time. "Haa, it''s over. Let''s retrieve it now." "Roger-nanodesu!" Teto and I began to scavenge the parts of the broken golem. ?So it still has its control magic tool, the core, left. Its core holds the same value as a mana stone and it can also be installed into the mana management system Master is thinking about as well.? I retrieved a huge crimson mana stone which appeared to be on the A-rank level from the artillery golem and turned to Teto. "һһ?Analyze?...... Alright, I got its structure pattern, so this time it''s Teto''s turn. I can remake it as long as I prepare suitable mana and mana stone later." I had grasped the composition of the artillery golem''s control magic tool using the attribute-less analytical spell ?Analysis?. This discovery had now paved a path for me to create a large-scale management system bigger than what I was currently using to oversee the mana flow of the huge land, i.e. the earth veins, as long as I could get my hands on a mana stone of an A-rank or higher monster or create one through ?Creation Magic?. "That''s all there is. Then let''s return home. We can now finally devote ourselves to repairing Baretta now that the investigation of the ?Empty Wilderness? is over." ?...... Thank you very much.? I carried Baretta''s metallic frame in my arms just as when I carried her here and returned to our base. Vol. 4 - Ch. 89 - A Soul You Do Possess Chapter 6Repairing Service Doll Baretta was fraught with many difficulties. This advanced magic tool from the ancient magic civilization was quite a piece of intricate mechanism. I broke apart the other service dolls we found in the ruins that were in damaged conditions due to degradation over time as samples, analyzed each and every component, and recorded their details. Then I created new parts one by one through ?Creation Magic? after comprehending their structure and tried to incorporate them into Baretta but...... "It''s not working, huh? It''s not within our means to create, it seems. It''s as if Baretta''s body is rejecting them." "There''s nothing that can be done?" ?Yes, the manufacturer''s black box is installed among one of the components of a service doll and that black box is the core secret of the manufacturer and has been adjusted so that it can''t be analyzed.? They really didn''t cut corners with their design huh, that ancient magic civilization. Theyve set up measures so that the magic tools can''t be replicated which was why we were unable to repair Baretta. "Good grief, this really left me with no options. I don''t have enough technical prowess to pull one over them." Some parts can be reproduced through handicraft-like magical tool-making technology. However, the closer we were to the core component, the more intricate and secretive the technology became. "As expected of an unusual artifact. It''s out of my league." Teto looked worried but Baretta, in contrast, replied with a flat expression. ?There''s nothing that can be done if it''s impossible to repair. So Master can scrap this body of mine which can''t even be of service to you and get some precious metal resources, at least, for closure.? "Geez, you should stop with your silly words already. I might not be able to repair it but it doesn''t mean I gave up on repairing you." This discovery has made it clear that I must look for a different approach. I laid Baretta on the bed like usual and went to sleep earlier that day. And in the dreamһһ "Please tell me how I can repair Baretta. I beg you." ?I wouldn''t mind helping out Chise but it''s impossible.? ?Goddesses aren''t actually omnipotent. We have no way.? After reaching the dead end in a way to repair Baretta, I initiated a dream oracle, which was usually done by goddesses, this time and requested their help. "But Liliel and Lariel are the gods watching over this continent, right? Do you have any hints like if there''s any clan who can fix her?" I asked, but they shook their heads with troubled expressions. ?Unfortunately, no. To begin with, the technology to fix her has ceased to exist and there has been a drastic change in how the world has progressed compared to before so you can say the world might no longer be able to develop a similar kind of technology.? "I don''t quite understand it." From there on began a discussion about the transition from the creation myth to the current era by the goddesses. The Creation God first created the continents and gods. Then it was the birth of living beings including both people and monsters. After their creation was the dawn of the Genesis & Chaos eras where the gods guided people to their respective continents using a multitude of magic. The miracles, or natural phenomena in another perspective, caused by the gods apparently became the origin of Genesis Magic. The advent of Genesis Magic welcomed the era where gods no longer interfered with people''s lives and chose to just watch over them. People began to study the weapons and spells conferred to them by the gods, put those research into use, and expanded upon them. 5000 years later, it resulted in the peak of the ancient magic civilization. ?And then the reckless behavior of the magic civilization 2000 years ago caused the majority of the advancement in civilization to regress. It was at that time when we altered the rules of the world and introduced the system of skills and statuses to protect the survivors due to the massive loss in mana.? The concept of skills and statuses didn''t exist before that. People of the low mana region leveled up using statuses or had their physical bodies altered through skill correction to raise their survivability. ?We then start summoning reincarnators like Chise or transferring mana from another world after that to focus on restoring the world. Civilization made rather quick progress in the beginning but it completely stopped growing at a point and that is now the current era.? In the beginning, civilization had advanced until they were on the same level as the early period of medieval Europe in 300 years. But it wasn''t known whether it was due to the influence of magic or status, but even when reincarnated individuals temporarily boosted civilization, it didn''t last for long. ?The civilization isn''t able to progress steadily because of the monsters and infighting among fellow humans, but, above all, its due to the appearance of irregulars which weren''t in our initial plan.? "Irregulars?" ?That''s right. People weren''t the only ones who were granted statuses but also magic tools and monsters. This became the catalyst for the birth of the demonic race. Well, they''re part of the second generation of mankind.? In short, the goddesses called the humans who were created by them in the creation myth or the several other primary races derived from them like Elves, Dwarves, and Beastkin the first generation of mankind while the demonic race or existences referred to as irregulars were called the second generation of mankind. ?That''s why our hands are tied in helping out with technology. You see, it has been 2000 years already and the world has yet to discover the technique to navigate through the ocean. It wouldn''t be impossible for other continents to be ruled by demonic races instead of humans.? ?Though it''s because there were very few changes introduced by them when the mana was at its lowest point in the aftermath of the magic civilization''s reckless action...... well that''s the gist of everything.? "I see. The variation in the world''s system itself brought about different races." The explanation seemed like it slightly turned into the goddesses venting out their complaints midway. That being said, while there was a difference between the first and the second born, both of them were looked after by goddesses most likely. However, I also saw a hint among all this that might be able to repair Baretta. "Thank you. I think I got the hint on how to repair Baretta." ?Woah, you really found one? Just what''re you planning to do......? "Well, it''s basically``" Liliel showed her surprise while Lariel burst out into laughter when I explained my idea to them. ?Ahahaha! You really are full of surprises! Indeed it''s not a method that couldve been pulled off 2000 years ago!? ?But this plan has some feasibility......? I woke up from the dream after receiving an okay from both goddesses. Then I began with my plan to repair Baretta under their adviceһһ "Baretta. We''re going to repair your body today." ?But Master, didn''t we conclude that it''s not possible just yesterday?? I then explained my method to Baretta who asked so. "First, we can repair you only using the currently available method since I don''t have a way to get the technology from 2000 years ago." The dark clouds of despair hovered above Baretta when I once again spoke of the fact. "You see, I wracked my brain to look for a method to repair inorganic beings in the current era and the answer I reached was...... Her." "Teto-nanodesu?" I pointed at Teto. She was originally a mud golem who later become an earthnoid demonic beingһ`or more precisely, one of the second generation of mankind. That clay golem assimilated a mentally broken spirit into itself, went through self-modification, and achieved evolution. When you speak of inorganic things that are the most famous for their regeneration, then it''s the magic sword. If we gave Baretta the self-repair ability that is granted to magic swords, she would be able to return to her former self with some patience and mana. "So we''re going to restore Baretta by getting her the ?Self-Regeneration? skill. There''s a chance Baretta might undergo mutation and become a demonic race in the process. This is the method I have come up with." ?I see. But how am I going to receive that skill?? "Here, with this." As for how I''m going to get her the skill, it was simple. We just have her use the ?Self-Regeneration? skill orb I created with ?Creation Magic?. "I''m going to use it to give you the skill. But whether to opt for it or not, I''m leaving this decision to you." ?To, me? Master isn''t going to decide?? "No, I''m not sure if everything will proceed according to my prediction. That''s why I want Baretta to decide by her own will. Will you use it, or will you wait for the technology to advance enough to repair you? It''s up to you." But of course, I swore not to abandon Baretta whatever the option she chose. ?I''m but a soulless Service Doll. There''s no way such a person can ever be put on the same rank as living people. But``? s?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Baretta looked at me with a serious glint in her eyes. ?Even if this may be a body without a soul, I''m going to take the option offered by Master to repay the debt of picking me up. If I have to pass time like this without being able to fulfill my goal due to my current disability, then I would like to bet on the possibility provided by Master.? "Very well. But listen, not once did we think that you didn''t have a soul." "That''s right. Teto was also a mud golem in the beginning. That''s why stop saying such sad things." Teto and I said this and pushed the skill orb to her heartһһ just right above her core, and we were able to grant Beretta the ?Self-Regeneration? skill. ?Master, was it a success?? "I can''t say yet. But let''s check your condition first." Although it was a regeneration skill, its level was too low to show any visible changes right away. Howeverһһ ?Master, my mana is rapidly depleting. I will enter sleep mode at this rate.? "Ah, let''s fill up your mana then. һһ?Charge?!" ?U, unn......nhn!?? A strange moaning voice leaked out of Baretta just as I recharged her mana the same way I filled up Teto''s mana. "Baretta?" ?......Excuse my behavior. I''m fine now.? I concluded this might be another side effect of using the skill orb so I let Baretta rest that day. It became clear later on that the rapid depletion of her mana was due to the skill starting to restore her body. It had begun with the regeneration of the damaged parts that weren''t visible, then the artificial skin and muscles formed over her metallic frame. After that, beautiful blue hair grew out of her bald head. Regeneration of her limbs started in the last stage. It began with her both arms first and that too was only a few centimeters. Nevertheless, her arms were regrown fully a few months later. I created a wheelchair for her with ?Creation Magic? which she could use with her two hands to freely move in the house when it was time for the winter season, and gave her some wool and books about knitting as she seemed to have taken interest in it. ?I can''t let Master catch a cold in my wake. I will prepare some woolen underwear.? "Err, that''s a bit embarrassing...... but I would like to have them. Thank you." It was a bit embarrassing that her first gift to me wasn''t a muffler but woolen panties. Nevertheless, it was filled with her thoughtfulness. Her legs finished growing during winter and in the early spring one year after we met herһ` "Baretta, how does the ground from 2000 years into the future feel?" "Ohh, Baretta, you''re a bit bigger than Teto. Your posture is so beautiful!" Baretta was standing there in a knee-length maid dress prepared for that day, her pretty blue hair tied behind her head, and assuming a beautiful stance. ?......Master, Teto-sama, thank you very much for your care. Service Doll Baretta is now ready to support the Master in her life from today onwards.? "Congratulations. Also, there''s good news. I have confirmed that you truly have a soul." I had been appraising Baretta every day since her regeneration began and meticulously looked out for any variation in her condition. And as of this moment, Beretta had achieved complete regenerһһ no, has ended her self-modification and completed her evolution. һһBaretta ?Race: Mechanoid? It should be a machine-related race. She mutated into a demonic race like Teto. And Baretta who noticed this fact silently averted her face as tears flowed out. So Teto and I gently took her into our arms and comforted her. Vol. 4 - Ch. 90 - And the Records of Their Adventures Chapter 7Teto and I left the management of the ?Empty Wilderness? to Service Doll Baretta whom we had watched over from the moment of her excavation to her repair һ her evolution to a new race to be more precise. We then went to the frontier town of the Gard Beastkin Nation after a long time and followed our usual routine like delivering potions and medicinal herbs. Besides that, we also took requests as A-rank adventurers. We were often called out to support other regions who didn''t have enough battle power ever since our feat of reaching this nation''s breadbasket region in a short time with the ?Flying Carpet? during the time a dungeon appeared there before. "It''s also fun considering I get to increase my teleportation destinations." "It''s fun no matter where we are as long as Majou-sama is with Teto!" Our usual practice was to accept one urgent request a year and go out to other places. I had registered the coordinates of almost all the regions һthe main 17 towns һ of this Gard Beastkin Nation over the ten years we had traveled through it with ?Flying Carpet?. On the times we didn''t have any urgent requests, Teto and I would often watch over the growth of junior adventurers in the frontier town being the high-ranking adventurers we were, deliver potions and medical herbs, or tidy up the remaining miscellaneous requests. There were many types of urgent requests we had accepted such as, The subjugation of an A-rank monster - Thunder Dragonbird (Bo)Subjugating monsters that B-rank adventurers failed to eliminateRegeneration treatment of a heavyweight warrior from the Gard Beastkin Nation introduced by Prince Gyunton in secretSupervising an A-rank Adventurer promotion examCarrying out relief duty in the southern region where a landslide had occurred due to heavy rainElimination of a kidnapping organization that had sneaked into the Gard Beastkin NationMediating a conflict in a beast tribeSearching for and subjugating a Devilkin, Rougarou һһ a monster from the Kobolt species that gained intelligence through evolutionCapturing a wanted person who had been spotted in the Gard Beastkin Nation and had a bounty on him.Protecting a venue in the Gard Beastkin Nation where the meeting among guilds of each nation took place. In the beginning, people looked at me and Teto who rode a super strange thing like a ?Flying Carpet? with suspicious eyes. We were a duo of young girls in the Beastkin Nation where humans were in the minority and using magic unfamiliar to them. The ?Flying Carpet? with which Teto and I used to gallantly travel to solve emergency requests in no time when everyone had given up on any hope of completing them became synonymous with us. Bards turned our deeds into poems and were spreading them all over the Beastkin Nation as we speak. As a result, our party whose name we hadn''t decided until then became the ?Flying Carpet? party and our popularity soared to the level where we would be immediately recognized no matter what city we appeared in. From this perspective, it must be a fitting stardom as an A-rank Adventurer. But life wasn''t always rosy and we witnessed many painful and sad moments over the years. The A-rank monster Thunder Dragonbird, whom we were rushing to subjugate, had flown unrestrainedly in the sky and spewed out violent lightning, reducing three villages to ashes and causing around 150 deaths. Teto and I had seen the devastated appearance of the villages scorched by lightning. Among the casualties was one person who could have at least exchanged some moves with the monster but he wasnt able to delay the monster that roamed freely in the air and manipulated lightning. He was killed as if he was just trash. "If only we could have arrived earlier......" "You did what you could, Majou-sama." In fact, the casualties were quite small compared to the norm when an A-rank monster appeared. Because they were the same monsters who could kill more than a thousand people together with a town in the worst-case scenario. Besides, real life is often different from stories. There were no such fairy tales as wandering heroes defeating the monsters before they could harm the populace in their wake before me. Requests are often made after casualties already happened. It wasn''t just in the A-rank monster subjugation, the other requests I dealt with had the same scenario. The wanted person with the bounty on his head and the werewolf Devilkin that were to be eliminated, while both had different outward appearances, they were the same kind of bloodthirsty killer who caused casualties. We quickly subjugated them. They would have made even more victims had we not defeated them. It was necessary to take them down before they started killing again. In the request where we had to handle the failed subjugation, the B-rank party who had taken it had half of its members wiped out while the rest barely made it out alive. My recovery magic had healed the wounds on their bodies, but it couldn''t cure their pain of losing comrades or their fear of the monster. I realized that behind a request for adventurers lies someone elses hardship or sorrow and it just kept increasing in scale with the rank. That being said, the preparator behind a tragedy needn''t have to be a monster. We witnessed the scene of a kidnapping organization transporting the beastkin they had captured and illegally turned into slaves from the Beastkin Nation to the other nations and arrested them. The hand of that kidnapping organization wasn''t just limited to the Beastkin Nation, their net was cast wide even in the other nations. Their deed of preying on people showed us the darkness of mankind. However, not everything was gloomy in the quests for high-ranking adventurers. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The heavyweight warrior we had treated in secrecy had received his wounds from the attacks of the southern neighboring country''s soldiers. He was a strong warrior, extolled as second to none in this Beastkin Nation. He acted as the pivot during the surprise attack where he was guarding the royal family and managed to pull the enemies away from them but was later ganged up on by enemies and tortured. That warrior, whose strength rivaled other active A-rank Adventurers in the Beastkin Nation, had a strong will as he lived through it all until help arrived despite being tortured by his enemies. But the price of it was his sorry state where he lost not only his arms and legs but even his ears and tail which were the characteristics of a beastkin. Regeneration magic healed and grew new parts by taking the nutrients from the body so it took quite a lot of food to bring him back to his original condition. However, his limbs that once used to bulge with muscles didn''t have even minute traces of their past and had become extremely thin, maybe because there was too much to regenerate. "I''m grateful for your help, young ladies. I would be able to protect my comrades again due to your grace." He would have to go through rehabilitation given his feeble appearance. I felt the warrior''s strong resolve radiate from the words of appreciation that had come out of his mouth, despite him knowing that the painful memories of the torturous experience he received at the hands of the neighboring country''s people would continue to live on in his head. In another requestһһ We had been invited once to supervise an A-rank promotion exam in the Beastkin Nation and there we noticed the subtle contrast in their characters as adventurers compared to the adventurers in the Iska Kingdom. The Beastkin Nation was a place relatively populated with demihumans like Beastkin, Elves, Dwarves, and Dragonewts. Each one of them used a technique or fighting style from their respective races. And among them was a particularly young beastkin warrior who was the very definition of a rare prodigy. He had taken the shortest time to become an A-rank candidate among the participants and yet he was already able to use ?Body Hardening? and had a high level of swordsmanship. His techniques, which he had learned from his warrior father, the experience he had cultivated in his practice as an Adventurer, and the fact that he had reached this stage faster than the time Teto and I took to reach it made me realize the possibilities that lie within mankind. Then in the landslide that had happened in the southern region, we quickly rushed to the place carrying relief supplies in our ?Magic Bag? and helped out in town reconstruction. That disaster was undoubtedly a painful incident, but the sight of people who had endured this and yet stood up once again to build up their place made me feel hope for the future. If we felt the strong spirit of the populace in this incident, then it was the strong bond between people that we felt next. The next patriarch of a beast tribe, whom we were requested to act as a mediator in their confrontation, and the daughter of the current patriarch had fallen in love and, despite the various obstacles they faced, they never let go of each other''s hand. The Grand Masters, who are the foremost executives in an adventurer guild, discussed countermeasures against the damage caused by monsters or dungeons irrespective of their nationality in the joint meeting of adventurer guilds from different nations, which is held rotationally among the participants'' nations. One could say the adventurer guild was an organization independent of their nation but the Grand Masters weren''t saints either, since they had their status linked to the territory of their nation and had their respective ideologies, things they want to do, their interests, or even their racial ranks. Nevertheless, they went through the meeting to achieve the ideals of the organization and worked day and night to come up with countermeasures to minimize the damage as much as possible. Teto and I who returned to our home in the ?Empty Wilderness? through teleportation magic after getting tired from going through such numerous requests, ?Welcome back, Master, Teto-sama.? We were greeted by Baretta. And it was this scene, the piece of mind that I have people waiting to greet me, that continued to soothe my heart each time I saw a painful or bitter scene. It was this small bit of happiness that I continued to feel over these ten years. Vol. 4 - Ch. 91 - From Legal Loli to Legal old lady, 40-year-old Chise, and the departure Ten years had passed. My stepdaughter whom I had entrusted to the King of the Iska Kingdom became 17 after all these years, welcoming a new page of her life in the form of a wedding that Teto and I went out to see secretly.I spoke about the days we lived with Selene in this land to Baretta who didn''t know about her during the winter. We also handled quests from the Gard Beastkin Nation in these years. At the same time, new changes were introduced in the ?Empty Wilderness?. I built a cozy home in the central region of the ?Empty Wilderness? with ?Creation Magic? and rebuilt the management control system of all places there. I created another 20 Service Dolls besides Baretta with ?Creation Magic? and granted each of them the ?Self-Repair? skill. Though it didn''t outright turn them into Mechanoid species for they lack the experience to form a soul even if they were granted the skill since they had just been created, unlike Baretta who had experienced the passage of time for 2000 years. They might be just mere service dolls at the moment but I look forward to the time when they too will gain enough experience and turn into the same race as Baretta. A few more years passed after that and at one point I realized I had turned 40. I had reached the threshold where I could officially be called an old lady in this world. But that being said, it didn''t have much of an impact on me, Teto, and Baretta as we were still as young-looking as ever and we passed our days leisurely. And when I was enjoying my days with Baretta and Teto, Lariel appeared in a Dream Oracle but, surprisingly, it was just her this time. ?Come on, Chise. I really want your help in solving the problem of the land under my management too!? "Ah`, you did talk about it before." She had spoken about this from several tens of years ago but I was busy with the yearly emergency requests of the Gard Beastkin Nation and reclamation of the ?Empty Wilderness? for a while and then the days with Baretta and other service dolls had been so fun that it completely slipped my mind. I wasn''t that keen on the all-you-can-eat magic stone buffet either since Teto was already having her fill with the magic stones we had been getting from the urgent quests that it thinned down any motivation for me to act. ?Chise. You can''t have gotten the laid-back trait as those long-lived species have, have you?? "Ahck, it sounds quite dreadful. I didn''t even realize it''s been already tens of years and I feel like it''s just yesterday''s matter......" And it could be done anytime when I have eternal life ahead of me. Goodness, I think it was about time to adopt a different lifestyle. "You''re right. I guess it''s about time I start with your request." ?Thank you, Chise! Here''s the information about wilderness in my region. I''m gonna impart it to you!? The information Lariel passed to me by touching my head was not about the Gard Beastkin Nation, but the Lovile kingdom in the faraway east. "Lovile kingdom is under the management of Lariel?" ?Hmm, that''s right. I''m the sun goddess after all! It''s natural for my region to be in the direction where the sun rises!? I see. I nodded in understanding while tilting my head wondering if that''s how they were sorted out. When the Dream Oracle was over, I opened my eyes and conveyed to Teto and Baretta about resuming our journey to keep my promise with goddess Lariel. ?So you''re leaving, Master.? Baretta said this as she came to see us off in the place where our old little house was instead of remaining at our main base. "Unfortunately, I can''t take you with me with how the current world has transformed into a low-mana region. "We will bring you a souvenir~" Barettas expressions were as indifferent as ever but the air around was appealing to me how much she wanted to accompany us. But the problem was that Baretta couldn''t live anywhere outside of the premises of the ?Empty Wilderness?, anywhere besides the world tree to be more precise. Baretta''s body was originally that of a service doll from the ancient magic civilization. She either needed to absorb mana from the surrounding when functioning, have someone refill her mana once in a few days, or have facilities like a mana refill stand since she was tuned to work in that era''s mana region. However, there weren''t such facilities like mana refill stands that exist at the current time and she only had an uptime of 4 hours before she required mana replenishment in the outside world with low mana density. This part hadn''t changed even after going through demonificaton. As such, she was now left in charge of managing her subordinate service dolls and the house in the ?Empty Wilderness? during our absence. Speaking of the service dolls, their cores were also capable of drawing out the abilities of other cores such as the combat purpose Model-A, the daily life purpose Model-B like Baretta, or the sex purpose Model-C. Although each Model had different functions, it has become possible by merging and absorbing the other broken cores we found from our ruin excavations like how Teto once absorbed the dungeon core. The result of merging the cores was the creation of both the combat-capable parts as well as the private parts of the female body. Their bodies also become capable of physiological functions. Baretta was stunned silly when that had happened. She was surprised that it was now possible for her to have children like humans, then looked distressed and then silently prayed due to the miracle of the now-changed world. ?I will await your return and pray that you successfully complete the task passed to you through the goddess''s oracle, Master.? "You know there''s no need for that much. I have teleportation magic and I can always come back once I set up a ?Transfer Gate? too." "Yeah, we will be back going whoosh and return like usual!" After that, we rode the ?Flying Carpet? and departed from the ?Empty Wilderness?. Our destination was Town Yir of the Beastkin Nation, the closest place to the ?Empty Wilderness?. We did periodically visit the town and delivered medicinal herbs and potions even as most of the time we were cooped up in the ?Empty Wilderness? to restore it. We had begun living a semi-retired life where we were enjoying the rest of our lives after a point, but, that being said, we were high-ranking adventurers who were active in this town for more than 20 years so it was necessary to sort some things out. "Welcome to the Adventurer Guild. What might be your business today?" The one to greet us was an unfamiliar receptionist. She must have joined around a month ago, I thought. "I''m Adventurer Chise who is active in this town. I have come here to say our goodbye today since I''m going to the Lovile kingdom for some reason with my partner Teto." "Err, Chise-sama? CHISE-SAMA!? P, please show your guild card!" Hiiii, the flustered receptionist let out a small shriek at the ?A-Rank? word and ?Flying Carpet? party name when I passed the guild card to her. We were now being treated as stars since we had been accepting emergency requests from all over the Gard Beastkin Nation and our tales had been spreading through the Bards and their songs. "Pl, please wait a minute!" Saying that she stormed off to her superior. "Haa, are we going to have this situation everywhere we go?" "It''s alright Majou-sama. It''s a matter of our image!" That doesn''t make me feel any better though, I thought when Teto replied proudly. An A-rank Adventurers war potential was national level. A war situation could be easily overturned by just one such individual in this world where skills and magic exist. There were very few free A-rank Adventurers that don''t belong to any nation and in a country, they could be easily counted with the fingers of both hands. I may have received my certificate in the Iska Kingdom but I was active in this Gard Beastkin Nation for 20 or so years. However, there was hardly any work for an A-rank Adventurer. An incident that required A-rank Adventurers was like the emergency requests which we had been called for and they at best happened either once or twice a year or sometimes not at all. Hence, they would either handle B-rank quests, accept subjugation quests of A-rank monsters that occasionally appeared, or challenge demon-infested regions that others would not dare to. This or they would look after the training of junior adventurers, become a guild master, become a knight of a nation, start a business with the funds they had amassed during their time as an adventurer, or buy land and settle down in the countryside when they felt like they have passed their prime and decided to live a semi-retired life. Teto and I continued to retain our heyday strength even after two decades while living a semi-retired life without taking over other adventurer requests in that sense. We must be handy adventurers to have around from this nation''s perspective considering we could quickly move to the places that needed urgent battle power with the ?Flying Carpet?. "Chise-sama, Teto-sama! Guild master has called you!" Soon, the new receptionist came along with another receptionist I was familiar with and we were guided to the Guild Master room. "Chise-san, Teto-san, I heard you''re leaving this country, may I ask for the reason? Is there something you don''t like here?" The Guild Master asked us so. The previous Guild Master from the time I used to frequent the guild with Selene had retired due to his age and declining abilities as an adventurer. The current position was taken over by a former guild staff and had been working as guild master for around 10 years. He had looked quite worried when we decided to go to the Iska Kingdom to meet with Selene''s biological father and when he heard we had returned as A-rank Adventurers, he congratulated us. However, he also looked regretful about Selene, who had been working as a temporary staff member and a healer after hearing that she was going to live with her father. I hadn''t accepted any request proactively for one year after that and holed myself up in the ?Empty Wilderness?, half from the sadness of Selene no longer being beside me and the other half due to being busy investigating the wilderness and repairing Baretta. He should be worried since we were valuable A-rank Adventurers as after that one-year hiatus, we had begun to sort out B-rank quests or quests that weren''t popular from the frontier town and occasionally rushed to other places for emergency requests with the ?Flying Carpet?. We had been approached to become guild masters with the achievements Teto and I had racked up which we humbly turned down and that was how he was selected as the next guild master. "We dont have any dislike for the Gard Beastkin Nation. Everyone here is good-natured and kind. But the reason is...... You know that the Lovile kingdom is facing the sea, right? I have this craving to eat seafood." "Huh? Seafood?" Both the Gard Beastkin Nation as well as Iska kingdom were inland regions. So I was going out to the Lovile kingdom to have a taste of seafood...... well that''s the pretext. "So that''s the reason? Not something like clearing out an unexplored dungeon or clearing out a demon-infested region in that country?" "No, I just want to eat seafood." I did occasionally make some seafood with ?Creation Magic? but I think the real one should be better than what I conjured from my memory. "But the money to pursue such a hobby...... wait, you already have more than enough." "Yeah, I have saved up quite a lot of money thanks to you." I had received a huge sum that we couldn''t even spend for sealing the Great Devil in the Iska Kingdom from the King. And then we also had another sum saved up in our guild cards that we received as rewards for delivering potions and medicinal herbs, and completing emergency requests in these several tens of years that we were active as adventurers. In fact, who knows where they got wind of the fact that we had amassed more fortune than even those typical greedy aristocrats that merchants or aristocrats were even cooking up schemes to make us their wives or lovers so that they can get our wealth. However, they could hardly do anything against us who had been living inside the ?Empty Wilderness?, thats not even saying that the use of force was impossible against us since we were cut above rest in strength. Well, there were occasionally some idiots who would pop up despite the futility of it all whom we would neutralize and hand over to guards. "I thought your reason was something like escaping from the marriage proposals you have been receiving from strange people recently given your overwhelming popularity." "I''m not going to let anyone have Majou-sama ever!" After saying that, Teto hugged me from the side. Well not that I have any intention of giving Teto away to become someone else''s wife, nor do I have any interest in becoming one. "Oh, well, I see. I understand your reason. To be honest, I would have liked to keep you here but you have already been working hard these days." The former guild staff and now the guild master was a considerate person, always looking after Selene who had been working here in the past. There was something troubling him after he inherited the role of guild master from a staff member. s?a??h th? ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. We accepted the request that was the source of his worry, where Teto would train adventurers in her free time which greatly increased the value of adventurers in this town. As such he felt grateful for our work. "May I ask something? Will Chise-san and Teto-san do quests in the said country?" "Well, if I feel like it." The Guild Master suddenly gave a wry smile when I said it in a nonchalant tone. "So you say Chise-san, but you have been receiving quests all these years out of your chivalrous spirit." "You have been exposed, Majou-sama~" "............ I''m not." Teto laughed. I averted my gaze after stating that to the Guild Master. Though it was true that our activities after delivering potions and medicinal herbs mainly revolved around taking requests that might be dangerous for others, collection requests, or requests whose rewards were quite subpar in contrast to the content among the request left behind whenever we came to the guild. "It''s because of your efforts to take unpopular requests that this guild''s request completion is so high. I can''t thank you enough for your contribution. I believe your work, no matter which guild you help out, will benefit the Adventurer Guild as a whole and not just us." "Well, I accept your gratitude. It''s about time for us to go, bye." After that, we left the town we had been frequenting for twenty years under the watchful eyes of the Guild Master. After leaving the town gate, I unfurled the flying carpet, rode on it, and headed for the Lovile kingdom along the highway. Vol. 4 - Ch. 92 - Bandit Suppression A refreshing breeze struck my face as I rode on the ?Flying Carriage?, making me squint my eyes."I forgot to ask but when did the Goddess look for you, Majou-sama?" "On the night of the day I explained about it, I received the request from Goddess Lariel. Apparently, she wants my help in solving the problem in her managed territory." "I didn''t know! Teto also wants to meet the goddesses someday!" Teto had read about the religious myth of the five goddesses together with Selene whom we were raising back then and so she also knew about the gods of this continent. һһSun Goddess Lariel һһMother Goddess Liliel һһOceanus Goddess Luriel һһHeaven Goddess Leriel һһHell Goddess Loriel The place these five goddesses were in charge of through their respective authorities was this continent. I had only met a few of them in my dreams but it seemed like Teto was jealous about it. "I think theres a church spell called ?Goddess Advent?......" It was a magic skill in which a goddess would descend into the body of a caster and perform a miracle. But how much mana it uses for an individual is still unknown since this rite magic was currently only achievable through the joint effort of tens of priests of the church. Though I thought that it was only a matter of time before I, whose mana is gradually increasing, could do it on my own. My mana had increased to 300,000 units in these tens of years as I continued to eat the ?Mysterious Fruit?. I was now capable of one-way teleportation from the ?Empty Wilderness? to anywhere in the premises of the Iska Kingdom, the Gard Beastkin Nation, or any other place I had been to once at any time without any aid as long as the destination was in the central continent. "So, what has the goddess asked Majou-sama to help out in? What exactly is the problem in her territory?" "Lariel asked me to cull the monsters in the monsters breeding ground when she explained her request to me." "Monsters...... breeding ground...?" The information about Lariels request was transmitted into my mind by her. Monsters breeding ground һһ Concretely speaking, a bunch of monsters had made their breeding place in the location where the mana of the chaotic earth veins was gushing out, and those monsters were stimulated after being exposed to an environment with high mana density. The revitalized monsters would proliferate and cause a mana disaster called a stampede flood if they were left unchecked. Sealing the location where the mana of the earth veins was leaking out and eliminating those monsters was her request. "So the goddess has requested to cull the monsters that have bred upon the ground where the earth vein''s mana is leaking out." This problem has existed for several tens of years apparently and I guess this wasnt a last-minute reinforcement since the problem had been left unchecked up until now. "Lots of monsters means lots of mana stones, lots of mana stones!" After saying that, she gulped back the saliva that was about to spill out of her mouth. "Hmm, let''s do it. Let''s enjoy Lovile kingdoms seafood once we seal the mana leaking point." "Yes, nanodesu!" We headed for the border of the Gard Beastkin Nation from the frontier town. I didn''t use teleportation magic to directly move near the border region as there was something I wanted to check on the way. "There seems to be a bandit hideout here, Majou-sama." "...... You''re right. Let''s clear them." We spotted a cave in a hole on the side of a cliff when we were flying some distance away from the highway to avoid the eyes of people since we were riding the ?Flying Carpet?. That cave turned out to be a bandit hideout and there were around 30 of them alongside several captured people upon using ?Life-detection? to check the situation out. "``?Sleep?!" I used the sleep spell that came from the darkness magic branch which induced drowsiness in the target and, with my huge mana, put everyone in the hideout to sleep. I restrained the bandits after confirming which ones they were and then tossed them into a jail-type box Teto created while binding their hands with a handcuff-like metallic item. "The ratio of humans is high. And this boss of theirs, he is a former C-rank adventurer, huh?" "Majou-sama, is there anything wrong with the high human ratio?" "This is the Beastkin Nation, remember? Beastkin count should be higher among these bandits instead considering the human percentage here." S?a??h the N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I lifted the snoring boss of the bandits through ?Psychokinesis? and tossed him into the portable jail. Afterwards, we found the prisoners'' room while we were clearing out the goods in the hideout. Girls from the human and beastkin races were clustered there and lying on the ground, sleeping like the dead. "Damn them. Let''s clean and heal them first." Metal slave collars that are worn on the neck cannot be used by anyone except slave traders certified by the state of the Iska Kingdom or the Gard Beastkin Nation to enforce the law. So I assume the collars on them were illegal since there was no state-certified crest on them. I was on the mark when I checked them with the appraisal monocle, all the females were illegally abducted. "......?Area Heal? ?Clean?!" I used healing and cleaning magic to treat them. The bodies of the sleeping females were only wearing ragged clothes and they had bruise marks and abrasions here and there. The silver lining was that none of them were sexually assaulted, probably because it hadn''t been long since they were kidnapped. Or maybe they were important products for the bandits. I had seen even more horrible scenes in my 30-year career as an Adventurer. My eyes would tear up whenever I thought of the cruelty those women had to go through. They must have been scared, it must have been a painful and torturous experience for them. "It''s fine Majou-sama, you saved them." "...... Teto. Thank you." We then changed the clothes of the females with the ones I created with ?Creation Magic? after the healing and cleaning were done and carried them outside. "Hey, you bitch! You think you can go unharmed after messing with us, the ?Yellow Fang Group?!?" The bandits in the cell we made at the entrance of the hideout shouted when Teto and I were carrying the girls outside. It seemed like the boss had quite a decent amount of magic resistance as he was the first one to wake up. He then woke up his comrades and they were now creating a ruckus. "Anyway, Teto. Look after the girls, we will carry them to town." "Alright-nanodesu!" "Don''t ignore us, you bitch!" I created a carriage with a cover through magic, since there were quite a lot of people we had to carry, and laid the girls inside it. Then I turned to the entrance of the bandit hideout while ignoring the noisy bandits, though they were annoying. "I''m not quite fond of harming nature but alas, ?Gravity?!" I raised my wand overhead and fired my spell towards the cave after setting up a barrier to limit the damage. A gravitational field was created. Fissures ran along the mouth of the bandit hideout when pressure descended over it as if to squash and flatten the whole cliff. Stones began to fall one after another. The whole cave collapsed in no time under heavy force and was crushed completely from front to back. "Ah, I forgot to put up a barrier in the sky." A bird that had been passing through the spell range in the sky fell down and became a stain on the ground from the gravitational force. This also made the bandits realize that such fate might await them as well. "I don''t have any interest in forgiving fiends like you bandits. I just created a place to bury you lot." The bandits fainted when I released my mana to intimidate them with the whites of their eyes peeled back and foam coming out of their mouths. Their boss was no different as his teeth were clattering in fear. "This should be enough to shut you guys up. I need not say what will happen if you annoy us any more than this." After saying that, I ceased pressuring them with mana and moved to where Teto was. "Majou-sama, what now?" "First let''s carry them to the nearby town. My manaһ" Well, it was enough to carry them. I planned to tow along the carriage and the cage in which bandits are locked up with dark magic ?Psychokinesis? "Sleep for just a while more. һ`?Sleep?!" I gently caressed the girls'' heads and piled up sleep spells on them since they were going to be confused if they woke up now. They were no longer confined in the nightmare of being surrounded by bandits. You''re going to be in a safe place when you wake up, I whispered ever so gently and confirmed my preparations to carry them to a nearby town. Then Teto and I flew into the sky alongside the carriage that was carrying the girls and the jail locking the bandits in. Though we were given strange looks when we entered the vicinity of the town while the guards and adventurers rushed in thinking of us as a new kind of monster. Vol. 4 - Ch. 93 - A-rank Adventurers Prowess We put down the covered carriage and cage that were floating through dark magic ?Psychokinesis? to not agitate the guards and adventurers who came out from the town in droves."Answer me! Who are you?!" "I''m A-rank Adventurer Chise from ?Flying Carpet?. They''re the bandits whose hideout we spotted while traveling through the highway and the others are the people we rescued. They said they''re the ?Yellow Fang Group?." ----Is it that ?Flying Carpet? in the rumors!? And did she just say ?Yellow Fang Group?!? A buzz spread across the gathered onlookers. I could hear the surprise in their voice when they saw that the A-rank adventurers who had been active for nearly 20 years ` the female duo adventurers who appeared gallantly riding a ?Flying Carpet? when the situation calls for them ` whose tales the minstrel sang looked so child-like compared to the appearance they envisioned. And they also showed their surprise at the name ?Yellow Fang Group?. Apparently, it was a famous gang in this region. Furthermore, I can also feel the rage from the guards and adventurers һ from the beastkin folks to be more precise. "This is our guild card for verification, please confirm it by yourselves. Also, please sort out the group of bandits." "Alright, I have confirmed your guild card. Transfer these bandits to the town jail, you guys!" Surrounded by a great number of Adventurers, bandits whose wrists were restrained with handcuffs-like things silently let themselves get led away. "You guys, are you carrying items related to ?Yellow Fang Group??" "Well, we have the many stolen goods we got from the hideout in our magic bag. I also destroyed the cave that was their hideout since there was a risk that another bandit group might make it their base." "We thank you for dealing with that. We will confirm it at a later date." It seemed they will investigate the area another day as I roughly told them about the location. There were also some more things to do, it seemed. "I apologize, but can we confirm the bandits'' possessions?" "Sure. Let''s do it at the guards'' office. Also, please arrange a place for the captured girls to rest." I wanted to borrow the help of other women to look after them if possible. The person that seemed to be the guard commander nodded deeply when I said this to him. "I understand. Then I''ll ask women to look after them." "Thank you. Then let''s go." Leaving the captured girls in the hands of the townsfolk, Teto and I asked about the bandits in the guard room we were led to. I asked about the ?Yellow Fang Group? in detail since I now had the chance to do so. "This is the town near the border of the Lovile Kingdom and they have come from the other side." "Hmm, so a group of bandits from the neighboring nation. No wonder most of them were humans." I nodded, getting the answer to the doubt I had. "They''re a notorious bandit group in the neighboring kingdom but they escaped from there and made a den nearby. Their boss is quite a skilled adventurer and has magicians among his comrades, making them particularly dangerous." "I see. So they created their hideout through magic and made it their base." "That''s right, and then those bandits began to engage in kidnapping to gather illegal slaves. Apparently, they''re the remnants of the kidnapping organization that sneaked into our nation last time, and they have the support of the merchants who betrayed us." Beastkin was a race with strong bonds of kinship but I guess not even they were free of corrupt individuals. It''s hard to tell if they''re the remnants of the organization we had cleared tens of years ago that engaged in abductions and illegal slavery or a side organization with their base being in another nation and they have decided to put their hands on the Gard Beastkin Nation again. I ground my teeth mentally. To think I was so naive as to believe I had thoroughly exterminated their Beastkin Nation branch. Could it be that the remnants in this nation were moving independently for a new goal...... Whatever, I am leaving this matter for the nation to handle. "Alright, this settles the report. So what''re you going to do with the bandits'' stolen goods? If the owner wants them back, they can purchase them but I don''t suppose the owners of these items are in this town, huh?" "I won''t take your time considering you''re heading for the Lovile Kingdom, so the guild will buy them. Also, we''ll have the girls released from the slavery they were forced into." "Of course." I have gotten my reward for the bandit subjugation and the matters regarding the return of the stolen items to their owners and the mementos of those attacked were left for the guild to handle which was better and more hassle-free for me. There wasn''t anything that caught my eye in those items. It wasn''t easy to find owners of these items for money so they were going to buy them directly for now. After which I gave half of the amount I received from the sale to the guard commander under the supervision of the guild so that it could be used for the rehabilitation of those girls. I gave it while holding on to such a superficial reason as "If it can help them regain their footing once again even if just a bit". "This should do. Once again, thank you very much for the bandit suppression." I nodded at the guard commander''s grateful words and headed to the guild of this town. It was to sell the leftover weapons and food supplies to the guild and accept my reward for the bandit suppression. Everything was summed up to three big gold coins which were distributed equally between Teto and me. Half of the amount was stored in our guild cards while the leftovers were broken down into silver and big silver coins. S?a?ch* Th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. We stayed in the town''s inn for the night and resumed our journey to the Lovile Kingdom the next day. Soldiers were attentively looking for any illegal entry into the fortress on the border of the Lovile Kingdom but, of course, we didn''t encounter any problems and were able to easily cross. And since I had the perfect chance, I asked soldiers there about the Lovile Kingdom. "Is there anything particular going on in the Lovile Kingdom currently?" "Hmm, let''s see. Attacks from monsters are happening here and there. Also, the kingdom seemed to have a bad harvest this year as the commoners who lost their earnings are turning into bandits." The bad harvest must be the reason why the bandits flowed into Beastkin Nation. "Is there any magician among those bandits? Like a magician who can dig a hole into the side of a cliff and turn it into a cave." "They would already be well-off if a magician had such techniques." "Apparently, there''s one in the bandit group ?Yellow Fang Group? in the Gard Beastkin Nation." "Ah, that group of bandits. That guy was formerly an adventurer who was being chased for the crimes he was found guilty of. He became a bandit after that and gathered bandits like him or poor commoners and formed that group." It was quite a depressing story to hear commoners stooping to become bandits because of a bad harvest and monster attacks. However, that doesn''t forgive their banditry act. But even more than that, I really despise those former adventurers who turned into bandits and used commoners for their convenience, as a fellow adventurer myself. Furthermore, there are also the people who traded with such bandits and took the captured people to another nation to turn them into slaves. Alas, it was a misfortune of this world that was happening everywhere. "I see. Thank you for your information. Bye-bye." "Don''t mind, and you ladies might be adventurers but be careful since public order in Lovile is currently a bit bad." Teto and I crossed the border and entered Lovile. We continued our journey while aiming to visit the nearest town as our next destination to see if there was any subjugation request we could take. I couldn''t help but grimace looking at the situation on the ground from the ?Flying Carpet?. "What in the...... I can''t sense any mana from the ground." "Mana is withering it seems." It wasn''t to the extent of the ?Empty Wilderness? but I could see the mana filling the earth getting thinner when I looked at the ground through mana-strengthened eyes. Too much mana turns into a mana pool which leads to mana disasters like stimulated monsters or dungeon outbreaks. However, it also wasn''t good news if the mana density is too thin as crops would be unable to grow properly and the ground will turn barren. "It''s quite a widespread mana stagnation. I see, mana isn''t permeating throughout this land since the earth veins are blocked in the place Lariel told us about." Spotting the abnormality in the earth, we visited the villages plagued with bad harvests during our journey and secretly poured out mana on the ground. "This is only a temporary solution but it should be able to revitalize the crops at the very least." "Just wait for a bit more. Everything will soon be in order." I couldn''t overlook the suffering of the villages that our eyes laid upon and just pass through nonchalantly. I poured almost all of the 300,000 units of my mana reserve into the mana-starved ground in the vicinity of respective villages. "Majou-sama is really kind." "......... I''m not. It''s just that pretending to not notice will leave a bad taste in my mouth, that''s all." Teto got on the ?Flying Carpet? and operated it to continue our journey while I leaned on her back due to the languid sensation that washed over my body after pouring out all my mana which was like a blessing for an abundant harvest. Vol. 4 - Ch. 94 - A day of Barettas life Master and Teto-sama left for a trip.She left the duty of managing this place called the ?Empty Wilderness? in the hands of me and 20 other service dolls. ?Good morning, everyone.? ? ? ?Good Morning, Head Maid Baretta.? ? ? As someone who serves Master, I took upon the title of the head maid to give instructions to my new brethren service dolls created by her ?Creation Magic?. We dispersed to our respective stations after I gave instructions to the 20 service dolls and divided the work amongst ourselves. The responsibility Master had handed over to us was to look after the management magic tool on the ground surface of the ?Empty Wilderness?. Master has the chief authority and I was given a sub-chief authority. Today''s work was just like usual, checking the situation of vegetation, the other lifeforms, and the progress of the surface''s mana. ?No abnormality in the barrier magic tool, production of ground surface''s mana is stable. Drifting mana density is 1% thicker than the other day. It''s a nice trend.? The examination of the situation and the equipment condition was over for today and, seeing that I had some time, I continued to check on the work divided among other service dolls. The work was grouped into rotations so that everyone would not do identical tasks. Group one was in charge of the master''s residence building. Master might be absent but we can''t ignore cleaning the residence, laundry, making the beds, and cooking. I, who had been transformed into a demonic race called Mechanoid, and the service dolls, who possessed ?Self-Repair? skills, could live on just mana alone but we were also capable of tasting food. As such, we had been raising our experience in cooking every day by making food for ourselves so that we can cook for Master one day. S?a?ch* Th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. During one such time...... ?This is....... Salty.? ?I apologize. I mistook salt for sugar.? ?Keep the salt away next time whenever you''re going to make something that doesn''t require it.? What should I make of this, I wonder? We, the service dolls created to assist, were supposed to be flawless in executing a given order, so it should be natural not to fail in cooking. In contrast, the functioning system of the service dolls created by Master was completely identical to mine. However, there were individual differences between the skills of the service dolls, maybe due to the black box, which was in charge of our thought process, created through the vague understanding of Master. Like the one that was good at cooking, and the one that wasn''t. Or the one that was quick but crude in her work, and the one that was slow but careful. Or the one that liked working, and the one that hated doing them. There was also the one with athletic movements and the one that was clumsy in her actions...... ?Is this individuality, I wonder?? I ate a salty lunch while thinking about it. The lunch was teriyaki chicken made using the soy sauce seasoning we got from Master but it was so salty it made me wish for water. Moving on, the second group was in charge of looking after the fields and livestock. Farms and livestock pens had been built near Master''s residence. Starting from our staple crop wheat, we also grew popular seasonal vegetables, perennial plants of strawberries and raspberries, herbs that could be used in medicine, and raw cotton for clothes. I also cultivated flowers in the flowerbed and flowerpots so that Master could enjoy the scenery. However, Master was usually busy moving from one place to another to take care of adventurer requests so fresh vegetables and the like were generally stored in the ?Storage?. She created it through ?Creation Magic? using the broken magic tool she found in the excavated ruins in the wilderness as the base. It was an exceptional item that had three functions: temperature control, freezing and refrigeration, and then the time stop function when no one was inside. I thought the ancient magical civilization had the leeway to develop this technology precisely because the increase in food production would entail the development of long-term preservation technology. Well, it''s a bit iffy to say that when they got themselves destroyed by their runaway mana experiment eventually but either way, there was no problem as long it benefited Master. Those that couldn''t be stored were consumed after cooking though even here the individuality of the service dolls could be seen. As for the second group, one girl would be silently plucking grass, one girl would be focusing her attention on insects after quickly losing interest in work, one girl would be giving out instructions to the surroundings when it was time to water the plants, one girl would carry a chicken pet that should be livestock and worry for the goats, another girl would secretly eat from the crops, and many more. Their unfettered behavior made me wonder if they even had any pride as service dolls. However`` ?Don''t scold those girls. They''re still inexperienced fledglings with soft hearts.? Master said while looking over their growth. As such, it turned into the situation of me guiding them when they made a blunder. I looked after their growth as an individual which became even more apparent the more they learned. ?Everyone, please change your clothes since they are dirty from work.? ? ? ?Yes, Head Maid.? ? ? Today, I asked the girls who did farm work to wash off the dirt from their bodies in the large bath prepared by Master and change into new clothes. Service dolls had waterproof functions so they can wash and bathe as well though they could keep themselves clean with the magic installed inside their bodies. However, I asked them to take a bath since it was a healthy habit and a sign of a cultured lifestyle. Besides that, I also discovered something else while their skins were laid bare in the air. The service dolls that only had subtly different hair colors and facial features at the beginning seemed to now have somewhat different body builds. But that could just be my imagination and further observation was needed for that. The third group was the forest expansion group. We, the service dolls, were affected by the mana density of the surroundings. That was why we couldn''t do prolonged work in the ?Empty Wilderness? except for the forest region that had high mana density. Thus they were in charge of scouting the forest created by Master to pick up the growing saplings and plant them on the forest borders to expand it. 10% of this wilderness, whose size rivals that of a small country, was turned into forests and 3% had been turned into rivers formed through springs and the spring water from those rivers provided water supply to all over the wilderness. But the speed of afforestation would now increase exponentially with our service dolls'' intervention in helping out with the planting, I guess. Though it wasn''t wholly worry-free either. I believe we would be able to overcome it with the help of our Master. And then came the fourth and final group, the holiday group. It was the day when service dolls who had gone through the above schedule in turn could act independently. Everyone was figuring out their own way to pass the time like entering on standby in sleep mode after refilling their mana from mana refill equipment, cooking dishes of their liking, and entertaining themselves with the books or the games prepared by Master. As I looked over them spending their time, I realized that I myself don''t have any hobbies. I shouldn''t let it happen. Leading such a hazy lifestyle is unproductive. As the first step, I thought I should begin with sketching out fashion designs from the ancient magic civilization era to come up with clothes for Master to wear. Then I will select the design which my master liked among them and make clothes of that fashion. ?Fufu, it sounds fun.? Laughter spilled out spontaneously. Yes, this is fate, this is life! I wonder if this was what they called the hymn of life. Living and working toward a goal is so wonderful. This happiness was something I wanted to teach my juniors as soon as possible. And then, I also wanted to let Master know my thoughts. Vol. 4 - Ch. 95 - A Declining Town The place we were heading to under Lariel''s request was near the mountain range in the northern part of the Lovile Kingdom.My face grimaced as I saw the rows of abandoned villages and the nearby barren mountains. The condition of this areas earth veins are, oh? Its not as awful as I imagined Majou-sama~ it seems like there are still people living here." I surveyed the barren mountains and the surrounding land with mana-strengthened eyes. The flow of the earth veins mana in the downstream region felt weak but, surprisingly, I didn''t find any major mana-related problem in the place where the root of all the problems lie. In fact, I can sense the vigorous vitality of the fields and the forest with the mana flowing out of bare mountains. However, the town itself looked desolate maybe because it hadn''t been developed and the populace was surviving using the only remaining sound buildings. "Let''s visit the town first." "Okay-nanodesu." Teto and I walked through the town but seeing that even what looked like the guild building was unmanaged and abandoned, we gave up on it and instead found an inn with a restaurant and entered inside. The owner of the restaurant, a male dwarf, was sitting listlessly on the store''s seat. "Oh, Miss. Welcome to my humble shop. Are you a traveler?" "Yes. Can we have dinner and some information about this town?" "We want delicious food!" "I''m sorry, Missy. I don''t have enough food to offer to some strangers. I do want to cook but the nearby towns and villages took priority since they had a bad harvest. Though the inn service is available." I took out things from my magic bag and gave them to the dwarf shopkeeper who apologized to us for the inconvenience. "Wheat flour, orc meat, vegetables, freshwater dried fish, fruits, salt, and sugar. I wonder if you can cook with these ingredients?" "Wh!? They, where did you get these......" I continued my negotiation as the dwarf shopkeeper''s eyes went wide with surprise. "Anyway, can you make something soon since I''m providing the ingredients? Of course, Ill pay for the cooking and you can keep any leftover ingredients." "That''s why please make delicious food!" The surprised dwarf shopkeeper took a deep breath and cleared his expression at my request and Teto''s carefree words. "Of course, Ill cook you something delicious with these ingredients! My hands have already been itching to make sumptuous dishes for a long while! And you said you want to know about this town, right? I can talk about it with you while I cook!" After saying that, the dwarf shopkeeper, who accepted my request, began to speak about the town while cooking. There were lots of mines in the northern region of the Lovile Kingdom and so a lot of dwarves immigrated here looking for them. The dwarves who gathered for one uniform goal took over all sorts of work and built this town as a result. "Hmm, such a scale is surely at the level of a town. But why is there no guild here?" "The town''s scale gradually became smaller when the dwarven blacksmiths left due to the closure of this town''s mining industry and it naturally affected the guild." "That must have been rough." Teto chimed in with a smile while eating her roasted bread, made by dissolving wheat in water, with a side dish made of meat and vegetables. "I didn''t ask earlier, but for what reason did you come to this town?" "We have come for the mine." "Well, youll have to go back empty-handed then, unfortunately. The mines here sure used to yield magic metals like mana steel, Mithril, Orichalcum, and mana crystals but they''re now closed. No one can get them since a large number of insect-type monsters from who knows where have entered the mines and made them their breeding ground." "I see ........... Can you tell me about this in more detail?" We listened to the situation of this town while eating the dwarf shopkeeper''s strongly flavored dishes. We heard from him the history of this town. It started with how a mine had appeared in the nearby mountain around 200 years ago. A lot of dwarves immigrated to this place since in the mines scarce magic metals like Mithril, mana steel, Orichalcum, and ?Mana Crystals? which let one store their mana were found. They then created and developed this town. The town gave birth to lots of craftsmen especially at its prime, producing lots of weapons that supported adventurers and knights. Some were presented to the royal family and even exported to other nations. It was about 30 years ago. The dwarves working in the mines excelled at earth magic after all. Everything that could be mined from the mines was mined and they were then abandoned. The dwarven miners, dwarven blacksmiths, and human merchants left this town after they gave up on the abandoned mines. The outcome of that is the currently deserted town. The people left behind didnt follow them? We had already finished eating, and, after hearing the history of their town, I quipped while drinking tea prepared by the dwarven shopkeeper. We are the dwarves who were born and raised in this town. This is the only home we know of. Fortunately, we are adept in soil magic. So we were able to create farms in this forsaken town, and our bodies are also all sound. Besides, we may not be able to collect magic metals but we can still gather iron and silver in small amounts. Though, its just. The mana of the land here wasn''t weakening like elsewhere. People could still live here for tens of years at least, but it sounded like another problem was plaguing them. "So there''s still some problems?" "Quite a good number of insect-type monsters are living in the abandoned mines and while they''re not that strong, their numbers are increasing as the years go by. The situation has gotten so bad that we can''t even dig normal metals recently and the mines have basically turned into mazes with the insect monsters digging around inside." It should be difficult to exterminate them. And the reason behind their explosive propagation should be because of their exposure to the mana gushing out of the earth veins which enhanced them. The aftermath of that was that they weren''t troubled with the matter of bad harvest with the mana filling up their land unlike the awful situation in the lower regions of the earth veins but I guess this town doesn''t have the money to commission for the extermination of monsters living in the mines. "And that''s the situation. We''re currently watching the entrance of mine and exterminating any monster that comes out of there with the vigilante corps but, truthfully speaking, no one knows what''s actually happening inside." It wasn''t to the point where a drastic change occurred overnight but the situation wasn''t exactly bright either. After all, it''s Lariel of five goddesses who had personally requested my help in this situation. "Our plan, for now, is to scout the inside situation." "Maybe, we might even find a mountain load of mana stones!" Dwarf ojii-san displayed a baffled expression when Teto and I replied so. "You ladies will? I''m not gonna say anything unlucky, but I would advise against it." "Is entry not possible, or do we need permission?" "No, I don''t mean that. You''re dressed quite neatly for a traveler. You must be an aristocrat and her attendant, right? Heed my advice and don''t think about challenging the monsters as some sort of trial." Teto and I spontaneously burst into laughter upon realizing he had mistaken us for an aristocrat and her attendant who had just learned magic. However, Uncle Dwarf was serious as he tried to persuade us against the idea. "Don''t laugh, I''m being serious here. The mines are really really deep. An amateur would be hard-pressed to break through the mines once they enter, and thats not even mentioning how dark it is inside. There are even places choked with dangerous gases. The danger there isn''t just confined to monsters. Don''t throw your lives away for nothing." "I''m sorry but we can''t do that. However, I''m happy to hear uncle is seriously concerned about us." "Thank you-nanodesu. But we''re this type of people." The guild cards were really useful at times like these. Uncle Dwarf took the cards into his hand and was stumped when he saw our A-rank Adventurer guild cards and the ?Flying Carpet? party name. "We''re a somewhat famous party with the name ?Flying Carpet?." "You ladies...... are A-rank Adventurers?...... However, I''m just a simple country man so I don''t know about the ?Flying Carpet? party. I''m sorry but I don''t have the strength to check your abilities out......" Uncle Dwarf said that and showed a troubled expression. Apparently, he didnt know of the weight of an A-rank Adventurer title nor the fame of the ?Flying Carpet? party. One needed to have a mana perception ability on a level higher than a C-rank Adventurer to judge the mana capacity of an opponent with mana so it was impossible for the dwarf shopkeeper to check and judge us properly. "There are only D-rank adventurers in this town in the first place since it only has the abandoned mines. Why did A-rank Adventurers like you take the trouble to come to this countryside? You''ve even come from another country, I really don''t get it." The Iska Kingdom where we registered as adventurers and got promoted to A-rank must be a faraway place for someone from the Lovile Kingdom. "I understand it might be baffling but I came here at the request of a certain someone." "Certain someone?" "Yeah, I wont name the person but Ive been asked by that person to do something. I think that request is related to the abandoned mines here." "I see...... Alright. However, promise me. You two ladies must come back every day for a week. Ill believe in you ladies if you are able to go into abandoned mines and come back consistently and Ill be able to send you off with peace of mind." Uncle Dwarf replied back with a serious look in his eyes. It would be more efficient to ignore his request and directly check out the mines til the inner region though...... "Very well. Then we will be renting this inn for one week. I''m leaving cooking to you." "It might be needless worry from my side if you''re really A-rank Adventurers however its impossible for me to feign ignorance to you two young ladies and not be nosy about this." "Fufu, your concern for us is enough to liven up our mood. But you know, I''m 40 years old despite how I look." "And Teto is 44 years old-nanodesu?" Uncle Dwarf''s eyes widened in astonishment when we mentioned our ages while showing the age section of our guild cards. "You guys...... look young...... No, you both look too childlike to be humans. Do you guys perhaps have elven or dwarf bloodlines?" "We just have lots of mana, that''s all." I replied so and then we decided to end our day in the inn of this town. Afterwards, we also met with the inn''s female dwarf proprietress but her young appearance and height of around 140cm made her look like a legal loli compared to the short and stout male dwarves with beards. She looked like a petite 20-year-old young girl but one must not judge long-lived races of a fantasy world based on appearance as her actual age was 45. There was also one more personһһ "Hurray, we finally have guests after so long!" "Hey Arim, youre being rude in front of the guests." S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The daughter of the couple of this restaurant-cum-inn, a young dwarven girl, came back. She looked to be around 12 years old like me, appearance-wise. The dwarven proprietress and she looked like siblings when standing side-by-side. Maybe my appearance as an eternal 12-year-old might not be such an odd sight in this other world where legal lolis exist. "Nice to meet you! I''m Arim. Whatre your names, guests?" "I''m Chise. For now, well be under your care for one week." "I''m Teto. Nice to meet you-nanodesu!" "Chise-chan, Teto-chan, let''s get along!" Chise-chan, Teto-chan...... How should I describe it? A young girl-like treatment of us who were supposed to be adult women, at least mentality-wise, by a young girl kinda gave me an itchy feeling. "Stop it, Arim! The guests are adults and more than twice your age!" "Wha, really!? I thought Chise-chan is also the same age as me!" I could only muster up a bitter smile at the young energetic dwarven girl. "Arim-san, let me show a bit of magic." I repeatedly opened and closed my palms at first to show that my hands were empty. Then I held my hands together as if holding something and activated the chantless ?Creation Magic?. "Here, magic complete. Now open my palms." "Okay. Huh, wahhh, it''s candy!" I opened my hands over Arim''s palms and put the candies I made with ?Creation Magic? on them. The candies wrapped in oil paper were of strawberry, orange, and lemon flavors. Sweets were a luxury product in such a backwater town. "You''re amazing, Chise-chan! Is it really magic!? Are you sure I can have them!?" "Of course, it''s Arim''s after all." It was really disheartening to see common products like candies being treated as precious luxuries in this declining town. Seeing the young energetic dwarven girl looking so delighted was a dazzling sight. And her smile when I also gave one candy to both of her parents reminded me of the old days. I remembered the time when Selene was young, I used to lightly tap her pocket while singing a song and then secretly put a biscuit in it with ?Creation Magic? or play magic tricks like this and make candies appear in my palm while playing with her. I felt slightly melancholic when I remembered my stepdaughter with whom I parted. While Teto was`` "Majou-sama~" "I know, I know. I also have Teto''s share." I clenched my fist again and used ?Creation Magic? to produce new candies. "You''re the best!" The dwarven couple showed an apologetic expression to me looking at the merry figure of their daughter as Teto also showed her delight with Arim-chan. "We''re really sorry. You have to give your items to us and our daughter......" "Don''t sweat it. I also like to see the merry expressions of kids." We talked with Arim-chan and the proprietress about this town after that and then I spent some time with Teto in a double room. Vol. 4 - Ch. 96 - The wisdom of the abandoned mines town Arim-chan cheerfully woke us up the following day and we had breakfast at the inn.I wondered if the dwarf''s cooking specialized in especially strong flavors as I felt my stomach already getting heavier for the morning so I gave my remaining breakfast to Teto after eating half of it. "It''s really delicious!" "I feel bloated despite the day only just starting......" "Ah, I''m sorry. We, dwarves, are generally gluttonous so I made the food the same way as I cooked for my kind. Ill halve the portion from tomorrow on!" I felt grateful to the dwarf shopkeeper who replied to me energetically, showing his consideration. I also asked the dwarf shopkeeper to guide us to the abandoned mines entrance when we left the inn. S?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. We met Arim-chan just as we were about to leave. "Where are Chise-chan and Teto-chan going?" "We''re going to see the mines for a while. Well come back before nightfall." "Amazing. I''m going to uncle''s place to help out in the fields then Ill help my dad and mom when I come back home!" I flashed a smile at Arim-chan''s smiling face while she cheerfully told us about her plans for the day. "Oh, how commendable of you." "Arim-chan, how admirable!" "Ehehehe, but I also sometimes go out to play with friends so Im not that praiseworthy." I beckoned Arim-chan who was just about to bolt away after saying that. "Wait, I''m going to perform candy magic again." "Really! Thank you!" "You can also take some to your friends too this time." I again created some candy with ?Creation Magic? and handed them to her. I also felt like playing a joke so I mixed one mint-flavored candy that children often dislike. I felt like an evil adult imagining the face of a child who''s going to get the short end of the stick, mint among the sweet candies in this case. "Alright, shall we get going?" "Yeah, please guide us." Teto and I were led to the abandoned mines entrance by the dwarf shopkeeper. The vigilante corps that was made up of dwarven males armed with hammers and wearing armor was guarding the entrance. The dwarf shopkeeper briefly explained to them the situation. "Excuse me. These girls are adventurers who are staying at my place. They want to investigate the mines, apparently." "Investigate the mines? Why are you girls even interested in such a place? There''s nothing for you to see in there." After saying that, the dwarves looked at us curiously. "It''s just a simple investigation. Entry into the mines isn''t explicitly off-limits anyway." "It''s explicitly not a place for strangers to enter and I would suggest for you guys to stay away too. Monsters appear inside." I flashed a bitter smile at the expected answer, they were just worried about us. That being said, I hope they believe that we were adventurers and that we know the risks of going inside. "I wonder if there are things we ought to look out for in the mines?" "When it comes to the dangerous parts, it''s either the monsters, the tunnels caving in, or the lack of air." "Don''t forget about that aristocrat who once entered the mines in the past to try out his skills but ended up running away with his tail tucked between his legs. His failure stemmed from him being unable to prepare a light source." When we asked, the two guards told us the points that we should be careful about. "Light source? You''re talking about a torch or a lantern right." "That''s right. We, dwarves, have night vision but not you humans. That''s why it would be better to prepare several light sources. Besides, places lacking air are dangerous and the light of torches can disappear at any time so you better have multiple torches and lantern magic tools prepared." The dwarf shopkeeper turned to us to see if we were prepared after hearing that. "We''re fine for now. һһ?Torch? ?Light?!" The dwarves looked at me in admiration when I showed them my lamp and light orb magic. "There should be no problem if you can do that much. Ah, alsoһһ" Apparently, the people of the vigilante corps forgot to say something as they requested us one last thing in the end. "Please try not to hurt the bats inside as much as possible." "...... Alright. Well pay attention to that." "You ladies take care of yourselves, too." Teto and I then entered the abandoned mine while being sent off by a group of dwarves. "Majou-sama, what did they mean by the bats in the end, I wonder?" "Hmm. I have a guess but Ill explain it later once I actually see them. Anyway Teto, how do you feel about mines?" "I feel an awfully unpleasant magic down here. Oh, and the routes are all a jumbled mess." I was also trying to understand the structure of the mines from inside by using earth magic like ?Earth Sonar? and was able to sense many paths and innumerable holes that were apparently dug by monsters. I also sensed a lot of crawling monsters. Their numbers were not just one or two thousand. They have, in fact, formed a colony and their number surpassed ten thousand. That being said, it was bizarre that there were so many monsters here yet they still hadnt run amuck. "Alright. I think this is a nice enough place to start." "I''m going to do it. Haaaaa!" Teto placed her hand on the wall when we werent visible from mine''s entrance anymore and used her magic. With a fwoosh sound, the stones in the mine compressed, forming a wide room in which I put my hand in. "Let''s start, һһ?Creation? Iron plate" I covered the inner walls of the room with bulky iron plates to avoid being disturbed by the monsters that were even able to open so many holes in the mine and welded them with earth magic. After that, I installed a light magic tool and the ?Transfer Gate? to connect to the ?Empty Wilderness? in this iron-walled room. Then, I set up a barrier magic tool to further improve the safety of the room. "Alright, let''s use this as our safe point and start our investigation of the mine." "Yeaaaah-nanodesu!" I hid the little room that I built as our safety area with the earth magic. Now we could dive as deep as we want into the mine and we could just use teleportation magic to return to this room at any time and easily be able to go out from here. "Now we wouldn''t have to worry about causing trouble with the dwarf shopkeeper." "That''s good!" After that, we moved towards our goal һһ the deepest part of the mine. We were able to advance properly without losing our way with ?Earth Sonar? but there was one problem. "There seem to be lots of reactions from monsters. It also seems like there are many air pockets opened in this mine considering the amount of airflow I can sense. But there are still some parts where the air is stagnant." I covered my mouth with the hem of my robe and then checked the air. "First of all, ?Barrier?. And, ?Creation? air!" I erected a barrier around us and then filled the inside with clean air made through creation magic. I don''t know if there was any poisonous gas or carbon dioxide gathered in the mine so we made our way while being covered with the barrier filled with fresh air. "Oh, Majou-sama. I can see light." "This should be where the tunnel collapsed and connected to an outside area. And it seems like the bats we had been told about at the entrance entered from here and settled down there." We found a large number of bats that had settled down in the tunnels after we started moving for a while from the entrance. It was daytime so they were still sleeping while hanging upside down from the ceiling. "It''s amazing. There are so many of them. Could you now tell me what they meant earlier, Majou-sama?" Teto asked me as we moved slowly to make sure we don''t startle the bats and I explained to her my hypothesis. "These bats are a very important lifeline of this town." "Lifeline? What do you mean?" "These bats are most likely the food of the monsters living in the mines and at the same time the fertilizer for this abandoned mine''s town." I investigated the mine with ?Earth Sonar? and the place from where iron and copper could be collected was a bit deeper and further away. Also, the bats hadn''t just made this place their nest recently. They should have lived here for more than tens of years for sure, and yet the volume of sh*t on the ground seemed to be quite low. From what I understand, the bats would go out to feed on nuts or fruits from trees at night and then come back to this place in the morning to sleep where they drop their sh*t or become a corpse when they reach the end of their lifespan. "So the people of this town are turning the sh*t of bats into fertilizer?" "That''s what I think. Especially in abandoned mines or caves like this where the air is stifling so it makes fermentation of their sh*t easier. The reason why they can farm despite there being less fertile soil or fertilizer available in the surroundings is because of their earth magic and good quality fertilizer." No one would be able to raise the crops if they hadn''t even prepared the groundwork to farm even if the ground here was filled with mana flowing from the earth veins. And the key to that should be the fermented sh*t of these bats. "I see, Teto learned new things again today." I blocked the tunnel air with the barrier to make sure the smell of fermented sh*t didnt leak inside while Teto looked at the group of bats on the ceiling with keen interest and then we moved on while making sure to not startle them. We left the bat-infested zone not long after and reached the part of the tunnels that no longer had any monster-repelling barrier effects applied to them. "Insect-type monsters are coming from that side!" "They''re fast!" I readied my wand and fired several wind blades at the monster that had appeared on the tunnel''s walls. Teto also took out her magic sword and began to weed out the monsters one after another with compact movement. "Whatre we going to do about the defeated monsters, Majou-sama?" "Let''s put them in the magic bag for now. Well leave the matter of the mana stones for later." The bodies of the dead insect-type monsters would mostly be eaten by other monsters if left behind in this closed mine region. In that case, it would be more prudent to carry their corpses outside and spread their ashes to the farms after burning them. Soon after, it was about time for us to call it a day as we progressed through the mine while taking down monsters. "Majou-sama, isn''t it about time for us to go back?" "Ah, I didn''t realize it was already that late. Alright, let''s set up this place so that we can continue from here tomorrow." When I took out my pocket watch from the inside pocket of my robe to check the time, it was already 4:00 pm. The closed environment of the mines made it hard to feel the flow of time here but, thankfully, Teto was here to remind me that it was time to go. Just like the hidden room I created near the mine''s entrance, I turned a part of the tunnel wall into a room and secured it with iron plates and a barrier. "Let''s end our exploration for today here. ?Teleport?!" Thus, we were back to the safety area we made near the entrance with teleportation magic before evening. We spotted the vigilante corps composed of different members from the morning time guarding the entrance when we made our way to the exit. "Oh, the rumored ladies are back safely! How was your investigation?" "There were quite a lot of insect monsters so we defeated some of them." "Woah, that''s incredible." The dwarven vigilante corps members looked excited but didn''t let their guard down. "Although we barely scraped the surface of the monster population, I believe well be able to defeat more monsters in the deeper regions after beating a bit more of the monsters in the outskirts." "Oh, alright. Well listen to your ladies'' advice." Teto and I agreed with the people of the dwarven vigilante corps and returned to the inn. In the inn, the dwarven couple and Arim-chan were waiting for our arrival. I could see their relieved expressions when they saw us coming back safely while Arim-chan rushed up to us. "Welcome back! Chise-chan!" "We''re back. Just as we promised, were right on time." "Well be in your care today, too." My expression slackened slightly into a smile when I was welcomed by such an adorable girl. We had dinner with the dwarven family that day and, after listening to the stories of Arim-chan, I slept with Teto in our room. Vol. 4 - Ch. 98 - A Request to the Children Chapter 15 -After our meeting with Baretta, we left the abandoned mine and teleported back to the safety point then exchanged greetings with the dwarven vigilante corps guarding the mine. "Thanks for your hard work. How''s your exploration going inside?" "It''s going alright, we''re gradually advancing." I showed them the corpse of a C-rank insect-type monster that you wouldnt usually see unless you dived deeper into mine. The dwarves raised their voices in admiration while looking at the corpse. "Woah, am''zing. Even we w''uldn''t be able to d''feat a monster with that big of a magic stone." "We''re really grateful that you''re doing this even without a request. We''re able to get a bit of a breather recently thanks to you guys taking down the monsters." "And you can leave the duty of carrying and dismantling the corpses to us!" "You''re right." Hahahaha, the members of the vigilante corps burst out in laughter. The dwarves then looked at us with lukewarm gazes as they laughed for a while. I''m sure they must think that we were looking for any remaining Mithril or Orichalcum left in the mine. Then I passed a portion of the corpse mountain I assigned to Baretta to the off-duty dwarves for dismantling while receiving their lukewarm gazes and simultaneously received the mana stones from the dismantling request I had left in their care the other day then I went back to the inn with Teto. The dwarven couple cooked dinner for us when we returned. And as we were savouring the lip-smacking dishes, the dwarf shopkeeper fetched a small cask of liquor for us. "Take it, you''re working hard every day. You should drink a lot." It should be a product of this town. The dwarf shopkeeper poured it into a cup and passed it to me. "I appreciate it but I don''t drink." "But, Teto will drink it! Let''s drink it together!" I could drink alcohol since my age is over 20 but since my body was still that of a 12-year-old, alcohol doesn''t suit me much. I could of course amp up the alcohol detoxification effect through ?Body Hardening? and thus be able to drink, but there was no meaning in drinking alcohol without the intoxicated feeling. However, Teto, in contrast to me, liked to drink and she occasionally drank too. "Come on, cheers!" S~?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Thanks. Gulp Gulp...... Buhaa, it''s great!" Teto drank the alcohol in one shot while making a gulping sound then exhaled a hot breath while looking happy. "Majou-sama, please give me the liquor Majou-sama''s carrying" "Fine. How about Brandy?" I may not drink but I had been buying liquor occasionally to burn off some of the money we had amassed over the years of our adventurer work. I stored a few pricey wines, just fermented spirits and alcohol created with ?Creation Magic?, in either the magic bag that didnt have a time stop function or the basement of our house in the ?Empty Wilderness? for ageing. Alcohol is undoubtedly a safe present when working as an adventurer. I am not sure how the liquor tastes nor what its price would be after ageing it for like 100 years... no, 300 years later considering that Im now an immortal but I was collecting liquor and sometimes making them with ?Creation Magic? as a small investment. I passed a brandy with a decent volume to Teto who then began to drink it with the dwarf shopkeeper. "It''s Teto''s favourite! This liquor colour is just like Teto''s eyes!" "Dang it, ''his is sumazing! I n''ver knew a liquor like this existed!" "Leave those two to the side and let''s chat, Arim, Chise-san." On one side, Teto and the dwarf shopkeeper were drinking together while on the other, Arim-chan, the proprietress and I spent the night talking about this town. After putting Teto, who got herself drunk, in one of the inns rooms and using cleaning magic ?Clean? to remove the smell of dirt from today''s work and alcohol, I also went to sleep. And the next morningһһ "Majou-sama! It''s morning-nanodesu!" I woke up while smiling wryly at Teto who was already awake without any trace of a hangover. The dwarf shopkeeper was also preparing breakfast while in a good mood, maybe because he got to drink good liquor last night after a long while. We ate our breakfast and headed to the mine or not. We instead went to meet the friends of Arim-chan, the daughter of the dwarven couple, together with her. "Chise-chan, Teto onee-chan. What''s the request you were talking about?" Last night, I asked Arim-chan to introduce us to the kids who didn''t have to help out at home. "Actually, we''re looking for some creatures." "We want you to catch creatures like insects, frogs or snakes if you find them!" Teto and I decided to ask the kids to capture some creatures that would become part of the ?Empty Wilderness? forest''s ecosystem that was undergoing reclamation. "Well purchase those creatures from you guys." "Shouldnt they be available in your region too? You guys are weird." After saying that, Arim-chan laughed. That being said, it would be a tall task without proper equipment so I handed her the insect cage and net I created last night. "You can expect a good reward tomorrow morning if you catch a lot of them." "Alright! Everyone, let''s go to the fields and ponds to search for them!" "Be careful to not get injured though!" After seeing the children off, Teto and I finally headed for the mine. "Speaking of which, maybe we should also get some bats for eating insects." "I''m sure their number will increase once we release them into the wilderness! It''s easy to catch them, too!" We caught several bats before continuing our exploration and later passed them to Baretta through the ?Transfer Gate?. ?These creatures'' dependency on mana is low so they should be able to move unhindered in the wilderness. I''m thinking of studying their behaviour after releasing them in the forest since they''re insectivores.? I received the report from Baretta, planned out our next course of action and then returned to yesterday''s exploration point. There wasn''t much difference between what we were doing yesterday and today, we returned to our last explored point where I made a safe room and then we progressed while purifying the surroundings and subjugating the monsters. The further we advanced, the more dilapidated the mines looked due to a lack of maintenance with cracks running through the walls. We also went through some places that had either collapsed or were at risk of collapsing which interrupted our advance so we used earth magic to restore them and then continued our exploration. Our exploration of the middle stratum was over for today, and we found some Mithril from the stones we dug up along the way which we found using ?Earth Sonar?. I guess the pinky-size Mithril we got from digging up the stones and extracting and refining them with magic should be our small reward. We returned to the inn like usual then Arim-chan showed us the creatures she caught today. Afterwards, we passed the time by telling her stories about our adventures. The next morning, the kids brought all sorts of creatures they had caught to me. It was a magnificent haul right from the start. "Huhu, isn''t this amazing, Chise-chan, Teto onee-chan?" The creatures caught by Arim-chan, who was pushing her chest out in pride, were quite a lot. There were plenty of frogs, snakes, lizards, newts, geckos, moles, mice, snails, river crabs, crayfish and turtles. There weren''t any creatures suitable for eating like wild rabbits or pigeons since the children''s family probably hunted and ate them but I didn''t expect the barren mountains around the mines to hide so many creatures. "There''s a forest a little ways from the town! We also found them in old wells, ponds and rivers!" "Hmm, you really surprised me. Can I buy them all?" "Of course, that''s why we brought them! Soһһ" After saying that, they looked at me with expectant gazes, looking forward to their reward. "Thank you. Then Ill buy them for one copper coin per creature." I bought the creatures the kids caught for one copper coin each. The kids who caught a lot looked delighted at their gain. Some kids couldn''t capture that much and looked at them with envious gazes but they nonetheless grasped their copper coins like treasures. However, Arim-chan was the only one who looked slightly unsatisfied. "Chise-chan, Chise-chan. What about that sweet stuff?" "Hmm? Do you prefer candies?" "Yes! I want sweets!" The children''s interest shifted to the candies that Arim-chan shared with them before, even more than the coins in their hands. I performed the magic trick that I did earlier for Arim-chan һ though it was just me using ?Creation Magic?һ and handed the kids the candies for their efforts. I guess the candies charmed the kids even more than the money as the one creature one candy rule was eventually set for the next morning and onwards. "Speaking of which, Chise-chan is carrying these creatures to the mines but what''re you using them for?" Arim-chan and the kids who saw us carrying the creatures towards the mine suddenly looked intrigued and asked us. "Let''s see, we''re going to use them as baits for the insect monsters inside." I''m sorry for lying to you kids but I couldnt just say that I was gathering them to let them breed in the ?Empty Wilderness?. So I came up with the excuse of using them as bait for monsters. For a moment, I felt jittery wondering if the kids were going to respond with the Pitiful look and harsh words butһ "Oh, that''s something that cant be helped. Youre an adventurer, after all. Good luck." "Yeah, I also use them as bait when fishing in the river, crabs and crayfish are really delicious." "Moles in the fields don''t have much fur but they feel nice to touch so they sell for a good amount if you sell them to the merchant uncle before winter." I guess it was a bit arrogant of me to assume they would think with modern Japan''s animal-loving morals. The creatures around the kids might just be a source of income and food instead of being an object of love or interest. On the 28th year of my reincarnation, this new discovery gave me a new kind of feeling. In this way, we continued our exploration while being swayed by the strong will of the people of the abandoned mine''s town. Vol. 4 - Ch. 99 - Bandit’s raid Chapter 16 -After asking the kids for help, they began to bring us the creatures they caught while playing outside which we then passed to Baretta in the morning for her to look after. The creatures that were lacking in numbers were made to reproduce until their number reached the standard volume in our house, after which we set them free in the woods where we planted trees and springs. In just around a month, the number of small animals increased to some extent after we transferred them to the ?Empty Wilderness?. We basically had everything set up and all we could do now was pray that those creatures we moved into the ?Empty Wilderness? managed to settle down. Now it would be perfect if the creatures formed their own ecosystem naturally. To make it easier for the creatures to travel from one place to another, we also devised a plan to form a forest path from the central region of the ?Empty Wilderness? to the boundary of the barrier that was close to the Iska Kingdom and Gard Beastkin Nation. Baretta and the other service dolls were now planting trees on the said routes. We also didn''t neglect the mines and went around smashing the colony of those insect monsters during the day. The number of insect monster corpses we acquired already surpassed 50,000. Two months had passed since we came to this town, and in this time we were able to exterminate around 90% of the monsters inhabiting the mines. The only monsters left were the ones in the deepest region. As we prepared to dive into the last stratum, I also sealed that region with my barrier to prevent new monsters from popping out in the already cleared areas. We used several days to get ready for our next advance. Today, we left the mine early for a break since we were getting ready to storm the final region however we didn''t find the usual dwarven vigilante corps stationed around the mine''s entrance but we instead saw black smoke rising from all over the town. "Majou-sama, is that a fire!?" "Ths smoke rising from all over town is strange! This, it''s a fire thats been intentionally set up by someone! Let''s hurry!" I took out my magic broom from the magic bag and rode it back to the town with Teto. The broom''s speed was much faster than the flying carpet, and when we reached the town, we saw buildings all over in fire and dwarven vigilante corps confronting the bandits. "Teto, I''m leaving the bandits to you! I''m going to put out the fire and treat the injured!" "Leave it to me!" After saying that, Teto jumped off the broom and made the bandits faint with just one punch. "Time for me to do my work. ?Heavy Rain?! ?Air Control?! ?Area Heal?!" I made heavy rainfall in a limited range by creating a huge water sphere above the burning building while controlling the air around the surroundings to get rid of oxygen to extinguish the fire. And I simultaneously activated healing magic towards the dwarven vigilante corps. "Chise-chan! Teto-chan!?" "Are you alright, everyone!? Tell me the situation!" I lowered the altitude of the magic broom while the dwarven vigilante corps was looking at our arrival in surprise and asked them about the situation. "Those bandits suddenly came and attack the town! We tried to stop them but their numbers were a bit more than ours and some of them started the fire!" "I understand. Then please cooperate with Teto to deal with the bandits! I''m going to treat the injured so please confirm the safety of the shopkeeper and proprietress!" S?a?ch* Th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. After saying that, they went around neutralizing the bandits. The residents had taken refuge in the town''s assembly hall and the injured were also taken there. "Let''s treat the injured... Oh, there arent many injured, and no ones gravely injured either. A potion would be enough for an injury of that degree." I took out potions from the magic bag and just as I was healing the injured and dividing the work between the other uninjured residents, a member of the dwarven vigilante corps who had followed me reported about the safety of the residents. "Chise-chan! I found the children!" "You found them, great! Well......" Along with the report, the member of the vigilante corp also brought the kids I was familiar with. They were the siblings of the kids who regularly brought captured creatures for the ?Empty Wilderness? to me. Seeing me, those kids raise their voices while crying. "Soooob! Bro... Brother had gone to the fo-forest! He said he said he was going to capture animals that, that will surprise big sister and get him lots of swee, hick sweet thingsss, sob!" "They they went with sis Arim but, hick they haven''t come back sob!" I assumed they didn''t take these kids to the forests since they were even younger than Arim-chan. Either way, if they had gone to the forest then I had to hurry up. "Thank you for telling me. Im going to bring them back." I flashed a smile to reassure the children, but I couldn''t help but feel a pang of guilt realizing that those kids had been exposed to danger because of me. (Maybe the kids wouldn''t have gone to the forest in a large group had I not requested them to catch some animals and insects......) But that forest was a safe area where children would often visit to look for edible plants. They could still go there for another reason even if I didnt give them my request...... Nevertheless, I still felt it was my responsibility so I left the town''s assembly hall and headed to the forest under the guidance of a vigilante corps member. "һһ?Earth Sonar?! The kids are over there!" I looked for signs of the kids on the ground surface using earth magic and found their whereabouts. The kids were running as if escaping from something and then they clung to me with desperate expressions as soon as they saw me. "Uncle, Chise-chan! Help! Attacked! Arim-chan and others are being attacked!" I immediately sensed the situation worsening at their remarks and looked up at the sky. (T/N - Well, you guys might feel that starting some para is kinda obscure or whacky. I also didn''t get the meaning of some lines what author actually meant by that analogy, so I''m for now leaving as in author''s words.) Vol. 4 - Ch. 100 - Remnants of the Bandit Group Chapter 17 -According to the words of the kids who escaped from the forest, the bandits not only showed up in town for the raid, but they also appeared in the forest and kidnapped the other children before running away. Among the abducted kids was the daughter of the dwarf shopkeeper and the proprietress, Arim-chan. They all felt a sense of helplessness and frustration with the current situation. "Let''s return to the town first." We needed to first transfer these children to a safe place, though I also felt some frustration, impatience, and an impulse to immediately rescue the abducted kids. When we reached the town, Teto had finished capturing all the bandits and they were now all buried in the ground with only their heads exposed. "Majou-sama~ I''m done on my end~" After saying that, Teto waved her hand towards me. She had finished neutralizing all the bandits, without killing anyone. The dwarven vigilante corps interrogated them so we finally came to know their origins. The bandit group this time was similar to the ?Yellow Fang Group? we had met in the Gard Beastkin Nation. In other words, they succumbed to banditry after losing their money due to the poor harvest. Their goal behind the attack this time was to get their hands on some weapons made out of magic metal crafted by skilled craftsmen from this town that once flourished with the magic metal mines. In short, they were lured in by the idea that they would be able to get a large sum of money if they sold those weapons. "What about the losses?" "A magic sword that was being kept in the town chief''s house for safekeeping has been stolen and some of the children were also abducted." "The bandit group here was just a decoy, huh?" "This was their true goal-nanodesu!" When Teto was neutralizing the bandits, she noticed a person mixed among them that was dressed just as shabbily as the rest though his weapon and demeanor told a different story so she skillfully captured him. I then interrogated him after breaking his spirit by pressuring him with my mana. From the interrogation, I learned that they were members of the criminal organization who devised the plan to abduct people and thus sent the ?Yellow Fang Group? into the Gard Beastkin Nation. "So they''re after the magic sword and the dwarven children." Magic swords could amp up one''s battle power so they sold for a hefty amount while demihumans like dwarven kids were popular as all-purpose slaves. So they incited the poor farmers and made them attack the town as a diversion while they took advantage of the chaos to steal away the magic sword and kidnap the kids and then took them somewhere else, I guess. "People of the vigilante corps, continue to monitor the bandits and guard the town, also take these potions and treat the injured with them." "What''re you going to do, Chise-chan, Teto-chan?" S?a??h th? N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The leader of the vigilante corps asked me. Of course, my goal was already decided. "I''m going to chase after the bandits and bring back the children." Normally speaking, chasing after the bandits after losing the initiative was difficult. And going by the testimony of the escaped children, the bandits were on the horses and the sun had already set too. This was when most people would give up. However, "I''m sure Chise-chan can do it." The vigilante corps has seen it. They had seen us riding on a broom flying in the sky at a speed faster than a horse, and, unlike horses that needed to rest, we could tirelessly chase after them for the whole day and night. "Arim, please save Arim." The dwarven couple who had taken care of us and the parents of the kidnapped children appeared from the gaps of the vigilante corps and gathered around us. "Fret not, I will absolutely bring them back. We''re going, Teto!" "Let''s go-nanodesu!" Teto and I soared once again into the sky while riding on the flying broom. After a complete rotation, I stopped our flight high in the air. "The children were taken to......" I expanded my mana perception to cover a huge range while riding on the broom. 1km, 10km...... Still haven''t found anything. 30km, 50km...... Huge amounts of information passed through my brain as I continuously increased my mana perception range. I tried to read through all of them with ?Parallel Thinking? but the information was so numerous that it made my head hurt. 60km........... Got them! "They''re 67 km in the east, and are currently on the move while the kids seem to be in the carriage.!" Their plan seemed to be to take the sea route and transport them to other nations on a boat. I didn''t see the bandits showing any signs of stopping for rest despite it already being dark. "Alright, let''s go!" I covered the both of us with barrier magic to reduce the air resistance and flew the broom straight in their direction. Green-colored mana was being emitted from the flying broom that had been infused with flight magic, making it seem like it had a green tail. We whizzed through the sky that had no obstacles in a straight line with a speed surpassing 100 kmph towards the carriage I locked on with mana perception. And soon, "There they are. Teto!" "Yes-naodesu! һһ?Earth Wall?-nanodesu!" At my call, Teto jumped off the accelerating flying broom and then ran on the ground with the inertia from the fall intact. As soon as she touched the ground, a mud wall around 3m in size rose in front of the running carriage, blocking the path. Next, I unhurriedly lowered the flying broom until it floated abreast to Teto as we stared at the bandits. Vol. 4 - Ch. 101 - Syndicate Smasher Witch Chapter 18 -We chased after the bandits who were in merchants'' attire and stopped the advance of the carriage they were in by causing a mud wall to rise in front of them after which we dropped behind the now-stopped carriage. The bandits immediately took a vigilant stance, turning their weapons against us while flustered at the irregular situation of a mud wall popping up in front of them and then our appearance. "You, is this your doing!? State your purpose!" I looked at the shouting bandits who were dressed as merchants and were glaring at us with cold gazes. "We''re here to get back the kidnapped children. Be obedient and surrender." "Children? Hehe, you seemed to have a misunderstanding. The children in this carriage are slaves we have bought from a poor village. The villages around here had a bad harvest this year so they sold the kids to reduce the mouths they had to feed. None of them are kidnapped as you say." "Slave merchant, huh......" Slave merchants were a recognized profession in the Lovile Kingdom unlike the Gard Beastkin Nation or Iska Kingdom. But that''s only limited to officially recognized slave merchants, and these people in front of me were kidnapping people for labor with the facade of slave merchants. The majority of slave merchants know that what they were doing is loathed by many yet they continue to do so because it was a necessary evil in the kingdom. In other words, they have their resolution, pride, and respective ideology to go through this necessary evil. The eyes of the bandits who spat out such bare-faced lies and brazenly posed as slave merchants gradually narrowed when they saw the ones who caused that mud wall to appear were just two young girls and greed gradually colored their eyes. "You have interrupted our business with your misunderstanding. I hope you''re ready to show some sincerity for this." After saying that, the subordinate bandits slowly surrounded us when the bandit masquerading as a slave merchant signaled them. I held up my wand after seeing that all the bandits in my sense range had distanced themselves from the carriage and raised a barrier. "You''re absolutely disgusting. һһ?Barrier?!" "Wha!?" "It would be a pain if you take the kids hostage, let me secure their safety first." Some of the bandits realized the meaning of my words and went to check on the carriage but they were unable to do so with the dome-shaped barrier protecting it. "Both Majou-sama and Teto are angry! How dare you target kids...!" Teto, shouting that, stomped her foot on the ground, manipulated the earth, and formed mud walls around us such that not a single bandit could hope to run away. "The hell. What the hell are you guysһһ" The bandit leader who was in merchant''s attire squeezed out with his voice while his whole body shivered. In contrast to him, I gathered mana in my eyes and activated appraisal magic. There was nothing an average person could ever hope to hide from me when I use my enormous mana. However, appraising every single thing about a person also puts some stress on my brain so, similar to the ?Sin Judgement Jewel?, I only look up their sins and the crimes they committed in the past. һһAll sorts of crimes like ?Fraud?, ?Kidnapping?, ?Theft?, ?Robbery?, and ?Murder? appeared in front of me. "Oh, right, we forgot to introduce ourselves. We''re the adventurer party ?Flying Carpet? and I''m the Witch Chise." The majority of the bandits who heard our introduction tried to flee. But, of course, Teto didn''t let that happen as she approached the nearest bandit with her heightened speed due to ?Body Hardening?, bashed him with her magic sword sheathed in its scabbard, and took him down. ?I don''t want toooooo!? ?Nooooo! I don''t want to die!? ?Run away! It''ll be over if they capture you!? ?Why the hell is the Witch of the Gard Beastkin Nation here of all places!? ?Shit, there''s no place to run with these mud walls in the way!? Teto neutralized the bandits that attempted to flee one by one and then restrained them by manipulating the ground. I sighed while looking at the reaction of the bandits. "Good grief, I feel complicated seeing that even bandits know our name but no one in that town does. Though I''m thankful that it saves us time due to their lack of resistance." But that I don''t want to die", sheesh, what a rude person. Practically all the bandits from the bandit suppression requests we received were dragged back alive to the knight squadrons of their respective cities. While they may appear dead afterwards due to them being sentenced to either capital punishment or mining, I at least had no memory of absolutely killing anyone. "You think you can take us down so easily! Dieeeee!" One of the frenzied bandits swooped in to attack me while I was grumbling at the unsavory rumors about us. I raised my hand towards the bandit and pushed away his weapon using chantless ?Psychokinesis?. The bandit was surprised to see his weapon being stopped in mid-air but, paying him no heed, I swung the weapon at an angle where the joint of the hand couldn''t bend and then hit the bandit who came to attack me by manipulating the snatched weapon. "Stop running and fight! Fight! Damn it! Why the f*** are high-ranking adventurers like you here?! Why the f*** is it Syndicate Smasher Witch?!" "Ohh? So that''s how I''m being called among the bandits, huh?" We completed the request for the bandit group extermination in the Gard Beastkin Nation. We then exposed the illegal slave organization engaged in kidnapping. Then there were the illegal drug dealers whose networks we thoroughly cleared out as soon as we found them with the help of the respective cities. However, it was my first time hearing that I went by such a title among these people. I had been doing adventurer work for about two decades and I guess I had garnered quite a lot of hate from them. It hadn''t been just once or twice that assassins had been sent after us but never were we mentally driven into a corner since we had a place like the ?Empty Wilderness? to escape to which had the great barrier raised by the gods themselves surrounding it. "Well, whatever. We just have to secure the kids, capture you guys and hand you all over to the knights. You can only curse your misfortune that we just happened to be present here." "Don''t shit with me! We were supposed to kidnap the girls and kids, take them to another country and then sell them for money like we always did! I was even supposed to be promoted to branch manager when this raid succeeds! There''s no way I''ll let things end here and let all my effort go to waste!" After saying that, he pulled out the long sword he was hiding and rushed in to attack me. The bandit leader may have been masquerading as a merchant, nevertheless, he was a trained person, his magic was also at an acceptable range and he could even use ?Body Hardening?. He should be on the same power level as a B-rank adventurer. "Like hell, this will be the end of me! Just wait, I''m going to take that bounty on your head set up by the underground organization! Even becoming a leader in one fell swoop isn''t a dream as long as I defeat and capture you right here!" I once again raised my hand and stopped the attack with a barrier while calmly looking at the bandit leader, who was encouraging himself as if he saw a light of hope in the despair-filled situation. "What!?" "If a magician is standing in the frontline so leisurely, then they damn sure will have some protective measures at the ready." He swung his long sword in an attempt to destroy the barrier as I said that, but it hardly did anything. I erected this barrier by pouring in more mana than what your average magician had. Its defense wasn''t something that someone with only B-rank strength could ever hope to breach. "Sigh һ?Air Barret?!" "Argh...!" I fired a compressed air cannon at the abdomen of the bandit leader who was crazily attacking the barrier in hopes of destroying it. S?a??h the ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The air that was compressed to the size of a tiny bullet expanded as soon as it came in contact with his abdomen and sent him flying back with terrific speed. I, at that moment, also took the long sword the bandit leader was holding. "Ack, cough cough......" "Hmm, it''s really hard to suddenly control the firepower when the opponent''s strength is only so-so." I looked at the bandit leader who was coughing out blood with indifferent eyes. If the opponents were some bandits like the ?Yellow Fang Order? or someone whom Teto could handle, it was easy to capture them by using restraining magic. However, it''s hard to do so when the opponent is suddenly as strong as a B-rank adventurer since they could either avoid it or break it with brute force. "You seem to know a lot of details about the underground organization. Fret not, I will drag you alive to the base of the knight squadron." It was fine to just aim at a vital spot if you intended to kill someone and it was quite easy for a person with some level of ability to do that. Conversely speaking, it requires an overwhelming difference in strength, ingenuity, and techniques if you want to capture them alive. "I''m just so-so, you say...... You''re going to drag me alive, you say! Don''t f*** with me! How dare you! How dare you mock this ?Black Sword? Gilbert-sama! Damn you!" It was well within my expectation that he would be back on his feet since I hadn''t fired my magic with the intent to kill but even then, I didn''t expect him to get so angry at my wordsһ`. He got even angrier when I couldn''t stop myself from laughing out loud after hearing his alias of ?Black Sword?. "I never thought I would have to use my booty from this time here!" The bandit leader pulled out his second sword that was hanging on his waist. The sword he was using until now was quite sharp but it seemed like this new sword was even stronger, a magic weapon from the looks of it. Nevertheless, it looked ominous at the same time. "This must be the magic sword you stole from the town chief''s house." "That''s right! It''s the same magic sword that the chief always kept hidden while saying it was too dangerous! He was lying, you could gain absurd strength as long as you''re willing to pay the price!" "Oh? Then come. I will show you the chasm that lies between us." I calmly raised my wand to greet the attack of the bandit leader who was holding a sinister-looking cursed magic sword. Vol. 4 - Ch. 102 - The Cursed Magic Sword Chapter 19 -The cursed magic sword shined ominously as it sucked the mana of the bandit leader. I really wonder how such a dreadful weapon came into existence. The bandit leader came running in with a hacking motion just as I wondered if this was a hidden piece buried in the dark of the same abandoned mine town that had once produced so many famous swords. "Quite fast, huh?" "Is that all you got!? Too scared to make a move!?" The bandit leader''s speed was much faster than before as he attacked the barrier from all possible angles. I calmly analyzed his state while the barrier made a squeaking sound. "You''re... as strong as an A-rank Adventurer who learned ?Body Hardening?." It was really impressive that with just one weapon, he was able to overcome the wall that separated A-rank Adventurers and B-rank Adventurers when so many adventurers dedicated their whole lives to do just that. It''s just thatһ` "A Cursed Sword, huh? It''s not that impressive. һһ?Wind Cutter?!" "Keep bluffing! I''m just as strong as you now! Don''t you realize I can now kill you!? Just drop deaaaaaad!" s?a??h th? ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. He used his sword to repel the wind blade that I fired to keep him at a distance, dodged with his heightened physical abilities, and once again rushed in to slash at me. Then he performed dozens of slashes at the cracking barrier and finally destroyed itһһ "This is the end for you! Now dieeeeee!" һһbut he was once again repelled by another barrier. "What!?" "Idiot, who said there''s only one barrier." "What, youһ... Gah!" I fired another shot of compressed air at him which blew him away like a ragdoll. "The barrier I activate is always made out of several layers of compressed barriers." "Sever...al layers...... You say..." Raising barriers one by one was the limit of normal magicians. I, who used several layers of barrier to protect myself, always had another barrier at the ready in case the outermost barrier gets destroyed. So it was simply impossible for him to harm me in any way, even if he has the support of a cursed sword. In the end, even the barrier that the bandit leader had given his all to destroy repaired itself at a visible rate which further stunned him as if he couldn''t accept it. "No...... Is this the power of ?Syndicate Smasher Witch??" "If you had enough, then surrender quietly." "Impossible! I can, I can still fight! Haaa`... Arggggh!" The bandit leader propped up the sword in half-desperation and poured in his mana. But the magic sword didn''t stop at just sucking away his mana until emptying him this time, it even began to drain his vitality. His hair visibly turned grey, and even his face turned wrinkly. "Let go! Let go! Why the hell can''t I let it go?! Help me, I don''t want to die! I don''t want to die!" The phrase Cursed equipment can''t be discarded at will crossed my mind. It seemed like that cursed sword had taken root in the bandit leader''s hand. But I couldn''t let this man die yet, not until I cleared everything out. "һһ?Wind Cutter?!" The spell I quietly chanted turned into a sharp wind blade and cut away the bandit leader''s arms from the elbow down. Both his arms danced in the air alongside the magic sword. "Aaaaaack! Arm! My arms!" "So noisy. һ`?Shadow Bind?!" I used ?Dark Magic? from the ?Origin Magic? skill, and manipulated the shadow that gained the ability to interfere with material things to restrain the body of the bandit leader and cover his mouth. "Well, gotta do something about the wounds, too. һһ?Heal? ?Fire?." I held up my hand and casted magic while ignoring the bandit leader who was making groaning sounds due to the pain from his arms being cut. I blocked the wounds on both of the elbow tips with a first-aid treatment spell of the ?Recovery Magic? and his flesh slightly swelled up and took the shape of stumps. I also burned both of his hands to ashes at the same time. "Muh!? mmh!?nmmmh!?" Seeing the tip of his elbow treated and his own arms burning, the bandit leader thrashed even more wildly and groaned more loudly. However, there was no way he could break free of the shadows that I had strengthened with my enormous mana to give them the power to interfere with material things. "I''m glad I put up the barrier. The children didn''t have to see this unpleasant sight." It was standard practice to use recovery magic in the case of severed limbs where you stick the limb to the wound without healing it first and then activate the recovery magic over it. However, I instead burned the arms that were supposed to be reconnected to ashes and also closed the wounds where they should have been attached. This cruel way of applying recovery magic was my strategy to break the bandit leader''s heart quickly. (Recovery magic is ineffective when the wound has already been healed. So the only option after that is either to regrow the arms using advanced regeneration magic or to use an expensive ancient recovery magic potion.) "Mmh!? Mmmmmmh!" The bandit leader''s eyes peeled back to their limits from the pain of his arms being cut off and the psychological shock of seeing his arms burned away in front of him, wetted himself, and collapsed on the ground. I''m really glad the kids weren''t here to see my torture-ish method to neutralize him. "But this magic sword can absorb vitality, huh? It does have horrific power, but, to be honest, I don''t need such a dangerous weapon." I could make the curse disappear by using the cleansing magic ?Purification?, but the curse and the magic sword were so intricately connected that the magic sword itself would crumble if I did so. "There''s no way you''re going to have a good end if you use a cursed sword or some other external methods to power up." ''The price was just too much,'' I thought as I recalled previous cases like that B-rank Adventurer in the past who used demonic possession to gain power or the bandit leader right now who used a cursed sword to increase his power. "As they say, a down-to-earth way of acquiring power is the safest bet. Besides, if it''s just going to be sealed again later on, I might as well just destroy it, ``?Purification?!" I muttered and then activated the cleansing magic on the cursed sword. The ominous miasma was purified, turning it back to normal mana. The magic sword itself made a creaking sound as if screaming and then the blade broke into three parts. Then, the originally ominous-looking blade showed the beautiful silvery shine of Mithril. Well, this settled the case of the magic sword. "Ah, I purified it following my mood. I forgot to ask for permission from the Town Chief......" Well, I will just honestly apologize if he got mad. Reaching that conclusion, I wrapped the broken sword blades in a cloth, put them in a magic bag, and confirmed the situation. "Majou-sama~, I''m already done here~." "...... Teto, great work." "Majou-sama too-nanodesu." Teto hugged me from behind, to which I just turned my neck to look at her. After that, we silently chained the neutralized bandits with the handcuffs and rope I made with ?Creation Magic? and threw them in a cage made of earth magic like usual. And after finally dealing with the bandits, I dispelled the barrier on the carriage and checked the situation inside. "Chise-chan, Teto-chan..." "It''s alright everyone. We''ve already dealt with the bad guys." The kids were huddling together while hugging their knees to their chests in the corner of the gloomy, dimly lit carriage. I called out to them to ease their tension after seeing their situation and Arim-chan''s feeble voice said our names. "We''re here to take you back to town!" cry cry Chise-channnnnn! The kids immediately broke into tears. Being kidnapped, feeling uneasiness and fear about the kinds of things they will have to go through, being unable to even cry because of the bandits, and then finally being relieved since the ones that caused all this had been defeatedһһ the dam that had been barely holding back their emotions until now suddenly burst at once after they found out that they had been rescued and were now safe. Teto and I silently accepted their outbursts until they calmed down. SIDE : Arim-chan, the daughter of the dwarven couple of the inn "Dad...... Mom......" The day started out like usual, with nothing unusual happening. Getting up, helping out in the inn, having breakfast with Chise-chan and Teto-chan, helping out uncle on his farm, and then playing with the other kids in the afternoon at the nearby river and forest while catching lots of creatures. Just a while ago, we were either fishing on the river or searching for edible plants since the fruits weren''t growing well in the fields. Other kids younger than me were eating the rabbit or bird monsters they caught. However, Chise-chan recently asked us a favor to catch some insects or small animals. Apparently, they were used to lure out the monsters in the mines. ''Oh, I see,'' so I began to catch them with other kids while thinking so. Then, Chise-chan would buy the insects and small animals we caught. One copper coin per head. And 3 copper coins if we caught a pair of male and female. She also paid 3 copper coins if it was an unknown kind or had a big size. She would also give us sweet, delicious candies, alongside the money. Candies were made of sugar which was an expensive product so we couldn''t just eat them without a second thought even if we had them. So the kids would break the candies they got from Chise-chan into pieces and then share and lick them with their siblings or parents. The candies were like a ray of light that revitalized our lifestyle since the fruit harvest was bad this year. We kids also saved the pocket money we got to purchase items from the merchant who would visit here in the fall. We were just searching for our next targets today as usual with the insect cage and insect-catching net that we got from Chise-chan when we encountered adults in the forest. They pointed the swords in their hands at us. "Run away! Inform the adults!" My childhood friend, a boy, stood in front of us, turning the insect net towards the adults while shouting at us. Some of the kids immediately ran towards the town but I was paralyzed by fear and stood frozen on my spot. They beat my childhood friend in no time as he fell to the ground. Afterwards, the bandits caught us, put us in a bag, carried us to a carriage with a built-in cage, and began transporting us somewhere else. They would strongly slam on the carriage''s floor when we kids began to cry so we couldn''t even cry. These chimps are our products. The girls are around 7 years old, the boys 6 years old. I wonder how much they will sell for? The knights wouldn''t be able to catch us if we take sea route һһ so they were kidnappers and they want to make us slaves. Despair-filled futures hovered around my eyes when I heard the bandits'' words. I became hopeless and I wanted to cry out from the fear of a horrible future. I wanted to return to dad and mom''s side. It was already dark when I looked through the gaps in the cloth covering the cage we were in. The face of my childhood friend, who was beaten and captured with us, was swollen. "Someone...... save us ..." The ground shook right after I prayed so, the horses that were pulling the carriage made a loud neighing sound, and the carriage suddenly stopped. ''What was that?'' As the uneasiness inside me further increased, there was a commotion among the bandits. Then only screams and shouting of bandits echoed for a while following the commotion. I, along with the other scared kids who were kidnapped just like me, huddled in the corner and shivered but, strangely, no bandit approached the carriage all this while. And when silence descended once again, someone opened the door of the wagon and got inside. It was the same Adventurer we were all familiar with who entered. "Chise-chan, Teto-chan......" "It''s alright everyone. We''ve already dealt with the bad guys." "We''re here to take you back to town!" Everyone cried out with relief when they saw Chise-chan with her signature warm smile and the forever cheerful Teto-chan appearing inside the carriage and we all simultaneously broke into tears. Vol. 4 - Ch. 103 - Sorting out the Captured Bandits Chapter 20After we saved the children, we flew to the sky and took them directly to the town, ignoring the darkness of the night. "Woaaah, amazing! Amazing!" "I didn''t know you were such an amazing magician, Chise-chan!" "Whee I''m flying!" I made the carriage in which children were aboard and the carriage that caged the bandits float in the air while Teto and I got on the flying carpet. We were flying in the sky but I also made sure to keep the speed within a certain limit and the height to just several meters above the ground so as not to scare the kids. We only stopped our flight once so that the kids could have a break and fill their bellies. We reached the town at around dawn with the kids, who fell asleep on the way due to being tired. "What the hell is that!" "A flying carpet and two carriages!? Didn''t they leave on a flying broom!?" "Who cares!. Look, they brought the kids back!" The kids opened their eyes at the commotion and, when they realized they had arrived at the town, they leaned their bodies at the edges of the carriage and excitedly waved their hands. "Dad! Mom!" Arim! While I was looking at the kidnapped kids who were rushing to their respective families, the dwarven chief who had been managing things until now came up to us. "Thank you very much. I really can''t express my gratitude enough..." "Don''t sweat over it. It''s the duty of grown-ups to protect the kids." The Town Chief''s expression stiffened a bit when told so by me, an adult with the appearance of a child whose age stopped growing at 12 years old. I ignored his confusion and continued. "Anyway, it''s about the magic sword that those bandits stole..." The Town Chief''s eyes widened when I took out the fragments of the magic sword, which broke after being purified, from the magic bag. "It was a dangerous magic sword that fed on people''s vitality so I purified it myself without giving it any second thought. I apologize for not asking for your consent beforehand." "...... Becoming the slave of power was the curse of the magic sword that my grandfather, also its maker, created by offering his life and blood. I have lost count of how many times I had taken it to the clergymen of the church in hopes of getting it purified but none had been able to succeed until now. So, I should be thanking you instead." The Town Chief said so while holding the hilt of the broken magic sword. He didn''t say anything for a while, perhaps to sort out his feelings for the magic sword, and then turned to ask about how to deal with the captured bandits. "Have you decided on what to do with the bandits?" "The initial plan was to have the young ones visit the neighboring town on horses to bring some help at dawn." This town used to be the hotspot for mining but, at this point, it had partially turned into a forest after the mines were abandoned. So this town didn''t even have a jail to accommodate the bandits or a court, let alone any knights staying here. Besides, it would be hard to support so many bandits. And more than thatһһ "How dare you! You have the guts to attack our town!" "Take them out! I will kill them!" "Let''s make them regret laying their hands on our town!" Anger reigned over the emotions of the townsfolk and the members of the vigilante corps as they kicked the bandits locked inside the cage and poked them with the hilt of their sheathed swords and spears. The cage wasn''t going to break apart with just that much but the bandits would be lynched by the maddened vigilante corps at this rate. There was also a chance that the bandits might retaliate. "I''m going to take them to the nearby town and hand them over to the knights. So I would need someone who can act as a mediator between us and the knights, can you ask if anyone can do that?" "It would be our honor. Chise-sama and Teto-sama are going to carry the bandits so we can have peace of mind!" It was decided that the son of the Town Chief and the leader of the vigilante corps would be accompanying us. I had them ride on the carriage in which we carried the kids and then left for the other town at sunrise while bringing bandits along, just like how we came back. The whole process was pretty straightforward һһ We reached the next town at 3:00 p.m. It was a big town with a decent flux of people. The knights who were in charge of protecting the town rushed to us when they spotted something suspicious flying towards their town. We explained the ins and outs of the matter, entered the town, and then handed the bandits over to them. They also checked out our past crimes with the ?Sin Judgement Jewel? in passing while they scanned captured bandits and interrogated them in detail. We safely finished the procedure of transferring the bandits while also receiving some money for catching them. Speaking of the bandits, their leader, whose arms I had severed, supposedly had a bounty on his head for carrying out kidnappings in both the Gard Beastkin Nation and the Lovile kingdom, and also for instigating the poor farmers who were having a bad harvest in recent years. It was already dark by the time we received the bounty on his head. "I''m beat...... It''s really tiring to run around the whole day without getting a wink of sleep." "Really, nanodesu. Let''s book an inn and return tomorrow." Sure enough, the fatigue of being sleepless for a whole day was taking a toll on us. My eyes were repeatedly fluttering due to drowsiness. "I''m really sorry. You had to shoulder everything even though it was a matter related to our town..." The son of the Town Chief and leader of the vigilante corps apologized to us like so but honestly, they also helped us out. "I''m glad you two came with us. We could talk freely with the knights thanks to you two." We may have plenty of fame and achievements as the A-rank party ?Flying Carpet? however there were also a lot of people who took a long time to verify our authenticity due to our appearance. It was really great that we brought these two reliable people from the town. They were the ones who explained the whole situation and smoothly handled the conversation on how to deal with the bandits, saving us from the knights insisting on checking out our origins. "Alright, let''s have a delicious meal and then we''ll leave for the town tomorrow." "We also have to continue with our investigation of the mines!" We scheduled our plan to return tomorrow. But things didn''t go as we planned as the Guild master of this town came to us after learning we were in town so we had to meet him which took one day. Then another day was spent meeting the feudal lord of this town when he heard that A-rank Adventurers came to visit his town. But that wasn''t the end of it. Another day was spent meeting with the Fathers of the churches who revered Liliel and Lariel who also came to know about us. Thus, our departure was delayed for three days. "Sigh We''re finally back..." "I''m tired. I want to eat the delicious inn food!" We grumbled after we left the town and got on our flying carpet and carriage respectively. The son of the Town Chief and the vigilante corps leader were also caught up in the delay due to us and also ended up extending their stay. "I didn''t know Chise-sama and Teto-sama were such amazing people." S?a??h th? ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "I thought you were just some whimsical kids who liked exploring caves. Never thought you two would be big shots." And we finally transitioned to being awesome A-rank Adventurers in their eyes from being a duo of whimsical adventurers wandering around aimlessly. Their stay had been extended due to being caught up in our situation so we also brought a lot of souvenirs for the townsfolk which we stuffed in the carriage and finally went back. In this way, the unexpected kidnapping incident which put a stop to our exploration of the mines came to an end and we eventually went back to the mine investigation. Vol. 4 - Ch. 104 - The Progenitor of the Insect Monsters The ruckus caused by the kidnapping incident was over and we were once again back to exploring the mines.We went around checking the areas we already cleared first just in case any new insect monster had popped out before resuming our investigation of the central region. We also returned to our home through the ?Transfer Gate? temporarily to check on how Baretta and the other service dolls were doing. All in all, one week had passed from the time we explored mines in the truest sense. Teto and I, after completing our preparation, advanced to the core region of the mines and soon reached it. "So this place is the origin of the insect monsters, huh?" "Ugh, it''s so mushy here......" The core region that was visible from a big hole was brimming with dense negative mana һ i.e, miasma һ as far as our eyes could see. The ominous-looking miasma that had been on the cursed magic sword simply wasn''t worth mentioning in front of it. A huge insect monster was lying down in the center of such a miasma. The monster was lying down while leaning against the wall, its long cylindrical body sticking deep into the ground as if sucking something from there. The eggs of many kinds of insect monsters were growing out from the bulging belly of that insect monster; it was laying eggs inside that big hole. The several insect monsters that hatched out from those eggs in the bottom of the hole then moved to kill and eat each other, and then the few that survived left the hole. "So this is the reason behind the numerous insect-type monsters that appeared in the mines. Disgusting......" S?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "They''re coming up from the bottom." The insect monsters who had achieved evolution and reached maturity after killing their own swiftly rushed towards us to attack as if we were some sort of candy in their eyes. Though they didn''t last long in front of my wind blade and Teto''s magic sword and were cut down in no time. However, the mother insect monster''s body took in the murky mana һthe accumulation of resentment released from the giant hole where the monsters were born and killed each other to achieve mutation and quick growth һ and shivered in what looked like pleasure. "That''s so nauseating. I assume this is the monster that Lariel wants us to defeat." "Let''s defeat it quickly and clean this creepy place up!" We turned our weapons towards the huge insect body һ Mother (Tentative name). "Let''s test our skills first. һһ?Wind Cutter?!" "1, 2, and shoot!" I propped up my wand, created five big wind blades, and then shot them at Mother. Teto created multiple pebble-sized stones in her hands with earth magic, enchanted them with ?Hardening Magic?, and then shot them with her full power. The wind blades I fired sliced Mother''s body here and there while the stones that were thrown like the bullets from a shotgun by Teto drilled into her body, turning her into the shape of a beehive. ?Screeeeeee!!? "They''re effective!" "Let''s do it one more time-nanodesu!" This time, Teto created fist-sized stones and then tossed them with her full power like before. The stone bullets grazed past Mother''s abdomen and pierced the wall after gouging out her flesh, causing tiny stones to fall from the ceiling. "Control your strength, Teto. Even we would be buried alive here if we go too far." "I''m sorry-nanodesu!" "But our attacks seem to be working......" Venomous purplish liquid dripped out from the wound of Mother''s injuries made by us and, at the same time, the malevolent miasma leaked out into the hole. Then the tube-shaped body that had drilled into the ground pulsed as if something was being sucked and what followed was the sight of Mother''s wounds healing at an astonishing rate. "This is dangerous. She''s healing herself by sucking the mana from the earth veins." I looked at the murky mana clinging to Mother''s body by gathering mana in my eyes. Mother had made this place hers and had been exposed to the mana and miasma from the earth veins deep in the ground for all these years. Her body had now become heavily mana reliant after living in such an environment for so long. "Fortunately, it seems like she won''t be able to live in a low-mana environment so she can''t cause a disaster by appearing outside. Although, it seems like we have to break one or two bones if we want to eliminate her." Mother, who just finished regenerating her wounds, turned towards us while we were analyzing the situation and swung her arm down. It was just a simple swinging attack so we avoided it with me using flight magic and Teto by running inside the mine. Mother, after seeing we were unharmed, spat out deadly poisonous liquid towards us which was stopped by my barrier and fell onto the ground. "She''s a handful. Her attacks may not be able to reach us but we can''t kill her either at this rate." I wracked my brain for a solution while calmly dealing with the incoming attacks. Mother was an insect-type monster with a huge body but the mana coiling around her had taken the form of a viscous miasma; a product of the accumulated negative mana that who knows how many insect monsters had released when they died from the poison or by being eaten by their own kind. The property of the said miasma had reached infinitely closer to the realm of a curse after absorbing so much impure mana. It was evident from the fact that the murky mana that was coexisting in the body of Mother had gained an independent will of its own and was shooting mana bullets at us. The bullets shot weren''t much, it could only cast one at a time, however, its attack incorporated with the curse was enough to send people to death''s door which raised the danger level of the monster to a new level, overtaking even the water hydra that we had once subjugated. What was even more troublesome was its ability to heal by sucking mana from the earth veins, providing it with an almost inexhaustible amount of mana even if we did manage to injure her. "Sure enough, even if I have 300,000 units of mana now, there''s always a heaven above heaven." Mother had an inexhaustible supply of mana from the earth veins. She may not be able to survive in the low-mana environment outside but, should she be ranked, I''m sure she had far surpassed the A-rank and could be classified as the legendary disaster level monster rank һ S-rank. Mother''s body possessed enough might to bury the land outside with numerous monsters by giving birth to them if she wasn''t so mana-dependent, and she could most likely even destroy the kingdom. It was a silver lining amidst misfortune that she couldn''t live outside. "We have to cut off its mana supply first somehow. һһhaa!" I fired tens of consecutive wind blades from all angles at the tube-shaped body that was connected to earth veins but Mother already knew that it was a vulnerable point so she protected it by using her huge body as a shield. "Teto!" "I''m ready-nanodesu! һһGooooo!" But unfortunately for her, we already expected her to defend it. Teto pierced her hand into the ground and manipulated the soil. Teto''s mana firmly grasped the ground and caused it to shake. The floor of the mines wriggled and the tube-shaped body of Mother that had been sticking to earth veins jumped out of it like a root. A green-colored mana light leaked out from the hole leading to the earth veins, but Teto immediately plugged it with bedrock and sealed it tight. "I did it! Now she can''t suck any more mana from the ground!" "Great, Teto. Now we can handle it. һһ?Wind Cutter?!" I shook my wand twice and made 20 wind blades which then rained down on the body of Mother. Mother healed her wounds by consuming the mana that had been accumulated through all the miasma now that the mana supply was cut but that wasn''t enough. ?Screeeeee!? The malevolent mana entity that was sticking to the lower half of the body of the cornered Mother leaped out and tried to escape from us. "Wishful thinking if you think you can get away by discarding the body!" Mother''s body which was left behind, on the other hand, scattered liquid all over from being crushed under the weight of its swollen body һ perhaps because the bulging body had been supported by mana up until now һ and the wounds caused by my wind blades. The malevolent mana entity of Mother which tried to slip away received Teto''s attack as it ran to the open area. "One, two, and got you! Take this-nanodesu!" Teto turned towards the mana entity with her magic sword brimming with high-density mana and immediately brandished her sword reflexively. The mana entity that was like a black cloud mass quickly dispersed under the might of Teto''s sword, but all the bits got together again, returning to their former self. "Teto! That thing is currently a magical lifeform just like that Great Devil. Normal attacks won''t be able to do anything to it!" "So annoying, what do we do then?" Annoyed, Teto hurled the wind pressure from the sword multiple times at the mana entity but it hardly had any effect as the mana entity regrouped itself and went back to its original form every time. However, from my perspective, that mana entity was awfully fragile. "It hasn''t achieved complete body materialization yet like the Great Devil and it also lost the support of Mother''s body which became its vessel. It should be dispersing soon." It wasn''t just limited to this, a part of the mana entity had also become unstable after leaving the core of a monster, the magic stone, in Mother''s body. The magical lifeform born from venomous mana was raging based on its instinct. "Let''s see, ?Purification?!" ?Screeeeee!? I sent forth purification waves with all my might to cover the whole open area inside the mine. The malevolent mana entity''s mana was purified under the intense white light and disappeared without a trace. "Haa This should end it." Mother and the mana entity was hardly our opponent without the support of the earth vein''s inexhaustible supply of mana һ I took a step forward while thinking so and found my vision slanting, only to be supported by Teto. "Majou-sama, you overworked yourself." "Huh, I...... you''re right. I''m a bit tired." The waves of undulating purification magic I released were mainly to use on that murky, malevolent mana entity but it wasn''t just limited to it. I also used that chance to purify the corpse of Mother and the pool of negative mana that had transformed into physical matter and was accumulating in the giant hole where the newborn monsters fought and ate each other. This layer had accumulated so much contamination that it wouldn''t be purified unless you could gather tens of priests and perform the purification rite that took several tens of days to finish. I guess I may have unconsciously used up all my remaining mana to completely cleanse the ground at the bottom of the giant hole that had been contaminated with the miasma of various poisonous insects for so many years. "Well, I guess we can call this case settled. It would have been really awful if this situation was to be neglected and the contamination spread for some reason." The ones to bear the damage first if that contaminated deadly poison traveled outside would have been the residents of the nearby town. Just as I was thinking about how much this could have affected the lives of the people, I noticed the green-colored mana leaking out from the earth veins in front of us gathering up. ''Impossible, don''t tell me the mana body of Mother survived even after being purified?'' The green-colored mana took the shape of a person I was familiar with and appeared before us just as I was vigilantly staring at the situation. "How`` Lariel?" Vol. 4 - Ch. 105 - Goddess request complete? Chapter 22 -?Yaho, Chise! And that person with you must be Teto, right? Thank you.? "Nice to meet you! I always hear about you from Majou-sama!" "How... did you appear here? We shouldn''t be able to meet outside of the dream oracle." I just finished using up all my mana in one breath so I was sitting on the ground from exhaustion after finally defeating the huge monster that had made its nest deep underground and purifying the deadly poison and murky mana that it had birthed. In contrast to me who was looking at Lariel releasing a green aura in confusion, Teto replied to the goddess delightfully with a lively smile on her lips. ?This place is under my jurisdiction, after all. I can descend for a bit as long as the situation and conditions permit.? ?Well, this time was just possible because I used the mana that was leaking out from the earth veins?, Lariel smiled while saying that. "There are a lot of things I want to ask. To begin with, why did you want us to defeat the monster here?" I had been asked to take back this place that had been turned into the home of monsters for several tens of years but Lariel had hardly talked about a specific deadline, the subjugation method, or even the goal. She might have had her own circumstances to consider as a god but I do think we had the right to hear in detail about the threat of monsters using the mana of the earth veins. ?Well, it''s a long story. I already told you about how the earth veins were thrown out of order by the mana experiment runaway 2000 years ago, right? I opened this road in the underground of this mountain to put back the chaotic earth vein in order.? "And I assume the dwarven miners dug up this hole here in the earth vein and the leaked mana then simulated the insect monsters." ?You''re right. I opened this path so that the ores in the underground of this ore-rich mountain could absorb the leaking mana to prevent situations like floating stones or dungeon formation from occurring, but... It''s just that I never thought that they would dig the place out, especially for the altered magic metal.? ''People''s greed really amazes me'', she said as she laughed strangely. She was a goddess who had been looking after this world for tens of thousands of years. She must have seen people''s stupidity and their failure firsthand. And the altered magic metal, she should be talking about how silver transformed into Mithril, copper into Orichalcum, iron into magic steel, and quartz into magic crystals. Even Teto''s magic sword was originally an alloy of iron mixed with magic steel but its property gradually changed over time as she continued to channel her enormous mana into it. "But I think I''m going to take it easy again. I''ve been doing requests for more than a decade and even I was baffled at the number of monsters here. Lariel too, you really don''t have a sense of danger." ?That was force majeure. I can only hope people will realize the danger on their own and deal with it. So I have to rely on you guys to stop the worst-case scenario from happening.? I couldn''t help but think how the thought process of Gods is wired differently from us as Lariel smiled cheerfully after saying that. Well yeah, there''s no doubt either we or Lariel could easily eliminate the problem and prevent damages from occurring. However, that would be counterproductive to humanity''s growth and development. ?Besides, that monster was unable to survive anywhere except this place. So you can say there wouldn''t be any danger on the surface as long as no one approaches this place.? It had been 30 years ever since the mines were abandoned, and, as of now, the current situation was that people only took down the monsters that appeared outside. "Then what was the worst-case scenario you were talking about?" ?Every monster has a finite lifespan, that is to say, their limit as a creature. Even the Mother of the insect monsters would have died naturally in around 20 years or so. But then, there was the danger of the deadly poison that had accumulated in the giant hole flowing back through the body of the monster and contaminating the earth veins.? Had Mother died due to her reaching the end of her lifespan, the contaminated mana and deadly poison would have flowed back through the tube-shaped body which she used to suck mana, and then pollute the earth veins. Then the polluted earth veins would have stimulated the monsters in the southern land where the earth veins flow due to the fierce poison it contained. ?Poison and curse would have come to plague half the land of the Lovile kingdom in its wake, polluting the sea and then eventually, the eastern part of this continent would have been a hell for the people to live on. Later, the aftereffect may reach other places under my management and could even trouble my little sister, the sea goddess Luriel.? So this was the worst-case scenario in Lariel''s words. Indeed, a nation reduced to nothingness due to pollution was really the worst possible scenario out there. In a sense, it was helpful that there wasn''t an urgent deadline so there was still some time to handle it. At least, we managed to solve it in time before it could reach anyone''s ear and spread unrest among the people. ?Either way, you have completed my request with this. As for your reward, there, dig up the hole in that wall.? "Alright. Teto, please." "Yes -nanodesu!" We then looked for the place pointed out by Lariel. Then behind the lump of soil and stones Teto pushed aside, we found lumps of ore shining with silver and scarlet glow. There was even a green crystal among them. "Lariel, this is?" ?These ores are the floating stones, Mithril and Orichalcum that had formed after absorbing the leaked mana from the time I pulled earth veins here in the past.? "The floating stones, wait, don''t floating stones cause a floating island to form?" S?a??h th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?That size is far from enough to cause a floating island! At best, it can be used to make a floating ship!? A floating ship һ I couldn''t help but think that I may have found another amazing ore. Many monsters pose a threat from the sky in this fantasy world like dragons, wyverns, and gargantuan birds. The present countermeasures against those threats were the deployment of anti-air Ballistas that fired from the ground, powerful magicians intercepting them flying in the sky, and trained dragon knights fighting using the monsters like wyverns as their mount. However, air supremacy could be further secured by using these floating stones and lowering the standard where you need specialized individuals to general individuals. But their use wasn''t just limited to that. If used properly, they could be a boon for faster transportation and, if greed overtook people''s minds, it would further aggravate the conflict in the sky. "Haa, Lariel. You''re just saying this is our reward but aren''t you just pushing troublesome matters to us." ?Hehe, you got me, huh? Well yeah, this thing is still too early for mankind to find. Even the ancient magic civilization had developed ?Teleportation Magic? as a means of transportation before they got to fly in the sky and the transportation method in the sky was just limited to a very small scale so it hardly mattered back then.? There will come a time when people will discover and research them one day but now isn''t the right time. "Alright, I have already recovered so I guess it''s time to go back. I''m just going to enjoy my time in the Lovile Kingdom now that your request is complete." "I''m looking forward to it! There''s so much to see; the sea, the royal capital, and the items of another country! Then let''s travel to another place!" From fishing villages facing the sea to the royal capital situated at the coastline and then the trade harbor һ My plan now is to slowly enjoy all these places. All these were places that would have vanished without us clearing out the monsters so I was more excited to visit the scene. ?That''s the spirit, enjoy the world to your heart''s content. Also, take care of the flow of time.? "Hmm? The flow of time?" Leaving behind that remark, Lariel vanished from our sight. Teto and I retrieved the corpse of Mother while being enveloped in a hazy feeling due to the mysterious parting remark from Lariel in the mine where all that was left was the deafening silence. We also collected the barrier magic tool and teleportation gate that I had set up to make safety zones and slipped out of the mine. However, when we left the mine and went outside, the scenery there wasһһ "What''s, that......" "It seems like the fields in the town and the nearby forest are losing their color." The vast land spread outside with this mine as the center was losing its color as far as we could see from the entrance of the mine located at a high altitude. There wasn''t any particular change in the forest or fields. However, I understood from my experience of forcing trees to grow using plant magic in the ?Empty Wilderness? that the mana had begun to flow away from the surrounding vegetation. It was the prelude before every single plant here withered away. Vol. 4 - Ch. 106 - The Land that lost its luster Chapter 23 -Just as Teto and I were dumbfounded at the scenery of fading colors as if losing its vitality, starting from this abandoned mining town where we lived for a while, we noticed the dwarven residents of the town gathering. "Chise-san, Teto-san!" "What''s the matter, everyone? What''re you guys doing here?" As if they were just waiting for us to come out of the mine, the dwarves we were familiar with stepped forward. "You were later than usual so we were waiting for you with everyone! We felt a tremor coming out from the mine''s direction just a while ago, so we thought something big must have happened!" "I see, I''m sorry to make you all worry. Either way, our investigation of the mines has come to an end today. We have subjugated the big monster in the mine." "Oh, I see. That''s great. As expected of the A-rank Adventurers Chise-sama and Teto-sama." The town residents lavishly praised us, though I would have liked it if they refrained from doing so. My heart was unable to handle their admiration. "Majou-sama......" "I''m alright, Teto......" We returned to the inn while thanking the residents who were worried about us and then went directly to our room where I was finally able to calm down and think about the situation. "Say, Teto. That Mother, she was absorbing the mana that was flowing in the earth veins, right?" "That seems so, probably." "If I''m right, the earth veins evenly distribute the mana from the ground. No, wait. It''s more like the mana is absorbed by the nearby places. And that''s why the nature around the town is losing its mana." I put my thoughts into words and confirm the situation. Mother had been stealing the mana of the earth veins and causing poor harvests in the Lovile kingdom. Had Lariel''s request been left unattended, the worst-case scenario would have been the land getting contaminated when Mother dies after reaching the end of her lifespan, causing the accumulated poison and curse to flow into the earth veins. That''s right, that would have been horrible. "Lariel seems to not have thought about the result and the aftereffects which would follow as long as the worst scenario doesn''t occur." That was why she said to do something about the flow of time before leaving. Sure, the situation would return to normal when the mana properly started flowing in the earth veins and spreading throughout the land. But the question was when will it happen? After a decade? Or a century? Could it be still said that everything changed for the better when the situation was restored but only after the town and the forest was destroyed? I looked at the current situation while cradling my head. "This town would become a miniature ?Empty Wilderness? at this rate." "Majou-sama, it''s not your responsibility!" "No, it''s because of me. If only I defeated it with more caution...... Or had I defeated Mother before it sucked away the earth veins'' mana......" The town was in a festive mood at the news that the monsters in the mine had been defeated. I could feel the trust in the gazes of the residents that looked at us, coupled with the fact that we also suppressed the bandits who tried to kidnap children, but, contrary to their belief, I may have pushed the town towards its destruction. "I may have done something irreversible." "Majou-sama! Just come up with a plan! It''s still not too late! The land has still not lost all of its colors yet! It''s fine as long as we take the lost mana back!" "It''s impossible. The scale is too big......" It was fundamentally different from the time I replenished the mana in the ground of the small villages or forests that we passed through on our way to this town. My mana capacity was simply not enough to restore the mana that had been drained by Mother. "Teto will help out! Use Teto''s mana too!" "Teto, you...... You''re right. It''s still early to give up. It may be impossible with just me, but if Teto is also with me...... Let''s give it a try." I''m going to restore the mana of this land for the sake of the townsfolk who were kind to us. "Let''s go, Teto." "Right after you-nanodesu!" We slipped out of the inn while being careful so as not to be seen by the townsfolk and headed for the mine that was the center of all the mana loss. "Teto. Match my pace as you pour in your mana, okay?" "Alright-nanodesu! Teto''s everything belongs to Majou-sama!" "Then let''s start. һһ??Charge(nanodesu)??!" Teto and I faced the ground and poured all the mana we could offer into it. I had yet to completely recover the mana I used in the fight with Mother so I could only pour whatever mana I had. Rather, my mana mainly played the role of assisting Teto''s mana to efficiently move into the ground. "Kuh, our mana is really not enough......" It was a pipe dream to think that our mana could completely restore the lost mana in this land. I stopped Teto who had nearly emptied her mana. "...... I knew it would be impossible." My interaction with the inn''s dwarven couple and their daughter, Arim-chan, and the townsfolk were always so nice. I just wanted to protect that and yet, I have done the opposite of it. I was aghast at my actions. "Please, anyone, save the town." I knelt on the ground and gripped the parched soil tightly in my hands. Pitter-Patter Water drops began to fall on the back of my hand just as I was at my wit''s end. "...... Rain?" The clear, colorless night sky was suddenly filled with black clouds and it soon began to rain that was rich with the blessing of abundant mana. S?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?Sigh Lariel is really such a muscle-brain, at least think about Chise''s feelings first. Even if the worst scenario is avoided, it doesn''t mean she can leave you with such a mental scar......? "......Liliel?" ?It''s just a bit of manipulation through God''s miracle. Besides, I couldn''t overlook the parched land as the Earth Goddess.? The voice of the Goddess who had reincarnated me into this world echoed inside my head and I understood that this blessed rain was her miracle. The rain filled with mana enriched the ground and continued to fall non-stop without showing any sign of losing momentum. "It''s raining, Majou-sama. Let''s go back." "Yeah, let''s go. Liliel helped us. There''s no danger now." Teto and I quietly returned to the inn and watched the rain from the window. The intense rain occurred without any prior signs that night. The wind caused the window of the inn to rattle. "The rain isn''t stopping." "Nanodesu. Let''s rest today as well-nanodesu." The rain continued to fall for three days and three nights, so we also had to halt our journey. The abandoned mine, whose stability should have been hardened by the dwarves, collapsed as the result of that rain. The damage was fortunately only limited to the mine itself which eventually ended the possible threat of new monsters making the mines their own new home or them somehow reaching the earth veins in the core region. The lives of the townsfolk were basically unchanged, with the bats that left the mines once again settling in a part of the mines that barely survived and a bit of copper and iron ore peeking out from the walls of the rocks. The only one who knew that the timing of the rain was just too perfect to be a coincidence and that it was actually the miracle of Goddess Liliel was just me and Teto. Vol. 4 - Ch. 107 - Earth Vein Manipulation Magic Tool Chapter 24We, whose departure was delayed due to the unforeseen rain, exited the town under the eyes of the townsfolk. The blessed rain had restored not only the vitality of the farms and the surrounding trees but also turned nature more vibrant and lush. Chise-chan, Teto-onee-chan. Dont forget us. Of course, I won''t forget the time we spent in this town. We won''t forget-nanodesu! Our time here was fun! Arim-chan gave us a tight hug and parted with us while crying. There was no such thing as a guaranteed reunion for traveling adventurers, so I didnt make any half-assed promises. Though we did promise to not forget each other and to always remember the time we spent here. We walked some distance away from the town after the farewell and took out the flying carpet. Alright, we''ll complete some requests in the nearby adventure guild, and eat seafood while aiming for the royal capital. Yes-nanodesu! Also, lets have Baretta learn new dishes if we chance upon new ones! We rode on the flying carpet and flew over the highway. I gazed at the scenery on the ground below while Teto snacked on the mana stones of the insect monsters we had killed in the mines like candies. Mother''s effect on the earth vein by absorbing its mana was really not something trifling, huh? I gathered my ever-growing mana into my eyes and adjusted the amount to see the earth vein deep in the ground. S?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. By increasing the amount of mana I gathered in my eyes, I was able to see the flow of mana on an even deeper level, incomparable to what I could do before. The green thick veins were pulsing underground when I looked down at the earth vein with my mana sight ability which was now already on the level of being called magic eyes. The original set-up was making the ores deep down the mine absorb the mana which later changed their properties. However, Mother made her entry and fed on the residual mana. But she didn''t just stop there, she he also began to absorb the earth veins'' mana, effectively reducing the amount of mana that could flow down through the earth veins. After what we did though, it seemed to have returned to its former state. "I hope this will solve the poor harvest that''s been plaguing the Lovile kingdom recently." I muttered so, recalling the bandit group that had escaped as far as Gard Beastkin Nation. With the hopes of the earth veins returning to their former state one day and thus reducing the bad harvest, we advance on our way. In the middle of the journey, we built a small room using earth magic on a location situated away from the main road, set up the barrier, and temporarily returned to the ?Empty Wilderness?. ?Welcome back, Master, Teto-sama.? "Baretta, I have a request, do you have time?" ?What is it, Master?? "I have a huge monster corpse that I want to be dismantled." ?I understand. I''ll immediately gather the maids to help.? "Thank you. Also, do release these creatures into the forest." Unsurprised by our sudden homecoming, Baretta left with several pairs of wild rabbits and pigeons that we found and captured on our way. "Alright, I''m beginning!" I took out the corpse of the parent body we had defeated in the mine , then sliced into several parts һ to make it easier to dismantle given its huge size ` by Teto''s magic sword and then each part was handed to maids. ?Master, We found an extra-large mana stone.? "Got it. һһ?Psychokinesis?!" I dragged out the purple mana stone from the severed body part with gravity magic and then cleaned it with water magic. My estimation is that the mana stone of Mother, a gargantuan monster, should be S-rank. "It has such a beautiful color, I want to eat it." Teto, who was done with dismantling a part, looked at the floating mana stone. She was drooling at the sight of the mana stone that was twice as large as the mana stone we collected from the 30th-floor dungeon but, unfortunately for her, I already had an idea as to where I am going to use it. "You can''t have it, Teto. I''m going to use it to control the earth vein of the ?Empty Wilderness?." "I see, that''s a pity." Teto pulled the mana stones of the insect monsters from the magic bag after showing her disappointment and chewed on them. If it was just comparing the weight, the mana stones of 50,000 insect monsters we had taken down in the last two months far surpassed the giant monster so she would have to be satisfied with just them. The mana released by the flora and fauna was filling up the air and the reforestation was also slowly progressing well on the surface of the wilderness. However while the mana in the air was being gradually filled, the flow of mana in the earth vein was so far still in a stagnant state. I''m sure the mana would continue to fill up the ground surface and then that mana would gradually begin to seep into the ground, naturally restarting the flow of the earth vein even if we didn''t do anything. However, there was always the danger of a monster or dungeon outbreak occurring due to the stagnant mana so giving the process a push to restore the flow would be faster and more stable in that case. "In any case, we might as well control and guide the earth vein first." The first step was to pour mana into the mana stone which would be the control unit required to restore the earth vein and spread the center of it. Once the earth vein order is restored, we will have to then follow with the reverse order by absorbing and storing the surplus mana that was accumulated in the earth veins. "Time to start. ?Creation? Earth Vein Manipulation Tool!" I used a total of 1.5 million unit mana һ both the mana I had and the stockpiled amount in the magic crystal һ and created the magic tool. Now the management magic tool or, to be more precise, the controlling magic tool in the shape of a pedestal with the mana stone as its centerpiece was ready. "Baretta, can you tell me which place is suitable to install it?" ?The annex behind the hall would be a good place to install it. Later, we can link it to the other controlling magic tool I am managing so I can also monitor it constantly that way.? "Thanks, Baretta." I was really really thankful to have the control and management of the magic tool under the care of Baretta who used to be a service doll in the past. The earth veins, when we observed its state through the management magic tool after a quick installation, were in devastated state. They were cut off into red dots-like shapes. That being said, they were also showing signs of recovery as the mana generated on the ground surface seeped into the ground and was helping out in regrowing the severed lines. "Finally. I guess now we just have to guide the earth vein through the control magic tool to let it regenerate and then suck the extra mana to stop it from unnecessarily connecting different veins and causing a stagnant mana situation." Not only can we spot the stagnant mana that was the cause of mana disasters and prevent it from happening, but we could also use that mana to advance the recovery of the earth veins. The presence of mana exerts a positive effect everywhere however if too much mana has been stagnated somewhere, then it usually a prelude before a disaster. "This should do it. Let''s tidy things up." I understood from the dismantling of Mother''s corpse with the service dolls that it didn''t have any useful parts except the mana stone since it was a monster specialized in egg-laying so I burned its body with fire magic and cleaned up its ashes using cleanse magic ?Clean?. Then I took a bath with Teto since the smell from dismantling Mother''s corpse was bothering me, had our evening meal, and stayed in our home in the wilderness for that night. In between, I also poured my mana into the mana stone used to control the earth vein before heading to sleep, which for a moment turned the purple magic stone into a green one before reverting to its original color, maybe the mana was sucked away soon after and was used for the regeneration of the earth veins. After confirming the slight growth of the earth veins under the guidance of the magic tool with our residence as the center, I went to sleep with Teto. Vol. 4 - Ch. 108 - Goddesss Apostle Chapter 25In the dream һ I realized I was back in the space where I usually meet the goddesses during oracles. Just at the right time, since I wanted to thank Liliel for her help with the abandoned mine''s town case. I also wanted to complain to Lariel at least once if I met her. S?a??h the N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?Ouch-ouch! Waһ it hurtssss!? ?You! What were you thinking? First, asking Chise for help but then not even taking care of her, who I''ve been looking after ever since her reincarnation!? However, what appeared before me when I arrived at that space was an unexpected scene. There was also one more unexpected part, Teto was there. She was standing next to me, tilting her head in confusion. "Ah, so this is a dream. It''s not the usual dream oracle, though." "Majou-sama(?) Lariel-sama(?) is being held up by an unknown woman." "Teto, that unfamiliar woman is Goddess Liliel. Ah, but why am I explaining this? It''s just a dream so it''s not like she''ll remember it." Liliel was pulling the cobra twist move on her big sister Lariel. ?Don''t, help! Save me! Chise, Teto!? ?It''s your own fault that you''re in this situation! You always act without thinking and then I have to handle the mess you left behind!? We were dumbfounded at Liliel who didn''t stop there and performed even more pro-wrestling moves while putting more pressure on Lariel. Liliel, after seeing that the other goddess was finally devoid of any strength to resist, released Lariel, corrected herself, and turned to face us. ?Welcome back, Chise. Also, it''s our first time meeting, Teto. I''m Liliel, the goddess who reincarnated Chise into this world.? She greeted us with a refreshing smile but I now had to admit that this really wasn''t a dream seeing Lariel who had recovered and was now gasping for air. "No, this should be a dream. Teto is also here." ?This isn''t a dream. I was just teaching my stupid elder sister a lesson for asking you guys to handle the request but not even bothering to smoothen out the thing which could have caused you guys mental trauma, let alone not even dealing with the aftermath. Besides, I can summon you here since both of you are now my apostles.? No way. Is this really not a dream......? Surprised, I looked at Teto while tilting my head. "I see, then what''s that Apostle thing to begin with?" ?Apostles are messengers of god. Gods are restricted from directly influencing the land below so apostles are their proxies to exert influence in their place. You both have been recognized as one after you poured your mana into the land that was on verge of withering away һ due to the ill-informed request of my stupid elder sister һ and offered your prayers.? That''s why I didn''t like the idea of the two of you doing Lariel''s request because I knew she would half-ass her explanation and that incomplete information would lead to a not-so-good situation һһ Liliel grumbled and cursed under her breath. Lariel, who was slowly getting back on her feet in the meantime, joined in to explain without showing any expression of shame whatsoever. ?Well, you don''t need to think too deeply about the Apostle Recognition. It just makes it easier to hear the voice of the goddess bestowing the oracle. And they''re like recognized friends for us һ leaving aside the devotees who would break into tears or burst into delight when they see us...? ?Though it''s not easy to be recognized as an apostle unless there''s a strong trigger for it so this also helps us out.? I see, so my prayers reached Liliel after the mess that resulted from the half-assed explanation of Lariel, causing the miracle of the blessed rain and making both of us her apostles. Neverthelessһһ "Yay! Teto has another new friend!" "Isn''t it kind of light to have apostles as friends......" Teto was straight-up delighted at Lariel''s additional explanation while I couldn''t help but let out a bitter smile. ?Wha, could it be that Chise doesn''t want to be friends with me?? "No, it''s just, the sense of us being like-minded folks is stronger than the sense of friendship." It was because I personally liked that I was active in doing things like releasing creatures in the forests of the ?Empty Wilderness?, which were now gradually increasing, and setting up ecosystems. I felt we were more like comrades as we watched over the reformation of the ?Empty Wilderness? together, transforming the once barren land into lush green forests. So when I conveyed my thoughts to her, Liliel hugged me tightly. ?Ugh, Chiseeeeee! Thank youuuuuuu!? She was a stone-cold goddess in the beginning but I could feel her wisdom in our talks and, after going through many hardships, she had finally opened up. "There there stroke. I know you''ve done your best." "I''ve heard about everything. It was tough on you......" She was a goddess but I guess she endured too much over time that she began to cry as if to vent out all her pent-up distress. Her side of the talk was basically all about showing her appreciation for setting up the forests, the ecosystems, and the beginnings of the earth vein correction. But it wasn''t just her work, I was also thankful to her. The land of the abandoned mine''s town was saved from becoming barren and the livelihood of the townsfolk, who were kind to us, was protected thanks to the miracle she caused. Then, once she calmed down enough, I listened to her complaints as she seemed to have a lot of pent-up stress, causing Lariel to avert her eyes. ?Everything, all of it! It all started when the reincarnator called by elder sister Lariel cleared out the monsters occupying the ore mountain. The aftermath caused the Mithril and Orichalcum to be discovered which led to the mine exploration! The root of all this was you yourself! And yet you have the nerve to ask my Chise to deal with it!? ?But, what else could I have done? I hadn''t thought the situation would lead to this when I brought that reincarnator 300 years ago!? ?That''s not all, you were even sloppy in dealing with the aftermath! I know you''re the Sun Goddess but at least think a little bit about what you''d do to the earth! Also, reflect on your actions and think about how much the loss of mana in the earth vein has affected the ground! I had to clean up all the mess you created!? Hearing the inside details and the cause and effect, my gaze on Lariel turned slightly cold while Teto rubbed Liliel''s back to calm her down. And in the endһ ?Thank you Chise, your Earth Vein Manipulation Tool has finally begun to heal the earth veins. Honestly, I wanted to do it more formally butһһ Chise, Teto. I recognize both of you as apostles of the Earth Goddess Liliel. I''ll be relying on you in the coming time as well.? ?Being my little sister''s apostles means you''re also my friends so help out in the future as well!? Liliel announced so with the corners of her eyes slightly wet while Lariel astutely declared us as her friends. With Liliel''s declaration done, we woke up. "The situation escalated to quite something. Goddess'' Apostle huh......" The thought that maybe we need to build a church revering Liliel and Lariel passed my mind when I woke up so I halted our departure for that day and built a church for the five goddesses on the place a slight distance away from our residence with ?Creation Magic?. I created statues of Liliel and Lariel inside the church and offered my prayer. Vol. 4 - Ch. 109 - To the harbor city for the vacation Chapter 26After a short stay at our home in the ?Empty Wilderness?, we began our journey to the seashore as we had decided and started our sightseeing while dropping by the towns with adventure guilds along the way. We accepted the stockpiled unpopular requests there and slowly but surely traveled to the sea. Most of the requests revolved around menial tasks like dealing with the outbreaks of harmful animals that appeared in the nearby farm fields or picking up particular medicine herbs. Our days in the towns usually passed by either by enjoying the specialties of the town or listening to its history. Like this, our slow-paced journey finally brought us in front of the harbor town down the river. Though, it was just that we were now facing the suspicious gazes of the soldiers since we arrived at the gate while riding on the ?Flying Carpet? we usually do. You guys! Who are you!? Were just adventurers. We''ve come to enjoy the seafood of this town. Yes! Were here to eat prawn, crab, grilled fish, and other delicious seafood! S?a?ch* Th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. F-For the seafood? Adventurers? Alright show us your guild card. The soldiers of the harbor town looked at us with quizzical looks. I knew that saying that we became A-rank adventurers some tens of years ago wouldn''t work in this situation since Teto and I still look like a pair of young female adventurers barely in our teens. Needless to say, showing our guild cards and seeing our party name mostly settled their suspicions. A-rank!? And ?Flying Carpet?!? That famous party?! The soldiers immediately straightened their postures from the previous suspicious attitudes they had the first time they looked at us and the carpet we rode on to move around. Thank you very much to the Esteemed Famous Adventurers for gracing our town with your presence! Oh? Do you know Majou-sama and Teto? Of course! The tales of the famous party ?Flying Carpet? from the Gard Beastkin Nation have also reached our town! Just the other day, we also heard that you captured a famous bandit with a bounty on his head in this kingdom! I smiled wryly at the soldiers straightening their postures as if saluting us. Nevertheless, it seemed like our achievements had traveled before us while we took our time with our journey sorting out the requests in small towns and villages. But this once again confirmed just how disconnected from important information relay routes the abandoned mine''s town where Arim-chan and the others lived was when every town so far has come to know about us. "If you may, please let us guide you!" "You don''t have to, it''s not like we''re here for an emergency or anything. We''ll just line up here and slowly wait for our turn." "Teto is going to wait in line with Majou-sama!" A-rank Adventurers received the same treatment as an aristocrat. However, such status has been given so that we could use the routes aristocrats use in times of emergency. So we wanted to just wait in line normally as an adventurer since it was just a tour visit. "I, I see." After saying that, the soldiers reluctantly returned to their posts now that the suspicions against us had been cleared. I just smiled bitterly at them and waited in line. The people who came out of the town looked to be in good shape. The inland area was plagued with bad harvest since Mother was sucking the mana of the earth vein but the coastal area has the sea products that they fished for so they were barely affected by the poor harvest. Our turn came soon after, and, after entering the town, we headed for the Adventurer Guild. "Welcome to our guild, ?Flying Carpet? party. I''m Doulgu the guild master of this guild." A macho man over two meters tall greeted us as if he was just waiting for us to show up. His arms were covered with ashen-brown scales, he had a tail long enough to slither on the ground, his skin was brown to the point that it was taking a dark shade from suntan, and he had two horns growing on his head. Possessing both the characteristics of a dragon and a human һһ he was from the Dragonewt species. "Nice to meet you, ?Flying Carpet? Chise. And your partnerһһ" "I''m swordsman Teto-nanodesu!" After Teto cheerfully raised her hand in introduction, the Dragonewt guild master led us to the reception room. Some requests that A-rank Adventurers received required confidentiality so he was probably leading us away for the same reason. "There''s no one here, so for what reason has the ?Flying Carpet? party come to this town? If it''s necessary, I''m ready to give you my help." So asked Doulgu, causing Teto and me to cock our heads in confusion. "The soldiers haven''t notified you? We''re just here for the seafood. After which we plan to visit the royal capital for sightseeing." "If you wanna help out, Teto hopes you can tell which store sells tasty fish!" Teto and I said respectively, incurring a dumbfounded "haa?" reaction from the guild master. "No, wait, the famous party of the Gard Beastkin Nation came so far to the neighboring kingdom, there of course should be some reason, right?" "If it counts, we came to the Lovile Kingdom since an acquaintance asked us to help her out with something. We''re already done with it, so we''re now just following our original schedule of trying out various sea delicacies while enjoying our vacation." "We don''t have any goal but we plan to have a ''wham'' trip!'' The Guild Master made a deep sigh after hearing that. It seemed like our intention had been finally conveyed to him. "Good grief. Well, considering that the Gard Beastkin Nation is inland, taking a trip to enjoy new things like seafood may hold value for you......" The tall man looked above and plopped down on his seat after saying that. I guess that''s how unexpected our trip must have been for him. "We''ll be staying in town for a while so if you have some unpopular requests piled up, we''ll process them when we have free time. I''m an expert in herb collection." "Menial tasks are fun. We also get snacks for helping out the grandma in her shopping!" "An A-rank Adventurer who specializes in herb collection and another who likes helping out on shopping, and other menial tasks...... You guys are really amazing in a sense." The guild master smiled wryly after hearing our words. The quality of requests goes up as the rank of an adventurer rises so they disdain requests like these which they used to accept in the beginning. Also, a high-ranking adventurer accepting a low-rank request appeared as demeaning the honor of their rank and wasn''t kindly looked upon. As a result, they were usually said to be haughty and so on but for usһһ "We''re not short of money, we live as we please and, most of all, there''s hardly any suitable A-rank request for us." "That''s why both Majou-sama and Teto are only choosing the leftover requests taking into account both the guild and the adventurers! It''s called social service!" "I see...... alright, I understand. I''ll arrange the leftover requests from here so please take care of them when you have the time. I''ll also look for any escort request for a ship if you''re heading to the royal capital side." The guild master then asked a receptionist to take over and assist us and they then recommended we either stay in an inn or rent a house. The price of an inn was steep so we decided to just rent a house since we can install the ?Transfer Gate? there and then use our home in the ?Empty Wilderness? for rest and other things which would be more beneficial for us. Vol. 4 - Ch. 110 - A walk in the harbor Town Chapter 27 -The harbor town of the Lovile kingdom which we were currently staying in was one of the five biggest towns in this country. The town was divided into three areas: the coastal side where the fishing port was located that mainly focused on the fishing industry, the beach where the machine for manufacturing salt was ,as well as the factory area where the captured fishes were processed into dried fish, and finally the trade harbor. In the fishing port that focused on the fishing industry, small boats, which the fishermen used to venture into the sea to catch fish before the first ray of dawn could break forth, were lined up. At the beach, the women of this town would carry sea water to the salt manufacturing pool where they let the sunlight and strong wind evaporate the water, forming high-density seawater. The trading harbor served as a port for not only the ships from the royal capital of Lovile Kingdom, but also for those ships coming from the southern and western parts of the continent that docked there to load and unload goods, while providing a venue for merchants to conduct their business. Also, the current flow of the rivers that met with the sea was slow, so the town upstream which could be reached by boats was another important aspect of logistics. "It''s so lively here, isn''t it, Majou-sama?" "You''re right. Let''s also look at the trade district after the crowd tones down." Teto and I came near the beach for our morning walk when we spotted the lively side of this town''s people. Looking at the fishermen who were returning after finishing their morning catch, we directly headed to the morning market from there. We went around the stalls where the freshly caught fish were lined up and were being cooked. ``Welcome everyone! Try out our mouth-watering fresh charcoal-grilled fish! һһWe''re selling seafood tomato soup! Just the perfect thing to heat up your chilled body! һһAre you looking for finger-licious shellfish? Then go no further, we have our exquisite boiled shellfish seasoned with none other than our secret marine sauce! һһYes sir, here sell the fried fish layered with a sauce made from southern seasonings! һһTry out our delicious paella made with southern special grain cooked over a pan! I wondered if that secret marine sauce was a type of fish sauce. There was also a sauce made by ripening several vegetables and fruits, and even rice too; the food culture of this town was pretty diverse. "I wonder if this is a glimpse of the food culture that survived the disaster that was the destruction of the ancient magic civilization. Or maybe a past reincarnator had propagated this." If my hypothesis is correct, maybe I would be able to feel the history, adventure, and a predecessor reincarnator''s will in the colorful food dishes decorating the stalls of the harbor town. "What are you going to eat, Majou-sama?" "Hmm, I''m going to try the grilled salted fish and paella." I think the variety are be a little different from what I make with ?Creation Magic? but I''m just happy to see a rice dish made by someone else. "Teto is going to have tomato soup, fried fish, and boiled shellfish." "Okay, then let''s buy them." We went to the respective food stalls we wanted, bought our food, took a seat in the dining area outside which was there for the customers of the stalls, and started eating them. "Hmm, the fresh fish is fluffy, baked right, and delicious. The paella soaked in tomato and the marine soup is also delicious." "The tomato soup has a nice gentle taste. It''s Teto''s favorite. The boiled shellfish and fried fish are also tasty, but Teto thinks putting some seasonings that Majou-sama creates would make them even tastier." "Oh, soy sauce. Well, that''s special after all." I had recreated the soy sauce that Japan''s food company had made after piling on research after research. Safe and reliable seasonings were also popular in our home. "I will buy ingredients from the market later, let''s try them with soy sauce. While we''re at it, maybe we should also buy some squid and crabs and have seafood curry." "Really, Teto loves curry! I''m looking forward to it!" After enjoying the morning stalls'' dishes, we headed for the market to buy fresh fish. The market was crowded with not just the items we had seen in the morning, but also with inland vegetables and other ingredients that just came from the trade harbor. "Everything looks so delicious." "What''re you going to buy, Majou-sama?" Teto was happily looking at me as I carefully took note of the various ingredients. "Welcome. You can find the best freshly harvested vegetables of this season in our store!" "Check out the fish we caught in the morning, their quality is guaranteed to satisfy you." "These are, oh, seasonal ingredients. These look delicious! Can I have four of these, shopkeeper-san?" I purchased some seasonal vegetables as well as delicious fish at the grocery stores and fish shops while asking about them from the shopkeeping uncles. S?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The shopkeeper, who saw a young girl wearing a robe over odd clothes and her beautiful partner watching over her, warmly responded. I took off my hood, looked into their eyes, and asked about the ingredients whenever I talked with the shopkeepers of the marketplace so the people apparently thought of me as a magician''s apprentice. Just a tiny bit but I felt like I was taking advantage of my underdeveloped immortal body whenever the store people would add extra. "Majou-sama, Majou-sama. The fish over there looks delicious." "Hmm, it might be a bit early but there are so many varieties of Pacific saury. Let''s see, there''s salted grilled Pacific saury variant, boiled variant, deep-fried variant, and even plum pulp simmered variant." I wasn''t in the mood originally but imagining the side dishes that I could have with rice activated my appetite so I eventually bought them. We continued our aimless ingredients shopping one after another and before we realized it, we had left the crowded marketplace and stepped into the trade harbor''s shopping district. "It doesn''t seem like we''ll find any other ingredients. What do you think, Teto?" "Umm, let''s go as far as we can go!" "Alright. Maybe we might find a good bargain, let''s look around." Thus, Teto and I stepped in to look for something interesting in the place that was the trade hub for both the kingdom and other nations to sell their commodities. Vol. 4 - Ch. 111.1 - Treasure Hunting at the Trade District Chapter 28 (1) -Teto and I stepped out of the morning market that sold fresh fish and other foodstuff and into the commercial district where all the goods for trade are found and began to search for any lucky find. Majou-sama! Theyre selling tableware there! Oh, porcelain dishes. I wonder if they are selling items used by aristocrats? The amount seemed a bit lacking for a set of tableware, I guess they were selling broken or discarded items. Majou-sama, that sword Yeah, it has traces of on it. We also saw swords being sold as if they were pieces of art, so I tried to look at them with my mana eyes and sure enough, a thick mana vein was coursing through the base of the blade''s body. It was the sign that had been used on the sword when it was once broken. They can be used as a showpiece or as a piece for bluffing but, with its durability, it won''t last long if it was used every day. was a spell that reverted a broken item to its original shape. Unlike the full-recovery spell of a magic sword, it used the broken or cracked parts to join the blade back together or it filled up the cracks with assembled parts of the same measurements in case the owner lost original parts. Thats why it was easy for an item repaired by the repair spell to break again given its nature. Its usually tough to distinguish between antiques like them. In fact, there also seemed to be some sly counterfeit con men who would intentionally destroy a weapon completely before repairing it as the traces of the repair spell left behind could cause it to release mana, making it look like a magic tool. Beretta had pointed that out to me who made a similar blunder around ten years ago. Oh, that looks kind of pretty. Is that glass tableware, Majou-sama? Apparently, there was a place in the southern region of this kingdom where workers collect special sand and the glass tableware made from that sand were not only exquisite pieces of art but were also everyday use items created using various cutting techniques on different shapes and surfaces. "Excuse me, which studio''s work is this? It''s the new work of studio Kikuri that has just recently opened. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Studio Kikuri. Please give me one set. The price of a set of beautiful glass tableware was quite steep since they were high-quality goods and needed careful handling, about 5 gold coins. I, for one, was happy to find a good treasure for myself. I carefully put them into my magic bag and went to look at the other shops'' items with a satisfied face. Majou-sama, you seem awfully happy. Was it really such a fine item? Its just my intuition telling me that the work of that studio will definitely become famous in the future. I didnt know if they did it consciously but the glass tableware maker of the Kikiri studio had channeled mana into the glass which was the same as giving them a mana buff that increased the durability of the glass body itself. It would make the items last in this world for a long time, and my intuition was telling me that their value as exquisite articles will increase as well. I believe their value as antiques or as the initial works of Kikuri will go up after 100 no, after around 300 years. Antiques in my previous world were treated as a treasure. I dont have much interest in jewelry since they were like dirt I could make at any time with my , so I usually bought tools or beautiful articles that had practical uses as well as those that could become an antique in time, like alcohol. The value of the alcohol I had given to the dwarf innkeeper back in the abandoned mine''s town had increased in the same way after preserving it for years like it was a treasure or an antique. That was why I couldnt stop my cheeks from slackening, imagining how this might just turn into an incredible treasure in the future. I felt as if I had struck a guaranteed lottery. Oh, thats quite a good tea set. It would be nice to receive Barettas served tea in it. Its grip looks comfortable to hold. Majou-sama~, there are books here you may like! They seem to be books about the history of the Lovile Kingdoms history. The pages are, hmm, they are still using parchment. The use of paper made from plants has been spread to the Gard Beastkin Nation in these twenty years, beginning from the Iska Kingdom where it all started, and plant-based paper has gradually become popular in making books but I guess it has yet to spread into this kingdom or other nations near here. Anyway. Lets buy them. And Shopkeeper-san, what about that thing there? A picture canvas was crudely placed inside the shop. It looked like an oil painting of the scenery of this town at a glance, depicting the lifestyle of the people buying and selling fish at the vivacious marketplace. A part of the painting was depicting a cat scampering away after swiping its paw on a fish, the figure of the shop owner stretching out his hand to stop its escape, and the sight of a passerby looking at the spectacle in amusement. All sorts of people were reflected in a single picture. This painting? It has been left here by my nephew, the artist, to sell. However, its a pity that such themes aren''t popular. Well, I''m just going to sell it as a canvas that other painters can use if it doesn''t sell. The quality of canvas cloth looked to be high quality so it could be reused by coating it with another layer of paint. Besides, it was paintings like the portrait of an aristocrat, the picture of a beautiful noble lady, a parks scenery, religious paintings, or a glimpse of a battlefield that showed the victory of a general that was more popular in this era and preferred by people. I guess it was still too early for this type of theme depicting the lifestyle of commoners to be a popular trend in this era. This painting is so good. Especially the lively cat. Meow-Meow here is so cute. Teto also likes fish so she can understand Meow-Meows feelings. Ahahaha! So you fancy the cat! The shopkeeper burst into laughter. Apparently, he associated our words with the silly talk of children. I brushed it off with a calm smile and stared at the picture. Cats are the symbol of prosperity. It''s a sign of good omen. Cats are a symbol of prosperity? Yeah, even the stray cats are captured and eaten by the populace when there''s a famine. The cat in the painting has a nice coat of fur, obviously the cat has been getting plenty of food, and everyones expression looks bright. It''s displaying ordinary peoples mundane yet irreplaceable happiness. In fact, we have been through places struggling with scarcity of food where we didnt spot a single stray cat as we traveled through the Lovile Kingdom plagued with famine. This was the reason why this painting was an unexpected find for me. The shop owner looked at me with a serious expression as I stared at the heartwarming painting. Missy, what do you think the price of this painting would be according to you? Hmm A big gold coin. I took out a big gold coin equivalent to one million yen in Japan from the purse after taking it out from the magic bag. It was twice the value of the glass tableware we bought just a while ago. So expensive Yes. Although I cant be their patron, this is my little push for the master who has just begun to spread his wings. After we purchased the painting from the shop owner, we continued to spend our morning time browsing the other shops of the trade district once again to look for any lucky finds. Even after that time, we came to visit this town from time to time using a as we were lured by the nostalgia of the painting, bought other paintings, enchanted them to preserve them from deterioration, and asked Baretta to decorate our home with them. Vol. 4 - Ch. 111.2 - Treasure Hunting at the Trade District Chapter 28 (2) -SIDE: Unpopular Artist Lagando Zoil I was the third son of a merchant family born in the harbor town of the Lovile Kingdom, and I''m currently freeloading on my parents'' money. I always liked this town a town whose unique culture originated from the jumbled mess of this kingdom and other nations'' cultures- and would usually spend my days staring at the flow of the ships. As the willful third son of the merchant family that I was, my dream was to make a living by expressing that mundane yet peaceful scenery in art, but my family wasnt wealthy enough to support me. Thats why I devoted myself completely to art, mooching off of my family all the while listening to my father''s scoldings. I got my uncle to help out in displaying my painting in his shop and I also got the chance to set it at a spot where it was easy to see but it seemed like it was fated to eventually get turned into a new canvas as the painting was beginning to get in the way of other aspiring painters, given a new life again by the paints of others. Just take today''s example, I just came back after leaving my new painting at my uncles shop. The thought of me just quitting drawing encroached on my mind as it had begun to look to me like my art had no place in this world. It was around several days after that when my uncle came to my house, short of breath. Good news Lagando! Your painting got sold! Whaat!? My painting was!? How!? I was aware that this was quite a bizarre way to talk about my own painting however that was just my natural reaction since not a single painting of mine had been sold up until now. But as bizarre as it was, I couldnt stop myself from crying when I heard the description the buyer had said through my uncle and looked at the big gold coin he put on my palm. I was just glad that I didnt give up, I mean I never thought that someone could infer such profound meaning from my mundane painting. A big gold coin, if you look at it from the perspective of a merchant family, it wasnt that big of a deal. However, for me, a painter, it was proof of my hard work paying off. Thank you, Uncle. I think I''ll continue to draw for a while longer. Good luck, even I didn''t think there was such a meaning hidden in your painting. I guess I can continue to support you for a while. Sorry, I actually didn''t even think that deeply about my painting. All I know is that I like these types of sceneries In this way, I was given hope to journey through the dark world. With the push given to me by the young girl who bought my painting, my paintings eventually began to sell off. I began to receive commissions from the noble ladies who especially loved animals to draw paintings of their pets after I drew just the cat that had garnered praise from my first customer, and although this wasnt what I had in my mind, I was able to make a living as an artist. The everyday scenery of commoners that I continued to draw in my free time though they didnt cause a buzz was brought by the same young girls who would randomly drop by. Once, I became curious about the girls and secretly went to take a glimpse of those who had taken a liking to my paintings. They were a pair of beautiful young girls. One had beautiful black hair, slanted eyes, and graceful eyebrows while the other was a healthy light-brown skin beauty. The two girls, who should already be in their 20s, looked just as young as they had been when they first bought my painting ten years ago. I etched their unchanging appearance into my mind, went back to my home, took the paintbrush in my hand, and painted their appearance on the canvas with my undivided attention. They were no different from the incarnation of the goddess of luck for me. I kept the portrait of them always by my side ''til my last breath. For it was by their grace that I was able to live a fulfilled life as an artist in this life. SIDE: The Maids in the future - - - Somewhere in the future Master Lagando Zoil. He was born as the third son of a merchant family in the harbor town of the Lovile Kingdom and lived a life of an artist. In the beginning, he had been living under the financial support of his family as none of his initial works ever turned out to be popular enough to sell. However, that changed when he was in his late 20s when he gained fame as an animal artist and began to make a living by drawing the portraits of several animals and monsters he was commissioned to all the while traveling to various places in his homeland, and drawing the everyday scenery of people of said places into his canvas. When he reached the latter half of his life, he redrew the first painting he had ever sold as the last work of his life as an artist and gave his untitled work the title of Folks of the Morning Market. The was a famous piece of art in the current era and was even priced at 5 billion gold at the current era''s auction. Apart from that, his beginning work which had been sold as new canvases has also begun to be discovered in succession thanks to modern analysis and aggregation spells. There was also one painting of his titled in which he drew two girls. He absolutely refused to part from it all throughout his life. The records of that time were turned upside down to look for any clues about the girls and eventually they were identified as the adventurer duo from the party who were not only relevant personalities in that era but also had occasionally shown their trails in history. In fact, it has been suspected that they might have ties with the party of transcendence named ?Creation WItch?. However, it has yet to be confirmed why he drew that painting. There were several theories like they were his first love or maybe it was just another one of his themes but as stated above, a conclusion has yet to be reached. In this world where there are several duplicates and counterfeit paintings of Master Logando Zoil''s work Folks of the Morning Market in circulation countless still hope for his first illusory work to reappear in the world along with many of his other works he drew in his middle age whose whereabouts as of now are still shrouded in mystery. [From the worlds great history] - - We were reading the recently added new books in the residences library. We, who had gained souls and possessed egos, were in charge of managing the residence and attending to Master or Teto-sama along with the head maid Baretta-sama. This month''s edition of Worlds great history is so interesting! Ah, the life of Master Logando Zoil! Its the time when we һ the 17th generation maid group һ weren''t born yet. s?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Master, Teto-sama, or Baretta-sama were there when Master Logando Zoil was still alive, maybe we might be able to hear some exclusive gossip if we ask them. But I heard that the senpai maids at that time couldnt move outside of the barrier due to the low-mana environment at that time, unlike the current mana-filled . The three service dolls no, the three Demon Race/Mechanoids were chatting while forming a circle around a book. The printed image of the famous work of that time unraveled before their eyes as they turned to the next page of the book. The maids felt deja-vu when they saw that image and immediately turned around to look at something. This painting, isnt it the same? Hmm, well it indeed looks to be a perfect replica of that image No, it has a bit of a different style The painting hanging on the wall of the library was a piece of art from the era we hadn''t been born yet. Its hard to tell from which era that painting belonged to since a preservation spell had been put on the frame. The painting looked as good as new even after so long. The three also confirmed the sign of Master Logando Zilo in the painting''s corner. Ahahaha, what am I thinking? There''s no way it could be that illusionary first work . Its value is 5 billion gold if its real you know! Well, I dont know the total assets of Master but its really amazing if its the real one. Theres no way it could be real. Master and others have been living for so long, maybe they might have brought the counterfeit. Although each said their own opinion, it still wasn''t enough to suppress their bubbling curiosity as the trio began to look at it from various angles to check its authenticity. However, it was a pity none of the trio had the eye for or the adequate knowledge of antiques to draw any conclusion. What''re you three doing, the break time is about to end. Yes, Ma''am! The trio returned the book to its original position and went back to their work at the call of head maid Baretta. And thus the piece of art from an unknown era continued to hang on the wall of the Library, with its authenticity still shrouded in mystery. Vol. 4 - Ch. 112 - A leisure vacation and the sea monster subjugation request Chapter 29 -For the whole morning, Teto and I strolled around visiting the morning market and the other stalls. In the end, we arrived at a restaurant in a district mostly surrounded by houses of wealthy inland people slightly farther inside after the trade harbor. This district also doubled as a resort with it apparently having a private swimming beach for nobles and wealthy people to enjoy a leisure vacation away from the royal capital. "Chewing sound... Majou-sama, this pasta is yummy!" "Yeah, now you have another place to eat in." I chuckled at the sight of Teto stuffing her cheeks with pasta made with manilla clam called Vongole Bianco (white clam sauce pasta) with gusto and turned to my food, breaking the baked crab gratin with grill marks with my fork and eating it. "Oh, this is also delicious." "Majou-sama''s gratin looks yummy." "Fufu, here, have some of it." I am a light eater so I shared some of the gratin with Teto as it felt like it may be too much for me and we enjoyed our lunch. Apparently, the resort facing the rich housing district was also used by the general populace during yearly festivals so we weren''t mistreated in the store. It was the opposite in fact, the waiters and the chef in the back were equally delighted while looking at Teto who was eating the food as if they were the world''s most delicious dishes. "Thank you for the food. It was delicious." "We''ll come again to try out other dishes!" We left the store after settling the bill and we once again resumed our leisurely, aimless strolling. "Where are we going this time, Majou-sama?" "Hmm, let''s go to the beach." At the northern side of the fishing harbor town were the tidelands, the fishing harbor, and the trade harbor. Then there was also a swimming beach a bit away from that place on the southern side. "Sea, are we going to swim?" "No, we''re just going to gaze at the sea." Besides, the flow of people here was thin since it was off-season. Teto and I scaled the sandy beach while listening to the sound of the waves and picking up the seashells sticking out of the beach''s sand. "So beautiful. They''ll be nice souvenirs for Beretta and the others." "Yeah-nanodesu!" We continued to leisurely pass our time doing nothing but trifling things, then we returned to the ?Empty Wilderness? using the ?Transfer Gate? installed in the rental house in the evening and had a lip-smacking meal with Baretta and other service dolls cooked with the ingredients we bought in the morning market. We continued to lazily pass our days in town for a while after that day while going through menial requests in the guild. I also created potions with the mana grass raised in the ?Empty Wilderness? as per demand and sold them there. On one occasion, Teto and I went for a deep dive into the sea area a slight distance away from the town after putting up a barrier and spotted pearls from an untouched pearl oyster. It felt like we found a tiny treasure chest. Teto was once again back to one of her old hobbies, doing mock battles with the adventurers in the guild training ground. Even the Guild master and Dragonewt Doulgu stepped in to spar with her and it was a fierce battle indeed. He may be a Dragonewt but he wasn''t that different from humans appearance-wise. The only parts that made him stand out were his nearly 2-meter height, the scales on his hands, his scaly tail, and the horns on his head. It may have been Teto''s first time fighting a Dragonewt however she didn''t lose in strength as she was able to easily exchange blows with her magic sword against the magic sword of the Dragonewt Guild Master. The result was һһ "Ack! No way, I lost. My strength can easily contend for first or at least second position in this Kingdom, you know?" He didn''t have any visible injury or external wound even after taking a blow from Teto with that sturdy scales of his, but he accepted his loss in the mock battle and lowered his weapon. "Thank you-nanodesu! It was fun!" "I haven''t given up yet, let''s duel another time! Oh, and you too, A-rank Adventurer Chise..." "I am not going to do a duel. It''ll just exhaust me needlessly, that''s all." Doulgu, a former A-rank Adventurer, turned his expectant gaze towards me. No way, I could easily imagine how much the duel with a long lifespan person like him will tire me out. He seemed to be somewhat battle-crazed but he eventually cooled down, I guess the passing years had curbed his personality. Aside from them, we also occasionally accepted field requests handed to the guild. Early extermination of the monsters that were categorized as harmful beasts that threatened the life of the people. Capturing some other insects and animals to increase the diversification of the ecosystem of the ?Empty Wilderness?. Collecting the materials that are used as medicine in this region and then using the remaining amount to try growing them back in the wilderness. Although rare, there were also some high-difficulty requests. "Sigh As one would expect from a harbor town, the request to subjugate monsters in the seashore is high." "Teto can''t participate in the battle either. Sigh!" "Hey, what are you saying, aren''t you already doing your best!?" This time the request was to subjugate a B-rank monster, a sea serpent. It was a request from the town''s feudal lord. Teto and I rode the warship managed by the feudal lord and came out to the sea to fight the sea serpent along with the Guild Master Doulgu. "I will target the sea serpent directly. һ?Fly?!" I tossed the unprocessed monster meat into the sea as bait and soon the sea serpent showed itself, lured by the smell of blood and the mana from the mana stone left in that corpse. There were also other C-rank or lower aquatic monsters lured by the bait. I flew to the sky using flight magic and attacked the sea serpent from there. Teto and Guild Master Doulgu protected the ship alongside the other soldiers of the feudal lord. "Shouldn''t we help out? I don''t think it''s a good idea to leave it all to a young girl." The soldiers aboard the ship directed their worried gazes at me who flew alone in the sky and arrived just above the sea serpent. "No worry-nanodesu! Majou-sama is strong!" "She''s not a mere paper tiger A-rank Adventurer, you know? And calling her a young girl is even more hilarious since, despite her looks, she''s apparently older than any of you!" Even Teto''s words didn''t ease the soldiers'' worries completely but our strength, past achievement, and the words from Doulgu, who not only has the title of guild master but also has their trust, caused them to be surprised. "I guess I gotta be more active to erase the worries of the soldiers. Go down. һһ?Sound Bomb? ?Thunderbolt?!" I turned to the sea and fired two spells. The first one was the sound bomb I created by pouring the compressed wind magic that amplified sound in a barrier. Second was my favorite lightning bolt spell. My first spell shocked the monsters including the sea serpent that was lurking in the sea, causing them to faint and rupturing their ears. Then any monsters that were still conscious were annihilated by the high-voltage electricity that spread through the water due to the lightning bolt. s?a??h th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "A, amazing...... So this is the power of the magician from the ?Flying Carpet?" I brushed off the rising steam from the boiling sea surface due to the lightning bolt with wind magic and looked at the floating bodies of the monsters. "It seems to be a good catch. This shouldn''t have damaged their materials either." The difficulty level to subjugate the sea monsters is higher with their advantage of being able to swim underwater but on the downside, the specific underwater environment has weakened their resistance to other factors. I just targeted that specific weak point of theirs and selected the spells that would do the least harm to their materials. "That was a neat way to take them down if I do say so myself. һһ?Psychokinesis?" I pulled out the bodies of all the monsters including the sea serpent using psychokinesis from dark magic. Small size monsters were put in the bag, monsters with decent size were loaded into the warship while the biggest of all, the sea serpent, was decorated on the haul of the boat to display its triumphant return. һһ"Hey look, isn''t that our lord''s ship?" һһ"Kyaaa! What''s that!? A monster is hanging on it!" һһ"It''s the sea serpent that appeared in the sea! No way, they took it down!?" һһ"Look Doulgu-san is aboard the deck!" һһ"Did he take it down!?" The excited voices of the harbor town''s populace echoed even ''til the deck of the ship while I was contemplating which part of the sea serpent to sell. "I bet Teto would want the magic stone, eyeballs can be used as catalysts for magic or in magic tools. Fangs, skin, and bones were good materials to be used for weapons or armor and the heart and liver are magic potion materials. Its flesh was light colored just like chicken but it should be tasty." Almost every part of the sea serpent was valuable when I checked it, though a problem eventually occurred since I can''t sell all the materials at once with so many monster materials on hand. "Well, leaving aside its mana stone and eyeballs which are my first choices, I would like to keep the heart and liver to be used in medicine, and around one-third of its flesh." "Majou-sama already has many weapons and armor in her collection so materials aren''t needed!" After saying that, Teto jotted down the sea serpent''s materials to be sold on paper. She also checked on the rest of the other monsters'' corpses and quoted their value. Then she began to look at the information about the monsters in the monster encyclopedia since there were many aquatic monsters of various sizes aside from the sea serpent. It may have been my magic that took them down but there was also a need to distribute the profits to Guild Master Doulgu who accompanied us, the feudal lord who provided the ship, and also the soldiers. "Well, slightly cut down on our parts, and assigned it to Guild Master Doulgu and the feudal lord." Especially to the feudal lord, it was he who had hired the two A-rank Adventurers, Teto and me, and Dogula for the subjugation of the sea serpent. The feudal lord''s expense wasn''t something trifling in this so it wouldn''t sit well with me if I kept the majority of the profits to myself. "There are really so many things an adventurer must focus on." If anything happened, it was better to proceed with good feelings than let your conscience hurt. In normal cases, I could easily prepare consumable goods like potions or weapons that cost high amounts of mana with my ?Creation Magic? or items prepared beforehand. Well, one more reason why I already had a lot of money saved up even after the shopping spree on our holidays. I passed the note which had the estimated price of the monsters written on it when the ship docked at the harbor while I was thinking about such things. "I feel a bit tired so we''re going to take a break for 2 or 3 days. We''ll come back to receive our payment for the request or the materials after that." "I''m looking forward to trying out the sea serpent''s meat!" I left how to deal with the materials to Guild Master Doulgu and returned to the ?Empty Wilderness? where we lazily spent our days. Vol. 4 - Ch. 113 - Magic Wand - Hisui Chapter 30 -I was currently facing a certain object in a room of our residence at the ?Empty Wilderness? after dealing with the subjugation of the sea serpent. "Sigh Good grief, I really don''t know what to do with it" "You still can''t make up your mind, Majou-sama?" That thing was the floating stone that Lariel had given to us. I thought that it was a bit dangerous to sell it as of now. "I think Majou-sama should just make a newer and better wand." "Wand? What''re yoһһ ah, maybe." I also have a wand as a witch but its ability wasn''t actually that good. To be more accurate, I didn''t see any reason to waste resources on a wand that helped out in reducing mana expenditure and amplified a spell''s might when I had excessive amounts of mana һ over 300,000 units. All the wands I created thus far specialized in spell coordination ability. "Majou-sama uses a broomstick and a wand differently when flying but Teto thinks you can use them together with this." "Ah, I see. You mean for flying purposes." It actually didn''t sound bad. Not only would it improve traveling time through flying magic but I would also be able to cut down on the mana needed to maintain the levitating spell by using the inherent nature of a floating stone. "You''re right, but I gotta see which materials I should use alongside it." "World tree is fine I think!" "Ah, maybe." They were the trees I created with high mana emission output in mind and raised in this wilderness. The trees I planted in the initial stage of reformation had grown spectacularly big. They dropped plenty of good quality thick branches on stormy days, like the one that happened yesterday, which were then collected and put in one place by Baretta and the other service dolls. "They''re indeed the finest materials for a wand. Let''s see if there are other materials we need." I fetched some books about wand manufacturing for a magic tool maker out of the book collection that I had filled up by either purchasing books or replicating them with ?Creation Magic?. "Materials are okay. Alright, let''s give it a try." In front of me were the branch of a 30-year-old world tree''s branch, the floating stone, and a Mithril ore. "Here I go. һһ?Extraction?!" I used the extraction magic that can be used from the alchemy or earth magic category, extracted the high-purity Mithril from the Mithril ore, and refined it. I shaped it into an ingot and next, I took the floating stone and put it on my hand. "һһ?Charge?! It''s really floating." Apparently, it produced a repulsion force that acted against gravity when mana was poured into it. I think not just ''Fly'', the flying spell might also help out in amplifying other spells like ''Reflection'', a counterspell against an enemy''s offensive spell. "Well, let''s first give it a nice shape." The deep green shine on the floating stone took an even more attractive shade after I polished it with the wax I created with my ?Creation Magic?. I then put it beside the materials of the wand without splitting it, leaving it in the shape when we first excavated it. "Now I just have to put it between the Mithril pedestal and match it with the branch of the world tree." I manipulated the Mithril ingot-like clay with magic and formed a pedestal for the thin Mithril vines to wrap around the floating stone. After that, I polished the surface of the world tree''s branch with refining magic, and when the surface was perfectly dry after applying the wax, I connected it with the Mithril pedestal holding the floating stone. And in the end, I added some properties to the created wand that were more for the likes of a flying magic tool rather than a wand. "I''m done. Here''s my new wand!" It was quite a big wand since I made sure to keep the size almost the same as the broomstick I once used to fly in the sky. "Let''s go for a trial run." I met with Teto and Baretta who were releasing the animals and creatures we captured during our journey into the forest when I came out of the mansion with the new wand in my hand. "You''re here, Majou-sama! Have you made your new wand?" "Yeah, I''m done. This is the one." I showed them the newly created long wand I made using a branch of the world trees, a Mithril ore, and the floating stone. "I''m going to test it out, are you guys coming with me to watch?" "Teto will go!" ?I, too, will follow master.? I moved to the place that was still untouched in the ?Empty Wilderness? with ?Teleportation? magic together with Teto and Baretta. "Alright, we can use any magic we want here without bothering others!" "Good luck, Majou-sama! Teto has built the walls." ?Then I will be acting as an analyst.? S?a?ch* Th? ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Teto set up the walls to be used as target practice while Baretta assumed the role of an analyst and a commentator. I raised my wand and channeled mana into it as they watched me. "...... Incredible, this is simply incredible." I had been using a generic magic wand that I created with my creation magic up until now and the floating stone wand was simply not just a world, but was more like a universe apart in its ability to amplify mana from the core when compared to my old wand. Then the amplified mana took the form of a green glow that pervaded the surrounding area. "һһ?Wind Cutter?!" The wind blade from the ?Wind Cutter? had the same size as I was familiar with but the mana density packed into it was simply sky high which could be seen after it cut apart the wall Teto created like a hot knife running on butter. "This power can''t be used on humans. Teto, a big boulder this time." "Roger-nanodesu!" This time I opted for a wind bullet spell against the big boulder created by compressing the ground''s soil. The thirty compressed wind bullets gouged out the surface of the boulder and pierced all the way to its core. "The piercing and offensive ability are just so different. Let''s try some other magic." According to Baretta''s analysis, the wind magic had improved by ten folds, the dark and no attribute magic by three folds, and the rest received twofold improvement. "That''s really a terrific improvement. I would like to refrain from using it as much as I can." The ?Thunderbolt? spell was one of the most devastating magic in my arsenal and also incorporated wind magic in it. There was no doubt that the damage would spread to unrelated parties after the tenfold leap in its power if I continued to use it without thinking like I had been doing before. "That''s too strong. I guess I''ll have to create a stopper." I created a Mithril cap on the other end of the cane of the floating stone wand and put up the grant magic on it to restrict it from casting any other spell aside from flying purpose spells. The mithril cap would now cap the might of my spells back to their original value even with the amplified mana. Also, the surplus mana generated due to the amplification was emitted in the form of a green glow and improved the toughness of the whole cane. I also re-tuned it to the likes of a blunt weapon as well to be used for striking with the cane arts. Im going to check its flight capabilities now, Majou-sama, Teto also wants to ride later. ?Be careful, Master.? I straddled the now sealed cane and kicked the ground. It floated into the sky while leaving behind a trail of green glow that it emits when releasing mana. This is also nice. The response I''m getting now is far better than before. Up until today, I would always receive a subtle lag when turning, accelerating, or decelerating. However, this wand was moving as if it was an extension of my body without any sense of dissonance. Not just that, I also didnt feel any wind pressure, perhaps the repulsive force around the cane was working like a wind-warding barrier and the wand automatically kept the balance by releasing an opposite force against centrifugal force due to the sudden turn. Its like it has no end to the mana it can take. The flying capabilities of the wand were exceptional compared to the broomstick I used before by pouring the same mana amount. Just like how the wand was amplifying the wind magics might by 10 fold as a magic wand, the floating stone that was the catalyst here guzzled down the mana I poured and channeled it as speed by amplifying it. This needs a bit of a flying speed limiter. Well, I should also get some accident prevention magic tools ready as something might happen due to the high speed. I willed the wand to descend to the place where Teto and Baretta were and went through another fine-tuning. satisfied sigh I guess it will be fine now. I put another mithril ring on the body of the wand, gave them the property of limiting the wands performance alongside enchanting it with a complex spell for a speed limiter when flying, a speed minimizer to lower the speed when needed, a safety barrier, and so on. Alright, its done. Majou-sama, Teto also wants to ride behind you! No problem. And you, Beretta? You also wanna join? The wands length was big enough to carry two people, Teto and me, so I asked if Baretta would like to ride in turn, though she just shook her head quietly. ?Please, dont mind me, Master. I will be waiting for you here while preparing the tea.? Beretta took out a table and a cooktop from the magic bag that I had created using ?Creation Magic? and began to prepare the tea. So I once again leaped into the sky with Teto riding behind me to check the ride quality of the new wand and we had a 30-minute fun flying ride. But in excitement, I forgot about the dust cloud we could make with wind pressure when we landed where Baretta was, though fortunately, nothing of the sort happened as the floating stones reaction force let us pull a smooth landing. Were back, Beretta. Were back-nanodesu! ?Welcome back, Master, Teto-sama. I have the tea prepared.? Teto and I sipped our tea in the wilderness center after that while gazing at the slowly growing meadow in the distance and the trees that had been growing even beyond that meadow to calm ourselves. I also had a look from the sky, we really came a long way from the initial barren wilderness. ?Master, you looked tired. Speaking of, I think this is one fine wand with exceptional capabilities, what name are you going to bestow it?? A name I silently contemplated the name at Barettas question and eventually came up with something. I have decided. What do you think about ?Magic Wand - Hisui?? I came up with that name because of its characteristic of releasing a vivid jade-green glow when flying. It sounds good! ?I also think its a wonderful name.? Im glad. Though its such a powerful wand that I, unfortunately, cant use it to its max ability. I muttered while stroking my new wand. I then enjoyed my vacation in the ?Empty Wilderness? after that. *T/N: Hisui - Hi means sky, moving into the sky, as quick as moving in the free sky while Sui means green associated with Invoigrating, harmony. Vol. 4 - Ch. 114 - And then, their sail to the Royal Capital Chapter 31 -For a while, we continue our life of traveling between the harbor town''s guild to sort out the menial requests that had piled up and the ?Empty Wilderness?. On one such day, we were called to the reception room by the Dragonewt Guild Master Doulgu when we visited the guild to accept requests as usual. Excuse me for calling you out of the blue. Dont be apologetic, we dont mind. Anyway, has something happened? I slightly straightened up, considering maybe something out of the norm had happened since the guild master had called us A-rank adventurers though this seemed not to be the case as guild master Doulgu offered his explanation with a bitter smile. Youre no less than the lifesaver as the unattended requests from around the town that had piled up have been reduced to almost nothing. Having you say that means our efforts paid off. It would already be a busy month for us if there was an adequate request for us A-rank adventurers at that time. Thus it would naturally come down to handling requests meant for lower ranks. We generally leave the good requests to the relevant rank adventurers and accept the requests whose rewards are generally average or even lower than that. Requests whose rewards are too low are closely examined by the guild. Adventurers or guilds wouldnt be able to earn well if clients cheap out on their compensation despite their sufficient financial capabilities as that would lower the market rate and eventually put them into a tough spot. That was why guilds closely investigate requests beforehand to protect precisely that and there were also cases where they reject them. However they do let some requests among others pass after the investigation reveals that the client really was in a pinch and could truly only pay that much or, in some cases, if they deemed it would become a huge mess later down the time. Almost all the unpopular requests that might have a chance to turn dangerous in this northern coastal area of the Lovile kingdom have been resolved. Not just me, the town''s lord shares the same sentiment, so once again, thank you very much for your hard work. Please dont say it anymore. You ought not to bow your head to us. Yeah, Teto too just wanted to do some fun requests together with Majou-sama-nanodesu! Dogul gave a stiff smile when I requested him not to bow his head anymore. High-ranking adventurers only accept requests when other potentially dangerous requests finally evolve to the one matching their status. The rewards, of course, subsequently rise and it also leads to their fame. However, behind that fame and wealth lay the trails of the damage already done. I had been exposed to this truth in the twenty years I spent in the Gard Beastkin Nation after finally reaching A-rank. Stopping the damage before it could happen; we had been solving such potentially dangerous requests as much as possible for such a reason. The monster subjugation in the abandoned mining town of Arim-chan was one such prime example of a potentially hazardous situation that was sure to become a disaster. Your virtues are really noble. I had never thought of doing that during my adventuring years. It was not until I entered the management side by becoming a guild master that I finally realized the problem. Doulgu let out a sigh after saying that, recalling his past, but if anything, his reaction just came out as slightly funny considering how he still looked young due to being a dragnet which was a long-lived species. Give me a break, I accept your gratitude but is that really all you have to say? No, well you see I was thinking its such a waste for an A-rank party to stay here when most of the potentially hazardous requests have been cleared off thanks to you. Wont you think about moving to the royal capitals guild? Royal capitals guild? " Dogul continued when we two cocked our heads, unable to comprehend where he was heading to. The requests pile up more frequently in the royal capital than in this town. Usually, A-rank parties directly receive requests from the nation that can''t be put on the bulletin board or from the nobles through the guilds, right? Well, yeah. Indeed, it may be time to move to the royal capital. The place or the distance is hardly a concern for us with the transfer gate in our possession. The royal capital might be more fun with its trade volume that was higher than even this harbor town. We just received an escort request for a merchant ship scheduled to leave for the royal capital one week later. You now also have experience fighting on the sea with the sea serpent subjugation so why dont you take this chance to head to the royal capital, too? Very well, we''ll accept that escort request. Thus, Teto and I began our preparation for the trip to the Lovile kingdoms royal capital. The first thing to do was to clean up the rented house and then pay the fee. Then, we went on a round trip to stock up on ingredients for the journey while going around bidding our farewells to the people of the morning market as well as the fishermen there with whom we had become acquainted throughout our stay. "I pray that the blessing of the Oceanus goddess Luriel-sama shines upon you since you''re venturing into the sea." "I pray for the heaven goddess Leriel-sama to grace you with nice windy weather for your ship voyage." "Thank you very much." "Thank you very much-nanodesu!" The old fishing couple who gave us a bonus for our purchases wished us a safe trip. We passed our time while thinking about how Teto and I had been recognized as apostles of the two pillar goddesses Lariel and Liliel --- no way we were going to have a peaceful time if this was to be exposed. We retrieved the transfer gate from the rented house, returned the key to the owner, and headed for the port where our escort target, the merchant ship, was anchored. "Hello. Do you happen to be the merchant Wado?" "Yes, that I am. And you little girls are?" A middle-aged man with suntanned skin turned to look at us when we called out to him. "We''re the adventurers who have received the escort request from the guild master Doulgu." "Here''s our guild card-nanodesu!" A look of surprise dyed the middle-aged man''s face when we showed him our guild cards and once again ran his gaze on us from top to bottom to take another good look. "Ah, so you''re the esteemed adventurers! The ones who resolved the case of the sea serpent that brought a halt to our voyages! I heard directly from the guild master Doulgu that you may look like young girls but you''re the veterans with over 40 years of experience!" It was natural for many to have doubts about us with our young appearance but it seemed like guild master Doulgu had already explained the situation properly it seems. "It''s our first merchant ship escort request so we will be imposing on you to learn many things." "We''ll be in your care!" "I see, in that case, please listen to the details as we have a contracted adventurer party here." We boarded the merchant ship under the guidance of the suntanned and slightly humble-looking merchant and listened to the details about this time''s escort request. Adventures and sailors would take 4 shifts a day to observe the sea, defeat any monster that came to attack the ship and continue the journey. S~?a??h the Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The wind came blowing from the north in this season so the voyage was expected to take around two weeks. "That''s all for now, you are free to do anything outside of your shift duration. Whether you want to sleep, cook, or fish, there''s no restriction." "Thank you. We''ll try to adapt soon." We climbed the deck of the ship and looked at the goods being loaded into the ship by the sailors. The majority of them were the foodstuff, water, and fuel needed for cooking. There were also some other expensive things stuffed here and there but the truly valuable stuff was in the magic bag of the merchant. "Everyone, let''s go." The merchant ship left the harbor and moved in the direction of the royal capital. Sailors rowed the boat ''til a certain distance and then they eventually unfurled the sail, letting the wind give support as the boat advanced on the sea. Teto and I looked at the harbor town we had been staying in recently from the sail. "It was a nice place." "Teto would like to hang out there again!" The abandoned mine town wasn''t particularly blessed with resources yet the dwarves were leading a moderate life. The hustle and bustle of the harbor town or the merry voices of people from it could be heard ''til here. Distance or place no longer bound us in its web with the ?Transfer Gate? but the occasional once-in-a-lifetime trip just has a different charm. With such bliss within our hearts, we shifted our thoughts to the upcoming royal capital as I took off my hat and let my hair flutter on the wind from the sea. Vol. 5 - Ch. 115 - Escorting a Merchant Ship and the Oracle From the Oceanus Goddess Arc 5 - The Fallen Witch and The Mythical Beast That Tumbled Down From The Sky AboveChapter 1 - A fishing line stretched out from the deck of a ship. Teto and I were fishing on the merchant ship whose escort request we accepted and was treading the sea on its way to the capital city of the Lovile Kingdom. Its so hard to fish, Majou-sama. Well, have some patience and think about how fun it will be when we finally catch a fish. A fishing line was dangling from the fishing rod in my hands as I sat on the ships deck. Teto was sitting while hugging me from behind, her chin resting on my head as we both gazed at the ocean. Hello ladies, are you fishing for tonight''s dinners side dish? 0 points. Its just for fun. The leader of the adventurer party private guards to be more precise called out to us. He made a bitter expression while pointing at the empty bucket placed beside us. Thats a pity. Anyway, were you guys able to get used to this sea voyage? Lets see, I think yeah, somehow. Its just the food part thats hard to adapt to. Though were grateful that we can at least prepare our own food. I spoke out my impression up until now at the query of the adventurer partys leader. The ship was loaded with more preserved food and other foodstuffs that required less cooking time. Like gruel, porridge made from simmering water and wheat, dried fish, jerky, salted pickle, and pickled vegetables. Cooking was done as fast as possible because both water and firewood were precious commodities that were preserved very carefully and also due to the rocking of the ship which could cause a disaster. Our meals weren''t as refined as usual due to such reasons. That was why we''ve been preparing our meals by ourselves for the last two days. Indeed the meals you prepared looked delicious. And what about you, Miss Teto? Have you gotten used to the lifestyle on this ship? I cant sleep with Majou-sama so I hate it slightly. We slept on hammocks as it was impossible to prepare beds for every member of the ship crew. Teto was unhappy because she couldnt sleep with me due to the cramped space of the hammock. I usually pass the time reading a book on the swaying hammock, fishing for fresh fish, or chatting with the adventurers and crew members when they were on their break. And last was ......A monster appeared at 10 o''clock. I had my mana sense wrapped around the ship and the area while fishing. I caught the mana of some monsters that were approaching us from underwater so I alerted the leader. Amazing senses you have! Let me call my comrades and greet them with our attacks! No need to raise the alarm, it would be faster for me to act. Besides, its going to be our meal tonight. Please look after the ship, Teto. Come back soon, Majou-sama! I motioned the leader to stop his actions, took out my flying wand Hisui from the magic bag, straddled it, and leaped to the sky while activating the flight magic. I blasted several spells towards the monsters that I sensed were directly heading here. Now become our dinners side dish. ?Sound Bomb?! A pillar of water rose up from the sea surface as I dropped my compressed sound bomb. Some of the fish-type monsters fainted from the sound waves and floated on the sea surface while those who didn''t faint fell into a panic, scattered, and ran away. More and more comatose fish monsters floated onto the surface due to the 2nd and 3rd sound bombs I fired in succession. I cant sense any more signs of monsters, so that ends the job. Alright, fishing time. ?Psychokinesis?. I manipulated a large net for fishing using my psychokinetic power, scooped up the fish monsters that were floating on the sea surface, and brought them back to the ship. Im back~, Teto. Look at my great haul. The fish monsters caught in the net had sharp teeth and fins which could inflict wounds with their bites or sharp fins. These fish monsters might have had the terrain advantage of being able to move underwater, but that same advantage also became their bane. Their overall resistance was hellishly low. Even a chilly wind of 0 degrees celsius could freeze them to death They could be easily killed using cold wind from wind magic when they were caught in a net while unconscious. Welcome back, Majou-sama! Amazing, lets hurry and process this with everyone! Teto looked at the school of fish several tens of centimeters long on the deck and started the preparation to process them. She chopped off the fish heads and fins that were their dangerous parts, opened their bellies, removed their organs and the magical stones inside their bodies, and turned the sliced fish into ingredients for cooking. Other crew members who had free time in their hands also began to help out while excitedly looking at the fresh fish that was going to be tonight''s dinner. Majou-sama, how should we cook these fishes?" Right. We had purchased sauce from the harbor town, hadnt we? Lets have fried fish tonight. Frying fish in large quantities with oil on the ship was not a recommended method due to the risk of fire, but it was easie-peasie with knowledge and the power of magic. I covered the seasoned fish in wheat flour, dipped it in beaten eggs, and then covered them with breadcrumbs. What should we do now? We''ll pan-fry it. I poured a small amount of oil into a frying pan and then cooked and fried the fish on a magic fire. Once one side had turned light brown, I flipped the fish and ta-dah, the fried fish was ready once both sides became fluffy. Teto is going to sample-taste it! Go ahead. Give them a try with lemon juice and other juices too. On one side I was frying fish one after another for our dinner and on the other side, the crew members and guard adventurers who had helped out in processing them were looking at the food hungrily with their throats making saliva-gulping sounds. I will teach you the cooking process so help yourself. Hoorayyyy! I demonstrated how to cook fried fish as they burst into excited cheers and had them taste it. It was yet the passing of another peaceful exchange between the sailors and the adventurers on the monster-infested sea. I also taught the crew members how to use the ?Clean? spell from the cleanse magic since we couldn''t use water to wash our bodies on the ship as well as the ?Water? spell from the life magic that may come in handy in securing drinking water. Besides that, I also received their admiration when I made the porridge cookies out of the leftover porridge porridge wasnt popular among the others due to its bland taste by adding a little flavor like mixed dried fruits and pressed barley, turning the mixture into a dough, baking it on a pan, and then cooling it. As the voyage proceeded smoothly, and we passed half of the scheduled route, I found myself in the familiar black space as I was sleeping in a hammock on the ship. Oh, the oracle space. I wonder whether it''s Liliel or Lariel who called me this time. Teto is happy to meet the gods once again, Majou-sama! Just when I, the goddess apostle, was surveying the space while Teto was trembling from excitement, an unfamiliar woman that wasnt Liliel or Lariel appeared. She carried a gentle and noble vibe around her, had blue-green wavy hair, looked just slightly younger than Lililel, and had something that neither the energetic Lariel nor the wise, serious to the core Liliel had, her chest was huge. ?Nice to meet you, the new apostle of my esteemed sisters. Im the Oceanus Goddess Luriel.? Nice to meet you, Im Chise. Teto-nanodesu! Nice to meet you! Luriel gave a wry smile at our simple self-introduction to her, an unfamiliar goddess. She was exuding a refreshing air different from the easy-going Lariel or the overly-sincere Liliel. S~?a??h the ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?I had been so waiting for this time after hearing the constant praises from La Ane-sama and Lili Ane-sama! There was no end to my surprise when I heard that the reincarnated individual this time is a rare bird who has been striving to restore that ?Empty Wilderness?.? Were just working to make a place of our own. We now have Baretta and the others too, every day is fun! Oh, Im glad to hear that. Luriel looked at us as the corner of her amiable-looking eyes dropped while smiling gently. Then Youre a great person for someone so small. Err but why the petting? ?Your cuteness drew me in, I guess.? While she looked cute when she put her finger on her cheek and inclined her head at my question, Teto hugged me, apparently riled up by the words of Luriel. Its forbidden to snatch Majou-sama! ?Fufu, Im not taking her away from you. But jealous Teto-chan is not any less cute though.? Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh Luriel pulled Teto and me, whom she was hugging, into a big hug. I kinda feel that her magnanimity was a level higher than the Earth Goddess Liliel. ?Fufu, pardon me. It has been a while since I got so excited since youve finally arrived at my domain.? Huff Oh, alright. So long story short; she was excited to finally meet us because since she was the Oceanus Goddess who governed over water, her influence has yet to reach the ?Empty Wilderness? where there was no source of a river in the past or even in the current time which was still outside of her influence. ?Even Leri-chan, who is the Heaven Goddess, had a hard time controlling the air in the ?Empty Wilderness? since theres that barrier that prevents the flow of mana more like, she couldnt interfere with mana flowing in the atmosphere there due to the barrier. And you know Lo-chan, the youngest amongst all us sisters, is the Hell Goddess who brings both death and peace though shes usually in her half-sleepy mode. Ah, but I guess it was nice of her to release the souls of the victims of the ancient magic civilization''s runaway magic experiment. And you know what happened after that? I somehow endured the fainting sensation I was having from Luriels one-sided conversation and occasionally hummed along absentmindedly. Luriel, who seemed like she finally had enough, then released us. So Luriel, do you have any request for us? Like Lariel. I considered that we had a nice enough introduction and so brought the main topic forward, though all I got was a clueless look from her. ?Fufu, I came to just chat with you guys. But youre right. You have been such a huge help to both my Ane-samas so let me give you a god-esque oracle.? Teto and I immediately took an attentive posture to not miss out on any words of Luriel who said so while raising her finger. ?The ship youre on will face a storm tomorrow afternoon. So be careful.? Storm ?Yes. Well, I doubt it could do anything to both of you cuties but just in case, okay?? Then I felt the gap between us widening at an incredible speed just as Luriel said her goodbye with a light tone. Looking at the rising sun in the distant horizon peeking out from the crevice of the ship''s room and the crystal clear weather, Teto and I braced for the incoming Storm that Luriel foretold us through an oracle. Vol. 5 - Ch. 116 - Storm’s Menace Chapter 2Hey, what do you think about todays weather?" As I asked this question to the captain of this merchant ship while looking at the clear sky overhead. He made an amiable expression and said with a smile Weather looks to be great for now, and there''s also a downstream wind blowing from the north so its going to be a nice voyage today. I see What do you think are the chances of the weather turning bad in the afternoon and becoming a storm? The captain''s face turned bitter at my question. Weather on the sea is as fickle as a feather in the wind so the chances of it deteriorating into a storm cant be ruled out. At times like that, we fold the sail and wait for the storm to pass by staying still. Thank you for your explanation. I expressed my thanks and returned to Tetos side. Majou-sama, what have you decided on? Its not about how we just have to do what we can within our capabilities. We werent the gods who could handle the weather with a flip of our hands. Besides, I didnt know if it would even be a good choice to forcefully make the storm vanish either as it might show up in some other place instead for all we know. Since things were problematic either way, we could only do our best to endure the storm and pray for it to pass quickly. Besides, gods arent omnipotent either. Even gods couldnt directly interfere with the weather according to what I was able to make out from Luriel''s story in her oracle. What I understood was that they watched over the world through the mana that reside in objects or through the attributes they governed, and then controlled the weather or passed divine punishment through a little miracle. The greatest known miracle of the five goddesses is the great barrier they had erected to prevent the flow of mana from being sucked away into the ?Empty Wilderness?, but even that is an exception among exceptions. Any natural phenomenon aside from that should be them pulling it through the laws of physics rather than their mana or divinity. But, this has just deepened my interest in this world more and more now that I know a part of how it works. Pout Dont just talk to yourself, Majou-sama! Teto, dissatisfied that I stopped talking to her and was off in my own world, poked my cheek. After that, both Teto and I put ourselves on alert to not miss any sign of the storm as we stared at the azure sky as if wanting to pierce through it. Dark clouds began to show themselves gradually as the time reached the afternoon. They thickened, took an even deeper shade of gray, and began to cover the sky with their color. A storm is coming! Lower the sails now! We cant even enter any harbor given the scale of it! Get yourselves ready everyone, were going to brave it here in the sea! The undulation of the waves surged and pushed against the boat as strong winds blew down from the sky accompanied by the heavy rain pouring down diagonally. The storm is even fiercer than I expected. Are you alright, Majou-sama? Teto supported me on the swaying deck of the ship when I stumbled on my footing as I held onto the Hisui in one hand and pinned down my triangular witch hat to keep it from being blown away into the storm on the other. Thank you, Teto! Anyway, we have to first protect the ship from the rage of the storm and rain! ?Avoidance?! I made a globe-shaped barrier covering the whole ship. This is S?a?ch* Th? ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Its a spell that protects from arrow rain! This should be able to abate the effects of the storm! Magic spells like normal barriers that possessed the characteristic of being able to interfere with the material world wouldnt be able to offset the momentum of the waves with how chaotic the sea was and it would just cause the ship to be overturned. Thats why I opted for the arrow-proof ?Avoidance? barrier to veer away from the wind and rain. This reduced the load on already struggling sailors and we somehow managed to make a firm footing on the ship. Alright, now we just have to be careful of the swaying of the boat and were all set! Set the boat to be vertically aligned with the waves! The captain raised his voice. The privately hired adventurers were also on the deck with their weapons out as the sailors operated the ships. It seems like monsters took advantage of the storm to slip in! Protect the ladies who put the windbreaker! Although the arrow-proof barrier could defend the boat from the rage of the wind and rain, it couldnt ward off things that held a certain amount of mass. Fish monsters slipped under the waves amidst the storm, came out of the sea, and leaped onto the deck one after another. I reckoned that the monsters'' intention should be to feed on the sailors by either biting them or making them fall into the sea with ramming attacks. And given how chaotic the sea was currently, it wouldn''t be good if any of them fell into the water. The adventurer party continued to swing their weapon at the waves of monsters, kicked them back to sea using the momentum of the swaying ship after defeating them, and then moved on to the next target. Ah, what a waste of monsters! Teto is also off to defeat them! Be careful to not fall into the sea, Teto! I continued to hold the wand up and deploy the windbreaker. I also fired some wind blades at the leaping monsters and sent them back to the sea before they could get on the deck while maintaining the arrow-proof barrier spell which was stronger than ever now due to the magic amplification of the floating stone. Teto, too, swung her black magic sword left and right, stored the bodies of the defeated monsters in the magic bag fastened to her waist and continued to collect ingredients. Just as the battle had been going on for around two hours, a conspicuous black shadow could be seen hovering above the sky. What is that black thing A black silhouette was floating amidst the dense, black clouds. One could see a glimpse of a green light from the thick clouds on that huge black shadows lower body. Then it began to rain rocks all of a sudden, perhaps blown away by the wind from that thing. Why in the world are rocks suddenly falling! Shit! Oh, the great marine goddess Luriel-sama! Please protect us! The members of the adventurer party cursed while the sailors prayed to the goddess as they operated the ship. Lets see, I''ve already amplified the wind magic, now the dark-gravity magic That should do it. ?Collapse Bullet?! Around 20 fist-sized black spheres formed at the tip of my wand. I took notice of the ships mast to not accidentally hit it and fired those bullets into the sky. They were the black spheres of destruction that I came up with by changing the direction of the gravitational magic ?Gravity? from downward to inwardly and their powers were amplified by the floating stone. Each bullet consumed 10,000 units of mana much more than even the ?Thunderbolt? I had used to defeat the sea serpent. Like a balloon, the compressed black spheres swelled up into 5-meter spheres as soon as they came in contact with the falling rocks and swallowed them inside. The swallowed rocks were reduced to atoms literally by the immense pressure packed inside the spheres. Holy crap The sailors exclaimed in amazement at the sight of the black spheres appearing in the sky one after another and then let out sighs of relief seeing all the falling rocks being reduced to nothingness. Sigh This has sorted out the immediate danger for now. But how come rocks are falling into this part of the sea? While there was the black shadow in the sky, there was no tall mountain as far as eyes could see in this broad ocean from where the rocks could even fall from. It was the leader of the adventurer party that cleared my doubt when I muttered it out. Rocks must have fallen from the floating island. What do you mean by floating isla... wait, dont tell that was I recalled the huge black shadow as well as the green light shining on the lower part of its body and looked at the wand in my hand. After comparing them I was sure it was the same kind of light as the ?Floating Stone?. Floating islands can be seen around the vicinity of the Lovile Kingdom. We may have gotten close to one of them inadvertently in the storm. We usually take care to not pass through the same place where the floating islands are but we probably didnt realize this in the storm." It seemed like the dark clouds hovering in the sky hid the floating island as it was no longer visible when I looked up again while listening to the explanation. The desire to someday see a floating island in clear weather swirled inside me. It was then that I noticed something falling from the floating island again. This time it''s a mana item or something? It looks small The tiny existence, whose mana was far denser than trash like rocks, was dancing in the sky as if being toyed with by the storms wind. I straddle my magic wand as curiosity got the better of me seeing that tiny thing struggling in the stormy sky where strong winds were blowing. I have spotted something intriguing so Im going to go and take a look! ?Fly?! Come back soon, Majou-sama! Wait miss, theres still a storm blowing outside the windbreaker!... Eh, it seems like she also made another windbreaker to cover herself with. I immediately leaped into the sky while riding my magic wand. The repulsive force of the floating stone sped up my flight speed and I shot through the air like an arrow. At the same time, the falling speed of the tiny being that fell from the sky increased. It seemed like the monsters had also noticed the dense mana packed in that being as they waited in the sea for it to drop, some had even begun leaping out of the water in an attempt to swallow it. Phew, I barely made it. I increased my speed and gently caught the black being in my arms just before it was about to become a monster''s lunch. The tiny being turned its body around to look at me while I hugged it in my arms. ?Meow~? ......A kitten fell from the floating island, eh? The kitten that had beautiful black fur shivered due to being wet from the rain. I guess it may have fallen from the floating island in the same way as the rocks before did. It would be difficult to chase after the floating island now and protecting the ship was currently the first priority. Lets return to the boat for now. I flew back to the ship while hugging the kitten inside of my robe. Vol. 5 - Ch. 117 - Spirit Cat ? Cat Sith Chapter 3 - S?a??h the ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.I landed on the ship''s deck with the kitten that fell from the sky in my arms. "Welcome back, Majou-sama. What was the thing that fell?" "A kitten." "A kitten-nanodesu?" Teto looked at the kitten in my arms with a puzzled expression. The leader of the adventurer party whom I had cut off before when I went out alone to check on the falling creature approached me when I was back. "Good grief, you know how to surprise me with your antics, a storm isn''t something to be scoffed at even if you''re an A-rank Adventurer." "Sorry." "Well, I won''t say much to our MVP but I do hope that you refrain from doing anything that doesn''t concern the escort request, to be honest." He may have already sensed that my power was anything but ordinary from the barrier that could fend off the wind and rain from the storm and the magic that pulverized the falling rocks from the floating island. I was able to help out that much, the floating island that posed the danger of dropping rocks already went past us into the distance and the storm was also subsiding. However, it was still careless of me to leave the ship in a situation where he hoped for everyone to stay on their toes for a while more since there was no telling when the storm might get rough again. "Anyway, what did you see in the storm?" "I picked up this kitty. It''s wet so I''d like to take a break if possible to tend to it. Don''t worry though as the windbreaker won''t be dispelled." "The thing that fell was a cat, huh? Really bizarre. But wait, I really don''t know if I can allow it even if you show me that kitten......" I barely had to concentrate if it was just to keep the windbreaker magic up. But it seemed like he still wants me to remain alertһ` "No?" "Majou-sama can''t? Then Teto will also do Majou-sama''s share of the work!" ?Meow--? "Argh, what''s with that combo of expectant looks from a cat and two A-rank Adventurers that look like children! It''s as if I''ll be the heartless overseer if I don''t give out permission!" As a matter of fact, the adventurers and sailors around us were watching the situation to see what decision the leader would take. Just then, the merchant that had been taking shelter inside the ship to not become a hindrance came out as the storm had abated while the leader was hesitating if he should go easy on me and comply or not. "I guess a little bit of a break wouldn''t hurt anyone, don''t you think so too? The ship was saved from drowning thanks to them. That''s not even saying that we''re almost dry thanks to her magic too." "Haa, well if the client doesn''t mind. Alright, I''ll allow you a 10-minute break." "Thanks." I went to our cabin with Teto, filled up the big basin with hot water, and gave the kitten a warm bath since it was cold after getting wet in the rain. Once the kitten was warm enough and spotless, I wiped it dry with a towel and hugged it after covering it in a warm blanket. "What should I do about the food? Kitty seems like it''s at the stage of weaning off of milk so I wonder if it''ll be alright to feed it boiled fish or chicken broth?" The kitten should be hungry as it nibbled on my index finger and began to suck on it. "Majou-sama, Majou-sama. Kitty is sucking your mana. It seems the kitty is like Teto and feeds on mana." Hearing Teto''s observation, I focused my gaze back on the kitten in my arms to see it looking kind of satisfied, apparently having its fill of my mana. Not just that, a pair of wings had also appeared on its back. Unlike a bird''s, these wings looked like translucent spirit wings composed of mana. I immediately used my appraisal to check the kitten''s identity when, to my surprise, it even began to emit light. "һһCat Sith...... Mythical Beast. 12 years old huh." I unconsciously stiffened upon realizing that the kitten in my arms was actually a mythical beast, also called a spirit cat. Mythical Beasts һ sometimes called sacred beasts һ are highly intelligent beings who can also use magic. They may have fleshy bodies unlike spirits or fairies who were magical lifeforms but since they also feed on mana, they were raised in places abundant in both mana and nature. They were capable of generating on their own mana so their dependency on mana lessens as they grew up but I felt that the Cat Sith in my arms would just get weaker if not enough mana was provided to it. "Pardon me. How''s the cat you pi...... Oh, a mythical beast just as I thought." The owner of this merchant ship and the one who recommended we take a break gazed at the kitten and muttered so. A surprised expression appeared on his face when he saw the black cat with translucent wings emitting light that was impossible to hide but he immediately returned to normal as if he was already convinced. "So you knew this kitty was a mythical beast all along?" "I did think of that as one such possibility. There''s an old legend concerning mythical beasts in the Lovile Kingdom. Would you like to hear it?" With those words, he began to speak of the legend of the floating island that was passed down in the Lovile Kingdom. The legend narrates the story of a nation in a bygone era, a time predating the establishment of the nation known as the Lovile Kingdom. A huge peninsula used to be the place where the royal capital of the Lovile Kingdom was established. During that era when the continent resembled a wild and untamed wilderness, a huge dragon lived in that peninsula where all kinds of mythical and sacred beasts sought the dragon''s protection. So thus it birthed a place called the sanctuary. However, the greedy appeared there looking for mythical or sacred beasts and so they laid waste to the grounds. This brought upon them the wrath of the owner of that peninsula, the dragon, who began the slaughter of the foolish intruders. However, this action escalated the level of strife as the nation dispatched its troops to subjugate the dragon. But the cornered dragon and the mythical beasts eventually managed to slip away by making their home, the peninsula, float into the sky. The abandoned land then attracted people who built a town there and the nation flourished from there. Since then, the floating island that was home to the dragon and the mythical beasts have been moving over the sea on the eastern part of the continent ever since that incident for around 1000 years. The place where the peninsula used to be gave birth to the capital city of the Lovile Kingdom from where one can see the floating island once every few dozen years. "And that''s the story." "So there''s such a legend, huh?" The Cat Sith in my arms had begun to get sleepy, apparently having eaten enough mana. Looking at such an adorable tiny creature, everyone present had their cheeks slackened. "So that means this kitty was caught up in the storm and fell from the island." "That''s what I believe." Sure enough, the kitten just accidentally fell, eh? I really want to return it to its home if possible. "Thank you for your explanation." "That''s nothing really, it''s such a commonplace story you would have come to know about it in no time. It''s just that, can I ask you for a favor?" Teto and I tilted our necks upon hearing that the merchant had a request for us. "If you may permit, can I hug that Cat Sith?" "Well yeah, here." The merchant took the soundly sleeping kitten covered in a towel so cautiously as if he was carrying his own child, and his face was trembling with delight. He even slipped his finger below the kitten''s chin and gently rubbed it. The Cat Sith looked like it was enjoying that too even as it continued to sleep. "Ohoho, truly...... Thank you very much. I got to have a good experience." "Was it something that great?" "Yes. Cats are like a lucky charm for thriving businesses, you see. The effect increases exponentially when the said cat is a rare mythical beast. Besides, it''s a miracle to encounter it when we''re on a boat, where coming into contact with such an animal shouldn''t be possible." With those words, the contours of the middle-aged merchant''s eyes lowered, dying his face with a loving expression. He was right, it was usually tough to bring an animal to a ship on a trip and if you want to count rats that snuck in as one, they were not targets of affection since they were harmful animals that spoiled the foodstuff. "Then I''ll be returning to the deck. Oh, and here is my advice. Try to hide its real identity as, in the end, mythical beasts are pretty rare. You''ll be targeted by greedy bastards or collectors regardless of whether you''re an A-rank Adventurer or not." "Thanks, I''ll keep it in mind." We saw the merchant off as he returned to the deck and then shifted our gazes to the kitten sleeping in my arms. "Indeed, rare beings are more often than not the target of hunting." "What are we going to do, Majou-sama? Are we going to keep the kitty with us all the time?" I quietly shook my head when Teto asked me so. "Mythical beasts have high intelligence and mana so I would like to return it to its group on the floating island if the situation permits. We''ll be protecting it until then." "So we''re not going to have this kitty with us forever...... that''s a pity." Teto, who said so while gently rubbing the kitten, looked slightly sad. "Don''t make such a long face, Cat Siths have high intelligence so let''s ask the kitty if it would like to stay with us or go back to its group when the time comes to part with it." "That''s right! Teto will work hard then!" Teto''s expression regained her usual carefree look when I gave her hope, though that hope is quite uncertain. The various shades of Teto''s expression were a funny sight. "Step one, let''s think of a method to stop it from being targeted. Though I can only think of disguising it to hide its identity as a Cat Sith. Then we can add a barrier for any unexpected situation and a spell to pass its location to us at the same time һһ ?Creation?!" I produced a red choker with a tiny bell on it with my ?Creation Magic?. I bestowed the red leather choker with false appraisal and illusion һ to hide the spirit wings һ effects and as for the decoration bell, I bestowed it with the ability to erect a barrier during emergencies and another that transmits its location to us. The bell made a chime sound as I hung the choker on the neck of the sleeping kitten. "It''s so cute." "Yeah. Well, that''s enough for now, let''s have lunch. Dealing with the storm has tired me out." I laid the sleeping Cat Sith on the basket padded with a towel as a makeshift bed for it and then left for the dining hall to prepare lunch. And while we were at it, I also created enough for the rest of the adventurers and sailors who were still guarding the deck for any unexpected situation. Then the people who took turns in shifts to rest looked at us in bafflement, their expression saying ''aren''t you going to take a rest?'' but they eventually forget about everything as they enjoyed their meal after their hard work. In the meantime, the kitten woke up and trotted inside the cabin freely wherever its curiosity led it to under the warm and delighted gazes of the adventurers and sailors. Vol. 5 - Ch. 118.1 - Leading a quiet life in the trade capital city Chapter 4 (1) -The weather was back to its tranquil state once the storm that was foretold in the oracle of goddess Leriel had passed, and the boat resumed its journey. Cat Sith, the mythical beast I had picked up in the storm, roamed the boat freely wherever its whim led it to as the choker made it look like a normal kitten. ?Meow!? "Oh, you want this? Just wait a minute!... Here." It approached the sailors who were fishing while making a chiming sound with the bell hanging on its neck, wagging its tail left and right, and making an adorable noise, reminiscent of sweet chirping. The sailor''s expression slackened after hearing the purring sound and tossed a fish too tiny to be of any use, which he had just caught for a meal, at the kitten. The kitten caught it in mid-air, held it down with the paw, and began to eat it in delight. "Ahһ, so unfair. Even though the fish I caught is the biggest one." Another sailor also grabbed a fish and showed it to the kitten, but the Cat Sith averted its face, putting up a show of disinterest. Then it trotted to the side of the deck where Teto and I were performing our monitoring duty. "Hmm? Oh, you got a fish, Kuro? Great for you." I called out to Kuro, the name I have given to the Cat Sith, and took him into my arms. Though he instead slipped out of my embrace and got on my shoulder. ?Meow~? "Everyone has become so fond of Kuro." "Yeah. It''s just Kuro''s personal virtue...... No, it''s a cat''s virtue I guess." With those words, the leader of the hired adventurer party looked at Teto, me, and Kuro, who was on my shoulder. Kuro had attracted everyone''s favorability in no time through its whimsical behavior and unpredictable movements. Though most of it was due to how he would occasionally act intimately with the adventurers or sailors, displaying his cuteness. And it was not just limited to that. He often showed his valor by entering the ship and catching harmful animals that spoiled the food like rats. He was also quite intelligent and performed the small tricks the sailors have taught him. He also never failed in having meals and toilet breaks at only the designated places. His virtues combined, inevitably, made him the apple of everyone''s eyes in no time. However, that too was about to end soon. "Good news, I can see the Royal Capital!" S~?a??h the Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The sailor who was on lookout duty informed us about the sighting of our goal, the Royal Capital, from the observation deck above the mast. I made a relieved sigh as the escort request was finally about to end. "We''re finally about to reach land, huh? I just want to take a bath first." "Teto can also finally have a bath with Majou-sama and also be able to sleep together!" The blissful feeling baths gave was something cleanse magic was unable to give, even if it may have maintained our hygiene. The boat gradually approached the harbor as such thoughts flashed past in my mind. We looked at the harbor that was curved in an arc. "This is the Lovile Kingdom''s royal capital, huh?" I had investigated the floating island among the books I was carrying in my free time aboard the ship. Just as goddess Lariel said, floating stones were a product of the deviated mana flow of the earth veins that could lift the land into the air, and its prime example was the huge floating island hovering above the sea of the Lovile kingdom. There were also other precedents like the small-scale floating island in the northern and southern parts of the continent, with common phenomena happening after that like a lake forming in the place where those floating lands once used to be. The boat floated toward the paved harbor of the Lovile kingdom that held one such history as I was staring at the scene and eventually stopped after reaching it. "Thank you very much for your support. This is the completion proof of the request. I have added the information about the excellent protection you provided by blocking the storm and the falling rocks with your windbreaker and the reward has been increased because of that." "Thank you very much. I guess it''s about time for us to leave. Goodbye." "Teto had fun! Bye-bye-nanodesu!" ?Nya!? I bowed my head, Teto energetically waved her hand, and Kuro on my shoulder chimed in with a short purr. The merchant saw us off with a reluctant expression. The adventurers that still had contracts with him continued to protect the ship or helped out in moving the cargo while t temporarily hired adventurers dispersed earlier and headed for the royal capital''s guild. "We''re finally here." The royal castle was built on an elevated hill, and it, along with the fan-shaped road stretching wide from it, was visible from the crescent-shaped harbor. We began to look for the guild among the buildings. Most of the buildings in the royal capital were made of stone, perhaps due to the sea breeze that affected the wood''s durability. "Ah, there it is." There were two adventurer guilds here, one on the eastern side of the harbor town and the other one on the west deep inside the city. We entered the eastern guild, which was nearer to us. "It''s here, huh? And the counter isһһ" I headed over to the request counter and spoke to the receptionist to receive our reward for completing the escort request. "Excuse me." "Yes? Oh, are you lost, Young Miss? This is the counter where we disburse the request rewards." We may look like young girls but we''re far older than you...... Or so I thought but I didn''t say it out loud and we just handed over our guild cards and the proof of request completion while smiling wryly internally. "What is it? Are you here for your father''s errand....... Eh? P-please forgive my rudeness ?Flying Carpet? Chise-sama, Teto-sama!" "Calm down, it''s fine. It''s just another day for us." Kuro, who was on my shoulder, pressed his paw on my face as if to say "tend to me", he was probably bored. Teto reached out her hand from behind and pulled him off of me while saying it was impolite to interfere with work. "You can confirm our request completion proof and reward. Also, we''re going to stay in the capital for a while so if you know which housing properties here are suitable for rent, please recommend them to us." "R, right away!" Recently, I''m feeling sorry for the mental state of the guild staff who start by treating us high-ranking adventurers as kids due to our appearance and then suddenly get flustered upon realizing their mistake. I patted Kuro in Teto''s arms as I waited, and the receptionist soon called out to us. "Excuse me, the grand master has called you into the reception room." "...... Fine." Grand Master, the coordinator of the royal capital guild and also all the guilds nationwide. The Guild Master of the Iska Kingdom''s royal capital who I saw during the A-rank promotion exam concurrently held the seat of the Grand Master. We were mostly living a life of a shut-in in the ?Empty Wilderness? in the Gard Beastkin Nation, so our area of activity was basically the guild in the frontier town. Though I had met with the Grand Master of the Gard Beastkin Nation in its royal capital during their A-rank promotion exam or when I served as his escort during the guild''s countermeasures meeting. As for the grand master of the Lovile kingdomһһ "Excuse me! I have brought the ?Flying Carpet?, these two esteemed adventurers!" "Thank you, serve our guests tea." A man wearing well-tailored clothes was waiting for us in the reception room. "So you''re the ?Flying Carpet? party. I had been waiting for you ever since Doulgu contacted me, saying he has endorsed you two to move here." "Nice to meet you, I''m Magician Chise from the ?Flying Carpet?." "Nice to meet you, I''m swordsman Teto! And this kitty is Kuro!" ?Nya~? A wry smile appeared on the face of the Grand Master while looking at the Kuro, who was camouflaged as a normal kitten, who lifted both his forelegs in greeting from Teto''s arms. "This is my first time meeting you. I''m Zericch Lovile, serving as the grand master of the Lovile Kingdom''s Adventurer Guild." "By Lovile, are you perhaps royalty?" "I have been given the rank of Duke as a prince, though I have also worked as a diplomat." I slightly lost myself in thought in contrast to the middle-aged man in front of me who smiled. The Adventurer Guild claimed that they were neutral, though it was simply impossible to take a neutral stand when they had to put their building on the respective nations'' lands. Periodic monitoring was usually done by each nation or the feudal lord in whose land the guild was, for these were hubs for strong warriors at the very least. Then there was also the fact that aristocrats were usually VIP clients who threw a good amount of money, so they obviously couldn''t be handled lightly as well. The guild was also a place of employment for the sons of aristocrats that were fourth rank and below as the royal capital was where royalties and titled nobility resided. A dismissal system has been established through the agreement of each region''s guild master to obstruct the relation between the guild and the nation from becoming too deep and as such, there was a rule where an individual with an aristocratic origin and another with an adventurer origin were to serve in the position of Grand Master alternately at a fixed interval. There were also some other settings like this through which they safeguarded their own personal interests. And now, the Great Duke who was this time''s Grand Master was now talking to us. "I remember seeing you guys once in the past. Well, that wasn''t a direct meeting though." Vol. 5 - Ch. 118.2 - Leading a quiet life in the trade capital city The Duke-sama turned Grand Master said to us while smiling. We cocked our heads as the question ''when and where?'' popped up in our minds."I had participated in the last meeting between my fellow grand masters as the representative of the Lovile Kingdom''s guild. Your childlike appearance, which was far more surreal since you didn''t even look like a teenager, had left a striking impression on me." He proceeded to say how we were now veterans with more than 30 years of experience being an adventurer under our belts and chuckled to himself. Then his expression turned serious after that as he looked at us. "Thank you for your assistance in resolving the abduction case by the underground organization in the northern region of our Kingdom." "............ Ohh." S?a?ch* Th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I gasped slightly, recalling the kidnapping incident done by the poor bandits and the underground organization''s members behind them who had attacked the abandoned mine''s town. "We were able to smash several branches of the underground organization that had spread from the southern nation after interrogating the members you had caught. They were a source of headache for even our Kingdom." Never did I think I would be thanked for what I had done at that time here. "Well, you don''t need to be so grateful. We just caught them given the occasion. Besides, we already got our share of the rewards after handing them over." I also heard from him how he had great relations with the Gard Beastkin Nation''s Prince... Ah, he''s now archduke, Archduke Gyunton, and his aide Rollwalker when he was serving as a diplomat. Time flies really fast, huh? I couldn''t help but think so while listening to his stories. "So, what kind of request have you two decided to take on?" Same as in the guild in the northern region''s harbor town, we told him our plan to stay in the capital city for a while mainly dealing with the unpopular requests. "We''re going to relax for a while and occasionally take some requests. Though I would prefer it if the request''s duration isn''t too long." "We''re waiting for the floating island! We also have to take care of Kuro so we can''t be away from home for too long!" "Don''t want long-term requests, and waiting for the floating island? I don''t quite get it but very well." Our initial plan was to wait for the floating island while accepting requests in the royal capital. And then to return Kuro to his fellow Cat Sith group when the floating island appeared. In the meantime, we planned to sightsee the sea''s scenery that is impossible to visit at the ?Empty Wilderness? or check out the goods that had gathered here from other nations. He first appeared surprised to hear there even existed adventurers who mainly dealt with unpopular requests that were frowned upon by many others, then it was followed by a relieved expression as if a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Well we also have our pet, so I wonder if we can rent a house anywhere here since staying in an inn with a pet would cause inconvenience." "Though I can suggest some inns where having a pet, your familiar, wouldn''t be a problem but alright, I''ll look for a house among the properties maintained by the guild and see which one can be borrowed for the long term. I''ll also arrange the left-out requests that you guys are asking for." After finishing our talk, we received our pay for the escort request, picked a recommended inn that didn''t mind us bringing a pet, and decided to call it a day from there. It was an inn closer to the sea so we were able to enjoy delicious fish saute and seafood soup. The couple running the inn were apparently big animal lovers, and that was one of the reasons why the inn was open for people with familiars so catered to Kuro delightfully. We were finally able to have a proper bed after a long time and we slept on it that night. Then we spent time looking around the properties of the guild the following day and decided on a house among them. "This property''s rent will be ten silver coins per month." "Not a problem. Here is this month''s pay." We rented a two-story stone house located in the suburbs of the city and went through the rental procedures right then. It was apparently a house designed while keeping adventurers in mind as it has a wide layout and a big open garden. Though it didn''t have a bath, I thought of building one with magic as there was no problem constructing something according to the rental agreement. "Let''s set up the furniture and the ?Transfer Gate?, and then visit the ?Empty Wilderness?, I guess." "Okay-nanodesu!" I quickly took out the transfer gate from the magic bag and installed it in the corner of the room. A lone service doll, as if it was just waiting for us, welcomed us when we passed through it and returned to the ?Empty Wilderness? after being gone for two weeks. ?Welcome back, Master, Teto-sama.? "We''re back." "We''re back-nanodesu!" ?Meow~? Kuro jumped from my shoulder and landed in front of the service doll who welcomed us. ?So we also have a cat visiting this time.? The service doll crouched on the spot and began to pat Kuro. Her expression appeared to be as unchanged as before but I could feel it from the air she was exuding. I didn''t know if it was my imagination, but I even saw an illusion of a tiny flower blooming behind her. ?Welcome back, Master, Teto-sama. My, is the kitten there a Cat Sith?? "We''re home, Baretta. Do you know about them? Even though I have equipped him with an illusion and camouflage magic tool." I canceled the function of the magic tool temporarily by lightly touching the red choker with the bell on Kuro''s neck, which made his fairy wings visible. ?Yes. They were living with people as their pets or good neighbors 2000 years ago.? Well, there has been a drastic change in the world since then, so creatures like the Cat Sith that were once commonplace were now being hailed as mythical beasts given their scarcity. Then Baretta''s gaze shifted to the service doll who was happily petting Kuro, an elegant curve forming on the corner of her mouth as she gave a beautiful smile. ?Congratulations on your evolution to Mechanoid. It seems you''re the first one to gain a soul.? ?...... Really?? Given how she was of the same species, Baretta must have sensed a change in that service doll. I quickly cast my appraisal magic and indeed, the service doll in front of us had evolved into a Mechanoid species of the demon race. ?You''re the fastest among your peers to gain a soul. However, I expect you to continue to take care of the Master like usual.? ?I will, Baretta-sama!? ?That aside, you have just been born into this world. There''s the tradition where a newborn is given a name from the closest person as a blessing. So, your name will beһһAi.? Baretta named her in such a manner, and the newly evolved Mechanoid species Ai also accepted the naming without a fuss and went back to her usual duties. "Fufu, you should just be honest and be happy when it''s a joyous occasion, you know." "Majou-sama is right-nanodesu! You have gained a new comrade so be happier, Baretta!" Baretta brushed over our words saying she was on duty but whatever her words were, it was visible from her appearance that she was also slightly happy. "But how did that girl evolve first, I wonder?" ?It''s just my one-sided observation, but AI, the first one to evolve among her peers, has a particular interest in living things individually. She was put on the duty of managing the breeding of creatures that have been released in the forest of the ?Empty Wilderness? with the Master''s attempt to build an ecosystem and is learning about the lifecycle of these animals and creatures and their reproduction. So my conjecture is that there''s a chance her compassionate heart may have given birth to a soul when she saw the Cat Sith Kuro-sama just now.? "Umm, this topic is too difficult for Teto to understand." ?In simple words, she''s an animal cuddler.? It was strangely jarring to see Baretta talking about animal cuddlers һ those people who can''t resist petting and cuddling animals һ with a serious expression and I almost burst into laughter. ?Does it sound funny, Master? But it is a well-recognized word in the ancient magic civilization as published in the 7th newest edition of the Cultural language encyclopedia 2000 years ago.? Baretta said so in full seriousness. I felt a bit nostalgic after hearing her. After all, whether it was the other world or civilization 2000 years ago, the deeds of humans... More like no matter the time or world, there was never a lack of animal cuddlers. ?Meow?? Then I gently rubbed Kuro''s head, who cutely tilted his head while being hugged by Teto. Vol. 5 - Ch. 119 - Changes in the Empty Wilderness Chapter 5-After that, we heard the report about the ?Empty Wilderness? from Baretta as we walked together with her and Ai, the newly awakened Mechanoid. ?The mana density in the air of the ?Empty Wilderness? has reached a minimum of 34% under the effects of the Earth Vein Mana Manipulation Tool and the trees planted by us, the service doll group. The regeneration of the underground earth vein has progressed to 5%.? Nice Ideally, I would like to fill the continent with enough mana so at least you guys, too, can move unhindered outside of the barrier without requiring a mana recharge. ?Just your words are enough proof of your love for us, Master. The mana density at present is enough that some monsters, not just the ones with strong adaptation capabilities, will have no trouble staying alive, thats why we have been carrying out our Natures trails strategy currently. Creatures that can pass through the barrier, once we also plant trees on the outer barrier region of the ?Empty Wilderness? and create nature''s trails, will be able to breed here. Im also expecting that their influx will bring other varieties of vegetation.? We were currently striving to create a habitat where even some of the apex predators of the food chain like wolves and raptors could make this place their home so Baretta informed us of their goal. So all we have to do is to release our mana and create seedlings for plantation through ?Creation Magic? during our stay, right? ?Yes, please. Also, the time we have been staying outside of the mana-sufficient regions had inevitably increased in our efforts to create the natures trails so I would like to request the installation of a ?Transfer Gate? and a temporary base for respite at these three locations? Alright, then I''ll go there right away to check them out. I took out my flying broom and flew towards the sky with the spirit cat Kuro in my arms and Teto sitting behind me. The greenery has really increased to an impressive degree. Nature could be seen thriving on a tenth of the land of the ?Empty Wilderness? though it wasn''t just limited to that. Meadows had begun to grow around the places adjacent to them, too. The ground seemed to be going through a mild change here and there, probably because the earth vein regeneration has finally begun to kick in even if at a slow pace, as it began to undulate, forming tiny hills in some places or collapsing in others. There were even many new water sources besides the pond or the river we had artificially dug up that has formed and was now converging into the river outside the barrier. This place has really gotten a massive makeover! Lets visit that big tree place later! Sure, but lets focus on completing Barettas request first! Our old home in the outer region where we used to live with Selene was still linked to the ?Transfer Gate?, and, from the look of it, the service dolls seem to be frequent visitors of this place. I propped up new houses through ?Creation Magic? in the three designated spots that were between our home in the central region and our home in the outer region, then I installed a ?Transfer Gate? in each of them. We quickly surveyed the entire wilderness after that. Then we flew to the thickest tree among the world trees that we had planted in our early years and landed on one of its branches. When you think about the previous barren state, this place has really changed, no? Yes-nanodesu. ?Nya~? Kuro, the mythical beast, landed on the thick branch after finding the mana being released by the world tree to his liking, took a long stretch with a purr, and worked his whole body to absorb the mana. Once he got bigger from absorbing mana like this, then it would be his turn to release the mana into the environment. That was how the cycle of equivalent mana exchange ran in this world. This was just the beginning to take back what we had lost two thousand years ago. Majou-sama? What, Teto? I sat down on the branch of the world tree, the flowing breeze making my long black hair flutter. I still remember how dry the air used to be, the painful and intense wind, strong enough to even rob the moisture from the ground. However, it has changed to the present gentle breeze which, while being slightly cool and damp, carried the scent of nature. Has this place succeeded in becoming your home? Yeah, it has. It has become my home for me to return to. No matter how much I ventured into the outside world, this place has become a significant part of my life, my home to return to in the end. It''s just that, Baretta had to endure the loneliness for some time, but even that would end soon enough. The service dolls that used to be quiet had mostly reached their sublime state and were about to begin awakening their souls, slowly turning this quiet place into a livelier one. Well thats enough reminiscing, lets go back and have lunch. Lets go-nanodesu! Teto cant wait for the fish dishes we previously told to Baretta! Then Teto, Kuro, whose coat of fur had become longer by absorbing high-density mana, and I returned to our home and enjoyed Barettas cooking to our hearts'' content. For the next week after that, I led a laid-back life disconnected from the outside world by either checking on the multi-medicinal herb garden created in the ?Empty Wilderness? or reading a book on the terrace of our home and recharging our spirit gauge and then came the time for us to return to the capital city of the Lovile Kingdom. However, just as we were about to leave ?Please Baretta-sama! Please allow me to join Master on her journey so I can take care of Kuro-sama.? ?No means no. I really cant give you permission when you cant be active for that long once outside the barrier. Above all, can''t you see that even I, as the head maid, am not tagging along with the Master on her journey, shouldn''t you take your cue from that?? An argument was unfolding between the expressionless Baretta and Ai. Apparently, Ai, who wanted to come with us so that she could stay with Kuro, and Baretta, who has been constantly denying her because just her alone would be unfair, decided to settle it in a match. Baretta readied herself calmly while on the other side was the one challenging her, the newly awakened Mechanoid Ai. It was an easy victory for Baretta who not only had high mana but also has ample experience. ?Goodbye, Master. I''ll be awaiting your next homecoming.? Were off then, later. Teto and I passed through the ?Transfer Gate? with me carrying Kuro in my arms and returned to the Lovile kingdoms capital. We then passed our time here lazily too while temporarily staying away from adventurer work. "Teto, breakfast is ready~" "Teto charge-nanodesu!" We were having our breakfast at the rental house located in the suburbs a slight distance from the city. ?Nya~? I cooked a seafood-themed breakfast since it was hard to go inland while gazing at the ocean peeking from the window. "The floating island has still not shown itself." "Well, it hasn''t been that many days since we began waiting. I just wonder if the wait will stretch for months, years, or maybe even decades......" That being said, time was something we didn''t lack, so we could afford to wait while leisurely passing our days. "What''s our plan for today, Majou-sama?" "Let me see. Alright, let''s visit the five goddesses'' church. We''ll pray and offer some donations." Goddess Luriel had forewarned us about the impending storm in the dream oracle when we were on our escort duty. I was thinking we should report to her about our well-being and gratitude. "Alright." "Everything is ready, let''s set off. Kuro, you''re also coming with us." ?Nya~? Kuro purred at my calling and snuggled up to my feet. The fur of our wise spirit cat, who just had canned cat food and my mana for breakfast, was in excellent condition as usual. Carrying him in my arms, we left the rental house. "The sun is too bright today." "Be careful of sunburn, Majou-sama!" It had been our vacation these past few days so I was wearing a one-piece white dress and a straw hat prepared by Baretta and the other service dolls instead of my usual witch attire, which I have stored in the magic bag fastened to my waist. "It''s good that I can protect myself from environmental damage thanks to the enchantment on the robe, however wearing it makes me unbearably hot." A damp salty sea breeze struck as we walked into town, the sensation brought by the wind was different from how it was in the ?Empty Wilderness? and gave a nice, refreshing feeling. Though we would have to take a bath later. "The heat here is so high that it makes me crave cold food!" "Nice idea. I guess our dinner tonight will be cold soup." Making things like cold soup was the special right of ice magicians. Teto nodded eagerly at my proposal and we made our way to the church while Kuro walked on the wall. We arrived at the church soon after. The main gods whom the church of this Kingdom''s capital prayed to were the Oceanus goddess Luriel and the Heaven goddess Leriel and their statues had been built inside. The rest of the goddesses were drawn in reliefs. "Hello. Is this a fine time to offer our prayers?" "Yes, you can." We asked the sister who was cleaning nearby and entered the church''s cathedral where we offered our simple prayer. Teto next to me didn''t know how to pray but she just followed my example, though I could occasionally feel her eyes darting around. Our spirit cat Kuro didn''t come with us and was waiting on the wall of a nearby building, maybe he felt he would be sticking out like a sore thumb. (We have successfully weathered the storm. We also saved a Cat Sith. Thank you very much.) And as I offered my prayers with these feelingsһһ You can always rely on your big sister if anything happens, Chise-chan. An oracle echoed inside my head, causing me to inadvertently make a bitter smile. Somehow, I had a feeling that the great goddesses have become quite easygoing. Once we were done, we left the cathedral and called the Sister from earlier. "We survived a tough storm thanks to the goddess'' grace. It may not be much but this is our donation. I hope it can be used by the Church or the orphanages." "My, thank you very much for your generosity!" I handed a leather pouch with three small gold coins to the Church. I just hope she won''t get surprised at the amount when she opened it later, as I looked at her tilting her head. Apparently, she was confused by the disparity between the weight and the number of coins. Kuro walked in front of us when we were done with our business in the church. "It seems like Kuro wants to go on a walk, Majou-sama!" "Fufu, then let''s take Kuro for a walk." ?Nya~? Kuro stopped at many places as we strolled around the city. He gave cute, charming glances towards the fish shop owners and got some tiny fish in return that were too small to be sold while we bought some fresh fish for tonight''s dinner. Then whenever we encountered stray cats, the adult cats һ probably because the sense of the presence of normal stray cats and Kuro were far apart һ treated him with great care, and chatted him up while raising ''nya-nya'' sounds. "What''re they saying, Majou-sama?" "Sorry, Teto. Even my language comprehension ability can''t decipher an animal''s language." The multi-language comprehension ability I was given at the time of my reincarnation came in handy when I read all sorts of books. But, sure enough, it couldn''t decipher the language of animals. Though there seemed to be a few entities among the mythical beasts and holy beasts who could speak human language. I''m really looking forward to that. Just like this, we continued to walk, trailing Kuro who entered the side road or back alley at whim. s?a??h th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. We passed by slightly shady-looking shops, the bustling entertainment district since it was lunch time and the normal housing district in the back alley, and we, in the end, existed on the side distant from the sea. So far, I knew about the eastern district where merchant ships and fishing boats gathered, the noble district where the residences of nobles and the castle deep within the capital were, and then the western district where commoners residents lived. We didn''t notice it, but it seemed we have come to the western district of the capital city from the harbor city where the salty sea breeze mingled in the air. "Oh, this is our first time here!" "Yeah. Oh, there''s also an adventurer guild. Let''s go and drop by. Kuro!" As I called out to Kuro who was walking ahead of us, he immediately turned back and leaped into my chest. Vol. 5 - Ch. 120 - Suzurland Clan Lovile Kingdom''s capital city has two adventurer guilds due to its vast size. We already checked the adventurer guild of the east side when we met with Guild Master Zericch-sama. I was curious to see the kind of requests the western adventurer guild had."So this is the west side guild, huh? And the requests...... I see." Requests about escorting trade ships, running errands in the vicinity of the harbor, or subjugating monsters that came out of the coastal area were pretty numerous in the east side guild. On the other hand, the west side guild was deep in the mainland so it had more requests about medicine herbs collection, subjugation requests from the surrounding villages, or dungeon-specific requests as there seemed to be a dungeon located half a day''s journey away from the royal capital. "The requests can be so different despite being in the same city, huh?" "It''s interesting!" It was early afternoon, and there weren''t that many people in the guild. I was discussing with Teto if we should check out a delivery request or two when a group, rare for this time of day, entered the guild. "Hey, take the materials to the counter." "Y, Yes Sir......" A magician, dressed in an attire too tidy for an adventurer while donning a characteristic magician''s hat and holding a cane, issued commands to his apparent companions. The adventurers who accepted the orders could be seen looking at the magician''s haughty attitude with discontent but, of course, they didn''t speak it out and silently lined the bags filled with their spoils on the counter. But the situation was not just limited to them, several other groups of the same type also arrived in succession under the leadership of magicians donning deep green robes and every single one of them was putting up such an arrogant attitude. This strange situation made me feel a slight discomfort but also roused curiosity within me to see what was going on so we continued to observe them from the corner of the room. "Leave our part, all the wind and water magic catalyst materials. Oh, and half of the rewards, too." "That much!? I know you guys need the catalyst so I''m not saying anything, but asking for even half of the rewards is too much!" "What, do you have any complaints against the Suzurland Clan? You know it better than us that you guys can never fight on your own without us magicians!" "Kuh......" The adventurer couldn''t refute that and groaned in frustration. The magician wearing the title of Suzurland, on the other hand, hung a grin on his face. "That''s the attitude. Just remember that the less you bark, the more it will be good for you! Unlike you plebeians, we need an endless amount of money to research sublime magic after all!" With those words, Magicians took their share of the money and catalyst materials and quickly made their way out. The unusual sight slightly surprised me as I headed to the now-empty purchase counter. "Hello." "Hello. Is there something you need, girls?" "We are here to sell these." I placed the medicinal herbs I had quietly fetched from the magic bag and put them on the counter. "Miss, what did the guys from earlier mean by ''Suzurland Clan''?" I asked while under the guise of a local resident who has just come to earn a small sum of money without showing our guild cards. The person at the counter gave us a warm gaze when I asked while hugging a small animal, and then spoke politely. "You girls don''t know? The Suzurland Clan is the number one place in this kingdom that produces the highest number of wind magicians." "...... Is the magician clan such an amazing institution?" The person behind the counter, however, didn''t reply when I asked him that in a calm tone and just flashed a bitter smile. So it was to the extent that they couldn''t even express their dissatisfaction, huh? After that, I also asked some other things as the purchase was ongoing and, when it was done, I then moved to the group of adventurers nearby that had partied up with the magicians from earlier, who were sitting in the pub and grumbling. "It must be hard~" "Onii-san, you did all that you can." "Yeah, it''s tough. However, they''re backed by the nobles...... Dammit...... But it''s not like anything will change even if I explain it to you kids." In this way, we spent the whole afternoon learning about the unknown side of the Lovile kingdom. It was about the Suzurland Clan. An incident took place in the ancient magic civilization era 2000 years ago that took down almost the majority of the mana in the surroundings. This triggered a series of deaths among the populace who couldn''t survive the low-mana environment and those who were able to adapt to it had their average capacity lowered, eventually even reducing their chances of becoming magicians. To protect these rare people who could wield magic and to secure the fighting power of their own nation, they created a new system called noble magicians throughout the kingdom. The now noble magicians began taking apprentices in order to develop and maintain their magic, and to ensure that magicians wouldn''t die out. Magician Clans are the organizations that raised talented individuals throughout history and grasped the modus operandi about magic to an extent, thus gradually increasing the number of the once rare magicians. The Suzurland Clan was one such magician clan centered around the Count Suzurland family, a noble family exalted for their wind magicians in the Lovile kingdom. They specifically had more research themed around wind magicians and they also produced many talented individuals who became Court Sorcerers in the kingdom down the line. Their location in the capital city of the Lovile kingdom was also related to their value, as wind magic users could move ships without being affected by the weather and push back the wind, rain, and high waves that threatened the capital city, making them more valuable than magicians of the other attributes. Therefore, they seemed to hold the belief that "wind magic is supreme." They wore dark green robes as a symbol, to indicate their affiliation. As an aside, although magic schools had been established, there were not enough students to learn magic making them a poor cost-benefit choice. In addition, due to the secrecy of magicians, the apprentice system was used to cultivate magicians. The current magicians were being cultivated through the use of the apprentice system. "The Suzurland Clan''s magicians, backed by their status as noble magicians, use adventurers to efficiently defeat monsters in the dungeon and level up." "But their attitude is still not good." Teto complained, holding Kuro in her arms as evening fell. However, aside from that, there was something that made me impressed. It was their modus operandi on how to efficiently cultivate magicians over the years. Although limited to wind attributes, research on magic catalysts and magic potions have led to the development of means to enhance one''s own magic, the development of tattoos and patterns to efficiently transmit magic, and the bestowal of magical properties on tools, among other things. Furthermore, there was also the development of magic that was specific to the region''s characteristics. There were many interesting examples. "I know the theory behind magic catalysts, but I haven''t used them." Magic catalysts were substances that react with the magical power of materials to increase their overall firepower. Magic potions that enhanced the power of magic temporarily boosted the magical power within the body. "Magic catalysts or potions will just excessively increase my firepower which I don''t need when I can increase my mana by eating the ?Mysterious Fruit?, however, I can feel the ingenuity of these people." At any rate, auxiliary tools were just in the margin of error for me whose reserves have already exceeded 300,000 units of mana. However, when I thought about how small improvements could lead to new inventions, it excited me. Though analyzing, improving, and researching catalysts and magic potions may end up like a pastime for someone who has already achieved immortality. Such information was usually kept confidential and was not necessary for me. It wasn''t important but if the Magician Clans focused on researching attributes centered around the noble magicians, the five major religious organizations could also be considered a magic faction that aimed to reproduce the miracles performed by the goddesses and one that didn''t belong to any nation. There was also the case of the Gard Beastkin Nation which has people with superior racial characteristics but fewer magicians. It was another interesting example as they were trying to raise magicians despite the high cost without the help of any organization like the magician clans. "Things are really interesting if you think about it......." "As long as Majou-sama is happy, that''s all that matters...... Ah!?" ?Nya~? Kuro leaped out of Teto''s arms as we were walking on sunset road and entered the back alley. "Wait, Kuro!" "What is it I wonder?" Kuro was wise since he was a mythical beast so he doesn''t usually take any impulsive actions. Therefore I chased after him thinking there must be some meaning behind his action. We then saw him sniffing around a black cloth-like object. "What''s wrong, Kuro?" S~?a??h the ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?Nya~? As Kuro sniffed and tapped his front paws on the object, the black cloth started to move. I gently lifted the edge of the black cloth and a tuft of chestnut hair fell out. "It seems to be a person?" "A girl-nanodesu." She looked like a 12-year-old girl. To check if she was alive, I touched her and felt an electric shock-like sensation running through my fingertips. It was not a theoretical, but rather an empathic connection that I felt from her. "Are you alright, Majou-sama?" "N, no. I''m fine." I surveyed the surroundings, confused, not understanding what that feeling was. This was a location near the back alleys of the capital city, so it was obviously not good to be here at night. Besides, I wouldn''t be able to have a good sleep if I left a defenseless, collapsed girl here. "It seems there''s no other option, huh? Let''s take her with us." I leave it to Teto to carry the girl as we return home. However, I did recognize the robe she was wearing when Teto lifted her up. "Ah, I see. So she''s the magician from the magician clan we have seen at the guild." However, why was a magician from the Suzurland Clan, a powerful force even in the Lovile Kingdom, collapsed in the back alley? There were no obvious signs of injury, however, her face did seem to be tinged with slight exhaustion. I guess she must have overexerted herself. We didn''t know the circumstances that caused her to collapse, but for now, we took her home and waited for her to wake up in bed. Vol. 5 - Ch. 121 - A Failed Witch Chapter 7 -Alright, lets make the promised cold soup for dinner. Let me help you, Majou-sama! Teto and I stood side by side as we cooked our dinner in the kitchen of the rental house. We made fish meuniere, butter-sauteed vegetables and mushrooms, seaweed salad, and other dishes to accompany the cold potato and milk soup, which turned out quite well. Exhale I guess this should do. Yay, were going to have yummy dinner again today! ?Nya~? Just as we were done with cooking and were about to have our dinner, we heard Kuro''s call so we turned around and saw that the girl we left sleeping on the bed had awakened. E, Excuse me where am I? The girl asked in a nervous voice. I tried to respond with the calmest voice I could muster to not agitate her. This is our home. Kuro found you collapsed on the way back, so we brought you here." Kuro? That black kitten over there is Kuro. He''s smart and cute!" A gentle expression showed on her face when she turned to look at Kuro who Teto pointed out with a hazy look. So you saved me, thank you. ?Nya~? When the soft chestnut-haired girl pointed her finger at Kuro, Kuro abruptly averted his face and moved in front of the dinner plate. I then invited the girl whose shoulders had dropped in apparent dejection after receiving a cold reaction from Kuro. Its about time to have dinner, lets eat first. Goodness, no! You''ve even loaned me your bed when I was in a collapsed state, theres no way I can impose on you anymogrowl~. She tried to reject the offer but her stomach betrayed her. The scent of sizzling butter must have stimulated her appetite as her stomach made a loud gurgling sound, causing her to blush with embarrassment. You can be honest, you know. Theres no way we can let you go out in this state when youre still so young. Majou-sama is right! Dinner is delicious, too! Y-Yes? Young? Majou-sama? Umm, then thank you for your offer Her words were nearly inaudible at the end but she was firm in conveying her gratitude. I arranged dinner for her. Woah, whats with this bread! Its so white and fluffy! And sweet, too! The soup is sticky yet cold, and it hits the spot! Ah, the smell of the fish meuniere is amaaaaazing! Oh, and this salad, a fresh salad thats not wild grass with dressing, is delicious, too! And this crispy thing, seaweed? I never knew it could be so delicious even though I''ve eaten it before I made extra food thinking Teto would eat it, but the girl must have been really hungry because she ate it so deliciously. Sure enough, it really felt good to see others eat your cooking with delight. "Thank you for the meal. And, thank you very much." After becoming full and regaining her strength, the 12 year-old-girl politely bowed her head and looked at us. Teto and I thought it was just the right time to introduce ourselves. Lets introduce ourselves. I am Chise. Teto-nanodesu! And hes Kuro as mentioned earlier. ?Nyaa~? We introduced ourselves, with Teto also introducing Kuro who had a lazy expression on his face after having finished dinner whom she was cuddling and making banzai poses with. The girl''s shoulders seemed to relax at our friendly interaction, and her expression softened. Im Yuishia. A magician s disciple affiliated with the Suzurland Clan. Once again, thank you very much for saving me. So, why was a magician from the Suzurland Clan collapsed in the back alley in that state? Yuishia slowly raised her face that was drooping down, seemingly vexed by my question, and spoke about her life. SIDE: Yuishia I was a commoners child living in the capital city''s downtown area. I used to have parents, but my father, a fisherman, passed away in a storm at sea and soon my mother too died from a disease, as if chasing after his footsteps. I was 10 at that time and, without even getting the chance to mourn for them, I was taken into the dormitory of the Suzurland Clan as a magician''s disciple because I happened to have talent in magic, apparently. I worked hard to become a splendid magician, a court magician, and make a lot of money to make my deceased parents feel at ease. But fate seemed to have something else for me as although I could use life magic, I didn''t seem to have any talent in elemental magic. The Suzurland Clan, for they were a faction of wind magicians, favored the ones blessed with wind magic. So it was inevitable for the failed ones like me to fall out of their favor. The favored children would go to the guild and defeat monsters in the dungeon to level up, increase their magic power, and repeatedly practice their skills in wind magic. In contrast, no matter how much we practice with our relatively high amount of magical power for commoners, the number of times we could use magic was fixed. As a result, the gap between us grew wider and wider. In addition, the favored children are from noble or merchant families with money. They could become even stronger by using catalysts and magic-enhancing potions, while we had to earn money every day by doing miscellaneous tasks assigned by the guild and the Suzurland family to pay for our dormitory expenses. For once, I thought that since I didnt have any talent in wind magic, then wasnt it fine if I joined another magic element faction? However, there was bad blood among the factions, and those who jumped ship, even if they joined them sincerely, were looked at with deep distrust on the premise that they joined to steal their research, so it wasn''t even possible to change factions. Hence, I didnt find any resolution to my poverty, however, I didn''t give up on becoming a court sorcerer. I reduced my food expenses and gave it my all to save money by doing menial tasks to get my hands on a magic catalyst. Though my body gave in first before I could save enough money. And then, two kind girls let me rest on a soft bed and treated me to dinner until late in the evening. And well, thats my life story I''m sorry. I went on a rant on my own. Although only a bit, I felt a bit relieved after explaining my circumstance so far to my saviors in front of me. SIDE: Chise Thank you very much for the meal. Im heading back to my dorm now. Be obedient and stay here for tonight. Look at the time, its already so late. Young people shouldn''t push themselves too hard." Majou-sama is right-nanodesu! You should be reliant on others'' favor when the situation permits, we even have desserts, you know! I grabbed Yuishia who was about to leave despite how dark it was outside, however, she had a strange expression on her face for some reason. What do you mean young when clearly Im older? Besides, shouldnt you need to ask for permission from your parents or guardians? We may look like this but believe me, were far older than you. Yuishia was a little surprised when I told her so. Also, I have a proposal for you, P-Proposal? What is it? I recalled the empathic reaction I had received from Yuishia when I touched her. So I dished out my proposal to find out what that was all about. Would you like to live together with us in this house? L, live together you say? We still have an empty room, and you dont need to pay for it. We''ll also shoulder all the food and necessity expenses, too. Instead, we would like for you to take care of Kuro in our absence when we may have to stay away from home for a long time. Also, keep an eye on the sea every day to look for signs of the floating island. Well, Kuro was intelligent so he would return on his own when it was time for a meal, though. I muttered so under my breath. You mean you want to hire me as a live-in helper? But why does a stranger like me Hmm, lets say we have something in common. And I believe this would be cheaper and more efficient than living in a dorm, so? Yuishia, as a matter of course, seemed lost at my proposal. On one hand, she was lost as to how there could be such a too-good-to-be-true offer without any drawbacks. On the other hand, she was also thinking about her self-interest. But her biggest concern must be that she knows nothing about us. Please give me some time to think about it. Of course, just tell me when you have decided. For now, take a bath and then rest. Yes-nanodesu! Eeh, there''s a bath!? I chirped in a cheery tone to dispel the heavy atmosphere hovering over Yuishia. Then we headed to the backyard where we built a bathtub surrounded by makeshift walls and used magic like usual. ?Water? ?Fireball?. I first made the water appear out of thin air to fill the bathtub and dropped a fireball to boil the water. I turned to look at the young girl who yelped seeing such an unconventional bath preparation. You must be tired, right? You can go ahead. Make sure to scrub your body plenty with soap. Dont worry about clothes, I''ll have new ones prepared. After saying that, I sent Yuishia to bathe and prepared the pajamas and other bed necessities for her with ?Creation Magic?. Majou-sama, will Yuishia be staying here? Hmm, I do wonder about that. So far, she should be joining us after me showing my magic to her, in my opinion. S?a??h the N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Teto asked me while gazing at Kuro, who looked sleepy and curled up in his bed. He might be a mythical beast, a cat sith, however, he was still in his juvenile phase so he must be tired after all that walking we did today. Teto and I waited for Yuishia to finish her bath while having tea together. After having time to think deeply in the bath, Yuihisa''s expression was a stark contrast from before. I saw that Chise-san is a far more remarkable magician than me! So please teach me magic! I''ll do anything, including working as a live-in helper! "Sure. Well then, were going to take a bath. You can go ahead and sleep on the bed early." Later, Teto is also going to bathe with Majou-sama. Eeeeeh! Yuishia was stunned as she saw us off to the bath while not expecting to receive a yes right away. She must have wracked her brain hard, spent a long time in the bath to reach a conclusion, and then told me her request after changing into her pajamas. This was how the Witch of ?Creation Magic? and the Witch Yuishia, who would later be known as the former''s disciple, first met. Vol. 5 - Ch. 122 - Killing time with fun until the arrival of the floating island Chapter 8 -The next morning, I woke up as usual and opened the window. Slightly overcast weather and the deep blue sea was right in front of me. "Not today either, huh?" Feeling a mix of disappointment at not seeing the floating island today either, and also a tiny bit of joy that we could live with Kuro for a while longer, I moved to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. "Toast, bacon, scrambled eggs, and consomme soup, okay? And for sides, strawberry jam and yogurt, boiled vegetables, and olive marinated fish. Also, one orange each." I decided on the menu and started preparing them. I used four elements of magic from the fire magic ?Pyro? to heat up the stove, to the water magic ?Hydro? to fill the pot with water, to the wind magic ?Aero? to chop up the vegetables in the air, and finally the dark magic ?Psychokinesis? to control the fry pan or tableware when cooking. Though I knew how odd this was, that was why I don''t use such a method when Teto and Baretta were beside me, but when I''m alone in the kitchen, I use such basic magic simultaneously to cook, controlling their intensity to a bare minimum. As someone with a tremendous amount of mana, I wouldn''t want my command over it to go haywire so I especially trained my control. I then heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. "Amazing...... I mean not that, why? No, How?" "Good morning. Did you sleep well yesterday?" "Oh, good morning. And thank you." I poured black tea into a cup and passed it to Yuishsia who just woke up and went back to serve breakfast. "Wow... it''s really amazing. Like a magician from a fairy tale I heard when I was little." Yuishia''s eyes sparkled like those of a young child as she watched the food and tableware dancing under my control, bringing a smile to my face. "Ah, I, I''m sorry......" "Oh, don''t worry about it. You just remind me of how happy children used to be when I showed them magic like this." "Huh? You did say you are older than me, Chise-san...... Do you have children?" "Well, she''s my stepdaughter. She''s already grown up and married." There was still time before Teto woke up, so I continued with my work while chatting with Yuishia. My stepdaughter, Serene, has already married into the Margrave family, but I still remember her fondly. Though I couldn''t help but tilt my head and wonder if the fact that I occasionally reminisced about that time was a sign of aging. "I don''t want kids to be scared by showing them attack magic so I used to show them little tricks like this." "Seriously, who in the world are you, Chise-san? Not even most Court Sorcerers can use several magic spells simultaneously like you... let alone using four elements." Yuishia muttered. However, as someone who had stopped growing due to immortality, I still had the body of a 12-year-old so my strength and endurance were quite low. Therefore, I constantly used ?Body Strengthening? to reinforce my physical strength to that of an adult male, and a ?Barrier? concealed on my body to protect myself from sudden attacks. Depending on the situation, I''m also ready to use ?Body Hardening?, an upgraded version of body strengthening, or a multilayer ?Barrier? at any time. I was wondering if I should tell her we were also A-rank adventurers but I felt a bit mischievous and decided against it for the moment. "I''m just a traveling witch. I learn and improve my magic through actual battles or increasing my knowledge reserve while working as an adventurer. It''s just recently that we''ve arrived here at the capital of the Lovile Kingdom." As Yuishia began to eat her breakfast while expressing her admiration, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. It seemed like Teto was awake. "Majou-sama! Teto is sad that you didn''t come to wake her up! Teto, too, had wanted to help you out with breakfast!" "Sorry, Teto. You looked so comfortable sleeping and I just wanted to make breakfast by myself just this once." "Teto forgives you then! Breakfast looks delicious today as well!" "Thank you for the food", Teto said her prayer and started eating delightfully. Yuishia looked surprised seeing Teto''s action, however for me, this was just part of my everyday life. "What''re we going to do today, Majou-sama?" "I''m thinking of stopping by the guild and accepting some requests. What will you do, Yuishia?" "I''m...... going to move out of Suzurland Clan''s dorm and move here." Then it will be a temporary goodbye, huh? So I thought. "Alright, take this. This is the spare key, You can have the room you used yesterday to yourself." "T, Thank you very much......" "And Kuro, what''re you going to do today?" "Nya~", Kuro purred as he was done with his breakfast, crunchy cat food, and jumped out of the house through the open window. "W, Wahh, he went out, is it alright to leave him alone?" "Don''t worry. He is wearing a collar, and probably went for a walk to see the stray cats." Just in case, I already put on him appraisal camouflage magic, illusion magic to hide away his status as Cat Sith, barrier magic, and a location-sharing function for emergencies on his collar so it should be fine to leave him alone. I could rush to him wherever he was in the confines of this capital city. "Phew, I see. See you later, I''ll be going now, too." We saw Yuishia off as she left for the Suzurland Clan''s dorm after changing her clothes from yesterday. We also got our usual equipment and headed for the guild. The receptionist lady of the harbor city guild stood up in attention upon seeing us arrive and greeted us. "We''ve been waiting for you, Chise-sama, Teto-sama." "Don''t be so uptight. Just treat us like any other adventurer." "Teto, too!" "I understood. Guild Master Zerrich-sama is absent today, however, he has already sorted out the requests for you to take care of." After saying that, she took out a file of requests specifically arranged for us in which several requests and their details were written. Among them, there were also copies of request forms with diagonal lines drawn on them. "Hey, what do these requests with slash marks mean?" "These are the requests clients withdrew and were about to be pulled out or the ones that adventurers already accepted and completed." In short, they were marked with a slash to prevent the requests from being taken twice. I glanced over the requests and pointed at a few of them. "I have these requested materials, can I submit them now?" "Yes, you can. May I ask how much do you have?" "Let''s do the appraisal for them in an empty room." She must have noticed that I had a lot of them when I tapped my magic bag. I had been creating a suitable environment to collect herbs that were necessary for making potions regularly from the herb fields in the ?Empty Wilderness? so I should be able to achieve both the quality and quantity required for the requests. Then, under the supervision of the guilds purchasing staff, I had the herbs appraised and the completion of the requests was recognized. "Thank you very much. This guild is on the port side, so we inevitably have a difference in herb collection from the guild on the inland side of the capital city. The receptionist lady explained to me a part of the guilds internal situation. However she seemed to know too much for a receptionist, which inadvertently caused me to stare at her, and she must have sensed that too as she introduced herself afterward. "It seems that I have yet to introduce myself. I''m Sherryl, the Sub-Master of the Lovile Kingdom''s east-side capital city Adventurer Guild. The Guild Master has the title of Duke, so on the days he is absent for his work, I act as his proxy and manage other affairs." "I see, so you''re the Sub-Master." For better or for worse, Adventurers were a typical male-dominated occupation, so it was rare for a woman to be in the upper ranks of the organization. I guess that just proves how talented of an individual she must be, she has my admiration for her achievement. "Then I acknowledge the completion of the delivery request. If you still have time, I would like you to accept the other requests as well......" "There is something I want to talk about------" First of all, it was impossible to accept long-term requests because of Kuro, the Cat Sith. Though we could shorten the traveling time by half if we used the ?Flying Carpet?. I also found Yuishia who was going to live with us so I explained that we could only accept requests that would take no more than a week. Also, I''m in no need of connections with influential people, so I would like to decline any requests that were linked to nobles or magician clans. "Certainly! So no requests linked to nobles and magician clans, is it?" "Yes, please. Also, we''re going to take the miscellaneous requests around here in order." "Miscellaneous requests...... You''re really To do this kind of thing despite being A-rank adventurers." I guess not even a member of the upper echelon like her could resist frowning when a duo of high-ranking adventurers that were comparable to the elites of the nation''s forces said they would sort out the miscellaneous requests that any run-of-the-mill adventurer could do. s?a??h th? ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "It''s Majou-sama''s hobby-nanodesu! and it''s fun to walk around the town." "Yeah. We don''t need money either since we can procure it at any time by selling potions from self-harvested medicinal herbs through the guilds." Then, without further ado, we went out to take the miscellaneous requests to solve the peoples problems, as we did in the Gard Beastkin Nation. Vol. 5 - Ch. 123 - A Witchs Survival Lesson: Way to Earn 3 Silver Coins a Day Chapter 9 -After stating our conditions, we quickly took up the delivery requests and several other miscellaneous requests. Delivery requests were particularly tough to accomplish in the capital city of the Lovile Kingdom due to many slopes in the harbor town, or on the west side where the majority of the nobles and commoners reside in their respective districts. However, such requests were a piece of cake for us since we just had to store the items in our magic bags which allowed us to deliver them while casually strolling. "The package delivery to the merchant is complete. We just need to report back and we''re done." "Let''s buy the dinner ingredients on the way!" In the same fashion, we finished our delivery request to a merchant near the port of the royal capital. ?Nya~? Ah, Kuro. Are you done with your walk? Welcome back, Kuro-nanodesu~ Kuro, who had gone out for a walk, lightly jumped down from the roof and landed on my shoulder. Perhaps he sensed that our presence was nearby. After we reported our delivery request to the guild and received our reward, we went shopping for dinner and walked back home to find that Yuishia had already returned. "Ah, welcome back, Chise-san, Teto-san." Yuishia welcomed us with a smiling face while making dinner in the kitchen, but then it soon changed to an anxious one. "I''m sorry for using the ingredients without permission." "Relax. Didn''t we already say we will bear your food expenses, too? And the food that Yuishia made looks delicious, doesnt it? Teto wants to eat it quickly! It looks delicious-nanodesu! Yuishia''s face eased when Kuro, too, purred afterward as if to show his agreement with Teto''s word. "Dinner will be ready soon. Please wait just for a while!" "I''ll help with tableware!" "Teto will help, too!" We helped Yuishia with setting up dinner and ate the meal together. Then, while drinking the after-meal tea and petting Kuro''s back who had jumped onto my lap, I poured my mana into Kuro. And when he felt it was enough, he jumped off of my lap with a satisfied look only to be caught in Teto''s arms. "Majou-sama~, Im going to take a bath with Kuro~ ?Nya-Nyaaaa!?? "Sure, have fun. Well then---" After seeing off Teto and Kuro, who was reluctant to get wet in the bath and was struggling, I asked Yuishia. "You said you wanted to become a magician, but what kind of magician do you want to become specifically? "What kind of magician?...... I want to become a court magician who can earn money to reassure my deceased parents, but I guess that''s not what you want to hear, huh? Well wanting to be like the magicians I''ve read in picture books isn''t enough either. Actually, I never thought deeply about it." Yuishia replied with a downward gaze. She was counted as one of the talentless in the magician clan so she never got enough time to think about her future due to being busy with other work all the time to get rid of her dorm life. "Well, you can slowly take your time to think about who you want to be in the future. For now, I will teach you a set of abilities." "A set of abilities......" Gulp I conveyed my current plan to Yuishia who gulped down her saliva in apparent nervousness. "T-That means you''re going to teach me the magic that''s been passed down in the school you''ve studied in......?" "No. What I''m going to teach you is how to earn 3 silver coins a day." "............Excuse me?" Yuishia tilted her head in confusion, however, I just stared back at her with dead serious eyes. "E-Errr...is it just about earning 3 silver coins? Not the intermediate magic or something like secret magic arts of Chie-san......" "No, just earning 3 silver coins a day. To be precise, being able to earn 30 silver coins a month. A silver coin''s value is almost equivalent to 10,000 yen. 3 silver coins a day for ten days means her monthly income will be 30 silver coins, while she can spend the remaining 20 days studying and training her magic, earning more money, or taking a break. 3 silver coins a day is the daily wage for a skilled job as a magician, and normally most people live modestly by working without rest for an average of around 1 silver coin a day. It might not be on the level of a court sorcerer''s pay but I believe that that much was enough for a commoner. "You''ll have more leeway in your life once you have money. So my goal is to make sure you can survive on your own." "That''s kind of different from what I imagined. I mean, a magician''s teacher or priest never talks about money." "Obviously they won''t. Court Sorcerers who belong to the country receive salaries and research funds from the country. But for rough adventurers like me, securing a stable life took precedence above all." "I, I see..." Yuishia nodded and looked around the house we rented. She was probably thinking she could also live in a house like this if she had enough money, unlike in her dorm where she barely had enough to survive. "If you understand, then show me the life magic that you excel in." "Y-Yes! Heed to my call, the gentle breeze ---- ?Aero?!" Yuishia invoked the ?Aero? magic which created winds. Well, I guess she chose wind magic because she was from the Suzurland Clan, however...... "How much mana did you use just now?" "Y, Yes. About 60 units." "......that''s subpar." S?a??h the N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "I-I''m sorry." Offensive spells like ?Fireball? usually drain 10 to 30 units of mana per invocation so Yuishia''s mana to magic efficiency is slightly worse. Yuishia reflexively apologized in response to my muttering. I wasn''t particularly angry. My brows were slightly furrowed because I was thinking about how to teach her magic. "Invoke ?Aero? again but continue to maintain it this time." "Y-Yes Ma''am!" Yuishia once again held her hand out and invoked the wind magic. I moved behind her and put my hand on her hand. "C-Chise-san!?" "Don''t mind me, just continue to maintain the spell." The spell went haywire due to her surprise. I told her to focus and then I checked out her state with my hand over hers. (----Let''s see, she has around 1000 units of mana. That''s a little more than an ordinary person but it''s a bit lackluster for a magician. And her poor conversion efficiency is due to the low level of her ?Mana Control? skill, I see. And----) "You can stop now, Yuishia." "Y-Yews......" (TN - Not a typo) It must not have been easy for her to maintain the wind magic for so long when she wasn''t used to it, as her face was flushed red while she looked down. However, I did find something by examining Yuishia with my touch and using the ?Search? magic. "Yuishia, have you ever suffered a major injury in your right hand in the past?" "Huhhh? How did you know!?" "Sure enough. This is the main reason behind your poor mana efficiency." People circulate magic power from the center of their bodies to various places. In the case of magicians, they gather the circulated magic power to their palms or wands and activate the magic. However, the mana circulation would often clog up due to any major injury they might receive. "Adventures usually increase their physical abilities by circulating mana throughout their body using ?Body Strengthening?, however, there are also cases where they can''t exhibit their full power due to their mana circulation route being damaged by injuries." "T-Then, I......" "Well, that''s just one of the reasons. I will say the more basic reason is your low ability to manipulate mana and your insufficient imagination." "Whaa!?" She received a shock when I told her there was more than one reason behind her lack of ability. "Let''s first heal your hand injury. ----?Manipulation?." "Y-Yes..... ahh, so warm." I placed my hand on Yuishias old wound and activated the magic. Rather than healing, it was more of a recovery magic that brought any part of the body that healed incorrectly back into its place. I guess that must have felt good as Yuishia squinted her eyes in comfort. It took only a few seconds of recovery magic to adjust the poor mana circulation in her right hand. "Now your hand is back to normal. I''ll teach you how to improve your mana manipulation and imagination at the same time to make sure you improve in both aspects as well as get yourself the ability to earn money." Just as we were talking, Teto and Kuro came out of the bath. "We are back from the bath~" "Come here both of you, you''re both still slightly wet." I beckoned Teto and Kuro over and dried their hair and bodies one at a time with hot air magic, a combination of the thermal magic ?Heat? and the wind magic ?Aero?. Just like this morning, Yuishai was stunned to see the combination and continuous handling of several attributes. "...... Amazing. You are using them so naturally." "Well, this is our bread and butter, after all." Teto continued to receive hair care from me as both of us flash a smile at Yuishia. After that, we changed the bath water, and Yuishia and I took turns getting in. Then we prepared the bed in the bedroom and laid on it. "Did you learn something about Yuishia, Majou-sama?" "Yeah. Yuishia is just like me." I replied to Teto''s query as she hugged me while laying behind me. "Same as Majou-sama?" "Yes, she has the quality to become immortal." I finally understood the empathic feeling I got from touching Yuishia during our first encounter after I used ?Search? on her. She has the potential to become an immortal. "So Yuishia can live a long life like Majou-sama? "Not with her current level. She must meet several conditions for that." I have heard from Liliel and Lariel that the humans of this world were from four different generations. The first generation was the genesis people who were directly created by the gods. They were the people who held the potential to become immortal since a long lifespan was necessary to develop the world. This included me, who was reincarnated by Goddess Liliel, and the other immortal people like the Immortal sages or Witches that had left their footprints in legends. The second generation was the kids. They possessed enormous mana, and they were conceived and birthed by the genesis people from the first generation. Although many of them couldn''t inherit the potential of immortality, they were able to have a long lifespan with the enormous mana they possess. The second generation was also where the diversity of races came from with the genesis people having children with mythical beasts, spirits, and dragons resulting in the beastkin, elves, dwarves, and dragonewts. However, most of the second generation people died out due to their high dependence on a high magic environment when the ancient magic civilization caused the mana runaway disaster. The third generation people were mainly the people who survived the catastrophe due to their low dependency on mana. Although they could survive in low mana environments, such an ability didnt come without a price as their lifespan was now affected by the mana reserve they had. The majority of the present world consisted of humans from this generation. The fourth generation was the so-called demons born from the influence of the status system introduced to support the people after the disappearance of most of the magic power. Teto and Baretta were examples of this. The thing they had in common was the mana stone core they had within them. "I guess she is one of those third generation humans who managed to inherit the quality of immortality from her ancestors." Selene managed to increase her mana reserve during her stay with me. But, although her lifespan had been extended, there was no sign that she would reach immortality. In contrast, Yuihisa had that potential. That was what I sensed in the form of empathy. "Then are you going to make Yuishia into an Immortal, Majou-sama? That means Teto will have more friends like Majou-sama!" "Hmm, I haven''t decided yet." To acquire immortality, one needed to have both the potential for it and an enormous mana reserve. In my case, I gained the ?Immortal? skill once my mana reserve crossed the threshold of 30,000 units of mana. I didn''t know the threshold Yuishia would need to cross but there was a high chance that she would be able to acquire the skill as long as she continued to eat the ?Mysterious Nut?. Just because she can reach immortality doesnt mean it will lead to Yuishias happiness. Hmm? Teto is happy to be with Majou-sama forever, but is Yuishia different? Happiness comes in as many forms as there are people. I was thinking of training Yuishia as a magician. Albeit, not to the extent of dragging her into the path of eternity, just like how I reached immortality. While ascertaining where the boundary should lie and thinking about how to guide Yuishia from tomorrow onwards, I drifted to sleep. Vol. 5 - Ch. 124 - Creation Witchs Teaching Chapter 10 -Teto and I had our stuff to take care of among other things. Like delivering potions to the guild, completing the unpopular requests, and bartering for items and artworks lined up at the marketplace and harbor. Some requests had to be handled outside the city as well which we managed to turn into just a day trip using the ?Flying Carpet?. Enrolled in the magician clan, Yuishia also had her own things to take care of. Getting up in the morning, learning magic under the guidance of other magicians in the magician clan, and researching. That being said, she was mostly deemed incompetent by others so she was usually pushed to do chores or made to do work that other magicians detested at low wages during her dorm life. Though once she began to live with us, which eased her financial situation, she was now able to utilize her time training her magic. Besides that, she also gained the aptitude to use some simple offensive spells once the circulation of mana in her body was restored to a healthy state after I fixed her old wound. "Chise-san, Teto-san! Look at my magic! ----?Breeze?." Yuishia happily reported to us about her achievement and showcased her usage of the ?Breeze? spell, a life magic that brings forth a gentle breeze. It was kind of like feeling the rustling of the faint wind, so it was not usable for offense. Nevertheless, it was a ground-breaking deal for her to be able to use the wind element magic that the organization she was affiliated with specializes in which was evident from her cheerful expression. "Congratulations, Yuishai." "Congratulations-nanodesu!" ?Purr Meow-Meow!? We congratulated her on her achievement, but, as if to say not to be proud of using such insignificant magic, Kuro slapped his tail on Yuishia''s feet. "Ouch! It hurts, Kuro-san! What are you doing?" ?Nya~? Apparently, Cat-Sith Kuro treated her as his follower based on the order they had joined the family. It was just that because Kuro looked adorable with his shiny, lustrous fur, the cute things lover Yuishia gave in to him and caressed his back and nape while masking her grinning face with a troubled expression. I had occasionally seen Kuro secretly following Yuishia when she had to go out or slipping into her bed at night every now and then. "You''re so cute, Kuro-san. You''re so intelligent for a cat. It''s as if you can understand my words." "You both have really become good buddies, huh?" "And Teto is a good buddy of Majou-sama!" ?Nya~? At my soliloquy, Kuro slipped out of Yuishia''s grasp and ran to our side. Then he nuzzled himself onto us, asking us to spoil him, and absorbed plenty of mana from my hand that was caressing his body. I guess, rather than Yuishia herself, Kuro liked the mana that has been spilling out of her. "You have grown enough to have an aptitude for magic now, so I guess it''s time to teach you magic earnestly. Well, it''ll be more like the practical lessons that the guild gives to magicians though." "Really!? I have already acquired the ?Mana Control? skill now that there''s no obstacle in my mana circulation route, and, probably due to that, my mana reserve has also increased!" We each had our own lives to take care of, so I had her go through some simple basic training under my watch in our rented house. But we had to shift to a more spacious place outside for me to teach some real magic, or else it may be dangerous to the people and surroundings. Aside from that, the reason behind her increase in mana reserve was due to the ?Mysterious Nut? that I quietly slipped into her meal. Besides raising her mana reserve to a certain limit, I wasn''t sure what other prerequisites were needed to gain the ?Immortal? skill like me. Either way, my current plan for her was to increase her mana reserve just like Selene until she acquired the ?Slow-Aging? skill. Eventually, she would become another mana battery for the world. "Alright, let''s go for a walk on the sandy beach outside of town." "Let''s go." "O-Okay!" With that, we all moved to the beach outside the capital of the Lovile Kingdom. "Majou-sama, Teto found a beautiful stone that could be a souvenir for everyone!" "Nice. Pebbles are rolling all over the beach so we might be able to find raw gems or something like that." We walked along the beach rolling with pebbles instead of sand and picked up things like driftwood wood that had washed ashore as the waves crashed into the beach. Just as I was thinking that they may become objects in our backyard, someone raised their voice behind our back. "Huff Huff...... Chise-san......Teto-san...... how do you have so much stamina?" We walked all the way from the royal capital to the beach outside of it, but this was apparently too much for Yuishia due to her lack of exercise as a magician. Kuro was perched on her shoulder and was pressing his paw against her cheek as if to say ''Do your best''. I gave him the ''It would be a relief if you just get off her shoulder'' gaze, however, he brushed me off with a cool face as if he didn''t understand me, causing me to smile bitterly. "This is the application of mana manipulation, Yuishia. Concentrate magic on your eyes." "Teto''s using ?Body Strengthening?!" "Eh, ah yes!" Although her mana reserve has increased, it was still just 1500 units. So she couldn''t use ?Body Strengthening? for a long time but I have been teaching her how to strengthen certain parts of her body. "However, it''ll be a pity if you don''t train your body too!" Yuishia still had room to grow, so she could still increase the efficiency by which she could use ?Body Strengthening? and even amplify the strengthening degree by building up her base endurance. Well in my case, my body stopped growing at the age of 12 after gaining immortality so no amount of load training could affect the base stats of my body now even by a minuscule amount. Heck, I wouldn''t be able to stand up so fast if I didn''t use ?Body Strengthening? constantly. "Phew......?Body Strengthening?." Yuishia stopped and focused on recovering her stamina by cycling her mana through her body while digesting the meaning of our words. I smiled wryly when I saw her breathing calm down at the expense of half of her mana reserve and took out a mana potion from my magic bag. "Drink this since your mana reserve can''t withstand being used for physical recovery just yet. I''ll tell you about magic." "A-Alright...... thank you very much for your care......" Since things like housing, food, books on magic that I finished reading, daily necessities, and potions like this were all arranged by us, she was often too embarrassed to accept things as everything amounted to a considerable sum if converted into money. Teto couldn''t teach Yuusha magic, so she left to pick things up on the beach. "Thank you very much." "Alright, let''s start with the review on magic. What is magic?" Yuishia paused midway as she was drinking the mana potion when I asked her so and answered seriously. "Magic is the phenomenon brought forth through the help of mana. Magic can be anything from the reproduction of a natural phenomenon to the individual fantasy." "Correct. So what are the attributes of magic and its components." "Y, Yes. Magic is divided into six attributes: fire, water, wind, earth, light, and darkness, as well as non-attribute which cannot be classified into any of them! Basic attributes combine to form compound attributes such as ice and thunder. The elements that construct magic can be divided into strengthening, alteration, releasing, manipulating, and materialization, among others!" Yuishia recited details about magic in one breath. It was the general theory of magic in the world and the centerpiece in constructing magic. However--- "That''s quite good, you have properly memorized them. But forget all of that for the time being." "Ehhh... forget them?" This was the mainstay theory when learning magic, and it was how I dramatically improved my spell invocation, mana consumption, and manipulation ability by studying them in detail compared to the past. That being said, "Do you know what kind of magic the first magic user world used?" "Y-Yes? Why, so suddenly......" ''Forget the general theory about magic'', Yuishia was surprised at my philosophical reply but turned to contemplate it seriously seeing that I was equally serious. "The great figures in the scripture were granted magic by the gods, so is that not magic? Like magic to make it rain, magic to grow food, or magic to punish bad people." "Hmm, it''s a bit different." The anecdotes written in the scriptures of the five great god''s teachings or the church''s magic index were imitations of the miracles performed by the goddesses. In other words, it was the reinforcement of our fantasies to identify ourselves with the goddesses like Liliel. Also, the magic bestowed by the gods was, in a way, the result of people imitating the magic shown by Liliel and the other gods to guide them. However, that wasn''t exactly the magic I mean. Long before the demise of the magic civilization, the Creation God created humans. It was the era of genesis when humans and gods couldn''t be any closer. What I was talking about was the very beginning of magic that people found out on their own, even before they learned the concept of magic from the gods. The first magic used in this world was to create a glass of water. Just like this. I showed her using the life magic ?Water? to collect water from the air. "Chise-san, that''s too difficult to think about. But I get it, you''re saying that the first magician in history wasn''t a great figure, right? You''re saying this to cheer this talentless person, right?" Yuishia brushed off my words with a laugh. I shook my head while smiling at her silly misunderstanding. "I didn''t mean it that way, alright here''s my next question. Do you know what wish brought forth the first magic?" "Huh...... what...... wish?" S?a??h the ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Yuishia fell into contemplation at my question and ran her gaze around as if to search for the answer. Then she closed her eyes and began to look through her memory and knowledge for the answer. And then "Because they were feeling thirsty?" "Correct. The first magic was born out of the wish to quench their thirst since they wanted to drink water. What is important in magic is the reproduction of individual fantasies that you mentioned before. I think the sentiments that one carries within themselves along with that fantasy is the most important aspect of magic." "Sentiments......" In fact, there wasn''t much difference between the world now and the genesis world, the world that had just been created by the Creation God. It was nothing like the earthly paradise extolled in the myths but was instead fraught with barren lands, abnormal weather, and famine. And then, the wish of the man who was about to die of hunger and thirst due to famine and was wandering around in search of drinking water was the beginning of magic. Just one glass of water kept the man alive. The man who understood that drinking water would be born if he wished, created drinking water in the village and shared it with his thirsty companions. I had heard this story firsthand from Goddess Liliel and Lariel, who had witnessed this, in the dream oracle. "You see, what''s important in magic is the sentiment that goes into making it. It is not a mere reproduction of a natural phenomenon. What its for, who its for, I want you to think about that. "Ugh, this conversation delves into complex philosophical ideas. There''s no answer to this, is there?" "Indeed. But this is what I want to talk about first before I begin teaching you magic earnestly." This was what I first spoke about, whether I was teaching my stepdaughter Selene, or the magicians at the guild''s training ground. I want them to think deeply about what and for whom they wield their magic. "One more thing, magic, to be honest, is just normal magic. Even this globe of water can kill a person depending on the way it is used." "Wha...... you''re joking, right?" Yuishia turned to stare at the water globe I conjured using life magic during our conversation as her expression stiffened. I guess she vividly felt the impact of my words that even a commonplace life magic could kill the people, along with the faint mana coercion in them. It wasn''t an exaggeration. One could use a glass of water to choke someone and kill them by suffocation. Water released at an extremely high speed could even cut rocks. "Magic is just like a finely sharpened tool. You must understand what and how you''re using it." Magic was a convenient tool that could kill yourself and others. Its meaning can be changed to anything depending on the holder''s sentiment. "A-Alright......" After that, I practiced magic with a slightly perplexed Yuishia while facing the sea. I was a firm believer in putting everything into practice, so I showed her some basic magic and also made her repeat them many times. When she was stumped at a particular magic, I would break down the magic I showed into its composite elements, and advise her which element should she focus on while reinforcing her imagination to maximize firepower in the shortest amount of time. "This is completely different from the way the magician clans teach." "Well, as a practitioner, I mostly learn through feeling. Even if you understand it in theory, when it comes to practice, that theory falls out. So all in all, its important to be aware of the phenomenon you want to create. Class magicians, if I were to label them, had a more research-oriented aspect. There were various ways to reach the same phenomenon or result, and class magicians explored basically that. Conversely, magicians who are practitioners, such as adventurers, strive to attain the highest possible firepower in the least amount of time. They both were different in nature. "Ughh, I can''t use offensive magic with my mana reserve." "Well, your mana reserves will grow from here on out. Also, if you analyze and remember the factors that make up magic well, your subconscious will complement the image of your magic, reducing your magic consumption. And its better to narrow down the number of magic you really use in battle. "A-Actual battles......" "Theres no need to fight right away. But if you level up by defeating monsters, your magic power will increase and your range of usable magic will expand, so just go steadily." Even if they knew what they wanted to use magic for, they couldn''t bring that wish to fruition either if they didn''t have the strength to back it up. So there was no need to rush. One step at a time, she could take her time to get used to it and become strong. "Y-Yes, I''ll do my best!" "Earning 3 silver coins a day as an adventurer isn''t a pipe dream once you have grasped a certain level of strength. Well, Ill also teach you how to make potions and other things with your hands. Even if defeating monsters feels impossible, Ill train you to be able to live. "A-Ah, right, that was my goal indeed. I- I''ll do my best." Fueled with such feelings, we repeatedly fired magic for our practice while facing the sea. Vol. 5 - Ch. 125 - And our life with Yuishia Chapter 11 -I began to give Yuishia lectures about magic twice a week. She has the highest aptitude for the water element followed by fire and earth. The ones that she sucked at were wind, light, and dark. That being said, I still continued to teach her about them to build her knowledge up, while I had her repeatedly practice the other magic elements she was good at facing the sea. And in the house "I brought a new magic book, Yuishia. Do you wanna read it?" "Plus snacks, too! Let''s all eat together!" "Y-Yes! It''s really incredible! There are so many books I want to read! And sweets, too..... This must be paradise!" "You''re exaggerating. Though I would like to hear your impression of it later." "I will! There are many things I want to talk about!" I had been sharing with her the books that I either bought during my free time and bookstore tours or brought with me when I temporarily went back to visit our home at the together with Teto. I couldn''t find anyone to talk to about the books I read since Teto wasnt the type to read books, so I thought I found a good book friend through Yuishia. She has also been helping out in preparing meals or managing housework as she continued to live with us. Everything in the was done by Baretta and the other service dolls so I rarely got to do anything there, and the bond between us was different from what I had with Selene, so I also am quite delighted to have her company. She had quite a tough time casting magic in the beginning, but gradually she began to get the gist of magic''s relevance to everyday life and now she has reached the point where she could use magic for washing clothes or controlling the fire strength of the stove without messing up. Although she failed at using different life magic in an attempt to mimic me, she could now at least use two elements together. As for Teto and mine''s work as adventurers, we, like usual, undertook the unpopular requests while avoiding any long-term ones as much as possible though there were occasionally times when we had to stay out. However, the floating island that we were waiting for showed no signs of appearing as the days passed. Just like this, five years passed by as we lived with Yuishia---- "Haaaa----! Sweep!" We were currently in a dungeon located on the outskirts of the Lovile Kingdom ---- Yuishia held her wand and conjured multiple ice spears to defeat a monster. And the freshly impaled monster was a Cockatrice, a C-rank monster. As its final struggle, it tried to turn its intense paralyzing gaze at her, though a pity it fell short against her ''s magic resistance. "I leveled up! Chise-san, Teto-san! Now my mana is 20,000 units!" "Oh, good for you. If its just magic power, I think it''s already comparable to a court magician." "Congratulations-nanodesu!" Although not on par with us, her mana reserve has increased a lot thanks to her eating the frequently. She has also improved herself in magic through continuous training. She has also acquired the water magic skill with her improvement in it and now, her water magic is at level 5. Moreover, as she improved in her magic skills, she appeared to gain more self-confidence, and her once meek disposition gave way to a more buoyant and lively demeanor. With the increase in her mana reserve, the growth of her body also slowed down, however, the skill, the precursor to , has yet to appear, which has caused me to think that individual differences also play a role as to when one could get these skills. "I was just a low-ranking magician before, but I''ve now become a first-class magician through and through! I think becoming a court sorcerer isn''t far off if I continue to work hard like this!" Teto and I gave her our congratulations as she excitedly talked about her dream, though Kuro looked somewhat shocked. The magic clan has its own hierarchy, starting with apprentices and progressing to third, second, and first class, with recognition as a full-fledged magician at the rank of first class. Moreover, every year there was a recruitment test for court magicians that the nation arranged for those who had reached the rank of a first-class magician. If you passed the recruitment test, you could officially become a court magician. "Woah!? Ku-Kuro-san! What''s wrong!?" Kuro knocked his paw at Yuishia''s cheeks as she was explaining all this. Lately, Kuro has been acting like a big brother to her, as if advising her "Don''t get too cocky". Kuro has grown to the size of a fully-grown cat by absorbing our magical energy over the past year, and Yuishia''s shoulder has become his usual place to perch on. "But looking back at that time, you''ve really grown up." "Oh, come on, I''m still nothing compared to Chise-san and Teto-san!" Yuisia remained modest as always, but she has truly grown into an impressive person. She has polished her magic skills, grown taller, and became even more lovely. And above all, her breasts have grown larger. Although hers wasn''t as big as Teto''s, who sported huge breasts with a baby face, her well-shaped breasts were exerting their presence by pushing up her robe. I couldn''t help but feel envious... (Maybe I should have helped her increase her mana reserve right at the beginning and pulled her as a similar small-breast companion...) As the devil''s whisper echoed in my mind, suggesting that I should have really led her down the same path of acquiring the skill before she grew up, Teto and Yuishia tilted their heads, sensing the disquieting atmosphere exuding from me. "What''s wrong, Chise-san?" "......No, nothing. Anyway, let''s go home for today." "Let''s go back and have a delicious meal!" We left the dungeon as we only came here for Yuishia''s training by making her fight monsters, and stopped by the guild on the way. We had been living together for five years, but she had yet to know that we were A-rank adventurers. In fact, I was now enjoying this little bit of game wondering how long we could keep it a secret from her. "Hello, Yuishia-chan. How was it today?" "I went to the dungeon with Chise-san and Teto-san and gathered lots of materials!" Yuishia faced the receptionist she has become acquainted with from the inland guild that was closer to the dungeon and showed her today''s spoil. We have left everything related to the counter to her and while we were known as skilled adventurers here, they didn''t know our exact rank. The only ones who knew of our true rank in the Lovile Kingdom were just the guild master Zerrich and the sub-master Sharil of the harbor-side guild. "Alright, we''ve confirmed the delivery of the materials. Thank you, as always. This way, the clients won''t pressure us." "I''m sorry, that you have been facing trouble from people of my clan......" The request this time was to collect materials for magic potions such as power enhancement potions used by the Suzurland clan. She has been doing such requests by occasionally partying with me, Teto, or the other adventurers. For the past five years, whenever there were menial tasks that Yuisha could accomplish with her magic, Teto and I would accompany her to the guild and show her the request where we taught her how to make money with magic by showing her the ropes, then making her actually try it. Aside from that, she has also learned and received requests related to the magic clans. As a result, she has sufficiently learned how to earn well which was her initial purpose. However, the time we spent with her was so unexpectedly fun that we lost the chance to end the relationship, and it just continued on like this. Time passed like this while we waited for Kuro''s home, the floating island, to rear its head in vain. "It''s really a life-saver that your reputation among adventurers is good, Yuishia-san!" "Y-You jest! I''m just a nuisance to their party, you know!" We watched her modest exchange with the receptionist with a smile. "Chise-san, sorry to keep you waiting." "Good job and congratulations. You earned three silver coins today." When I said so, Yuishia showed a clueless expression at first for a moment and then she flashed a faint smile. "Now that you said that, that was the goal in the beginning, wasn''t it? Magic was so fun that I completely forgot about it." "We have to celebrate together!" "Let''s buy yummy things on our way then!" It was already a foregone matter for her at this point, however, it was a matter worth celebrating in my opinion. "Are you sure? Well, I believe the merchant ship from the south should have docked yesterday, so maybe let''s try the south''s delicacy today!" "Alright, then let''s head for the marketplace." With the plan decided, the three of us headed to the familiar market and bought Yuishia''s favorite food while looking around for other interesting stuff. Just then, I saw a carriage dashing towards the harbor. I had an instinctive feeling that it was going too fast the moment I saw the carriage. And it didn''t take long for my intuition to become a reality. "Cry Mama. Mamaaaa!" The market was a crowded place. A lost child, separated from their mother who came to shop, was walking around unsteadily and eventually walked into the route of that carriage. It was already too late for the carriage to stop as it was dashing down on a sloping road at breakneck speed. In fact, the coachman panicked and hurriedly tried to avoid the child but ended up flipping the carriage, causing it to fall over. "Let''s go, Teto." "Yes-nanodesu!" Teto and I immediately ran to the scene. The child that was walking around looking for their mother froze up on the spot upon noticing the carriage. "---- !" "-----nanodesu!" I, with my telekinesis magic, and Teto, by manipulating the ground in the marketplace, managed to stop the sliding carriage. The sliding carriage was closer to the place where a lot of people were, so we had to be a bit forceful in our attempt to stop it as gently as possible. "Yuishia, go call the guards and the adventurer''s guild staff. I''ll take care of the injured." "Alright, I''ll be quick." I busied myself with healing the injured as Yuishia rushed to the guard station. The lost child, who had jumped in front of the carriage, had apparently safely united with the mother who rushed here after hearing the commotion. "Thank you very much! How can I ever thank you enough?" "All that matters is the child is fine. Please be careful from now on." I looked around the market while smiling at the mother and child pair and found there was no other injured person. On the other hand, the coachman who was thrown off the carriage due to inertia, and the horse that fell suffered some major injuries like fractures and the like. Teto pulled out the robe-wearing men from the toppled carriage while I was healing the injured. "Majou-sama~ everyone inside the carriage is unharmed~" "You lot! Don''t think you''ll escape unscathed after pulling such violence against me, a court sorcerer!" Sigh I know, I know. I will hear what you have to say later, so wait for a while." Even as I was busy healing the arm of the coachman and the leg of the fallen horse with recovery magic, the man who claimed to be a court sorcerer continued to shout non-stop. "Due to you plebeians, I lost the research materials that I had ordered from the south! And I''m telling you, none of them are items plebs like you can afford at all!" "But I''m not in the wrong here, though. It''s entirely your fault, running a carriage so fast without paying any heed to others. I just stopped it to prevent further damage from this accident." "You think your sophistry will be able to save you? Your actions constitute an act of harm to the nobility!" This was why dealing with such a pompous man was a pain, I thought as the man declared loudly. At those words, Teto stepped forward to protect us, seeing the frightened state of the girl that had jumped out in front of the carriage and her mother who was embracing her, and enquired. "Majou-sama, are we going to kill him?" "Calm down, Teto. We''re not going to kill anyone." We stood there on the spot to protect the mother, the child, and the incident place while wishing for the quick arrival of the guards. The people around in the marketplace were giving us concerned glances, though only from a distance. Apparently, they didn''t want to face a noble head-on. Meanwhile, one of the court sorcerer''s followers was glaring at us intently. I felt a tremor of mana in the man''s eyes, though it felt different from the usual application of the magic to gather mana in the eyes, like a skill. (Appraisal magic...... no, not magic. Seems like a unique skill related to the magic eye category?) The man, I didn''t know what he found looking at me, I mean, us, he immediately slipped to the side of a man claiming to be a court sorcerer and whispered something into his ear. The man who was having a furious expression until now suddenly adopted a creepy, grinning look upon hearing that. "I see. Alright...... You plebs. Your wand, your bag, oh and that cat of yours, leave them behind and I will ignore this transgression of yours." "Haaaa?" For a second, I didn''t understand what he meant when he pompously said so, causing me to inadvertently slip out a confused voice. However, the man continued to speak, not noticing our perplexed reaction. S?a?ch* Th? N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "It is more fitting for a person of noble status like myself to carry the wand and bag. And that cat, though it is hiding its true form, is most likely a young monster. Bringing such a filthy creature into town is unforgivable. We will dispose of it properly and make effective use of its corpse!" If he was eyeing my , or magic bag, I could forgive him for that. After all, while both have been proven to be great in their performance, and I had also grown fond of them after using them for so long, they were just tools in the end. However, Kuro was undoubtedly our irreplaceable family. "Well, what have you decided? You know I''m being magnanimous here, ready to overlook your sin of attacking a nobility and also unauthorized breeding of a monster." "I refuse. I would never sell my family." "Teto is with Majou-sama! Kuro is our precious family!" When I firmly refused, both Teto and Kuro raised their voices in agreement. "Chise-san! I''ve called the guards and guild officials." And just then, Yuishia came at the right time with the guards and guild officials who stood between us and the court sorcerer group. As they investigated the actual scene and collected the statement of both sides, the court sorcerer accused us of attacking them, an aristocrat, and bringing in monsters illegally. The guild officials who knew us well hesitated, but the brave civilian defended us. As for Kuro, he was the beloved idol of both the guild officials and guards and was pampered a lot by them, so none of them believed their claim. On the other hand, the court magician was apparently affiliated with the Suzurland Clan whose notoriousness is known to everyone, so their accusation was claimed to be a desperate excuse and he and his group were led to the guard station. The cause of the disturbance, the mother and her child who had jumped in front of the carriage were left off with a stern warning. Finally, we were also released, as our behavior was already known to them. "Sigh That was one wild experience we were caught up in. Anyway, let''s go back." "Teto is tired of all this. Majou-sama, Teto wants your care later-nanodesu!" "......Thank you for your hard work, Chise-san, Teto-san." Yuishia passed her appreciation-filled words. That day, we used the ingredients we bought to make her favorite dish. Vol. 5 - Ch. 126 - The beginning of the downfall of the Suzurland Clan Chapter 12-After the whole fiasco with the carriage, Yuishia was giving off a strange vibe. All the time her gaze was staring at the ground, and then, as if she had made up her mind while putting Kuro on her lap and patting him after the dinner, she turned to us. "Um...Chise-san, Teto-san. I have something to tell you." "Yes? Is it about what happened during the day?" "Y-yes. The person that Chise-san and Teto-san argued with is Orbelt-sama Orbelt Suzurland-sama, to be exact." Orbelt was the head of the Suzurland clan, which Yuishia belongs to, and the heir apparent to a Count, which was a noble magic family. Although he was the youngest among the court sorcerers, he was said to have a great talent for magic and a high level of magical power despite his youth. He was from an influential background, has a vast fortune at his disposal earned through the sale of magic potions unique to their family as well as the protection of trading ships, and he also has many magicians and soldiers at his call whom they have fostered from their infancy. "That''s why it''s an ill-omen to be eyed on by him. The apparent next heir is also someone plagued by ill rumors." "Ill rumors, huh......?" They ranged from performing illegal magic experiments on purchased slaves, to blackmailing or assassination using fostered soldiers, to using his influence to cover up his misdeeds, and cornering others financially using his wealth among other things---- "Wow, that''s scary." "It''s dangerous indeed. Majou-sama, you should avoid getting too close." "How can you say it so flippantly!?" Yuishia''s face stiffened and she raised her voice seeing Teto and me talking so unconcernedly. "Because you see, it seems like we''re too late to take any precautions." "Visitors in the premises, Majou-sama." "What? Ehh?" My mana sense registered several people intruding on the premises of our house. Teto seemed to have sensed them, too. "There are around...10 people it seems. I guess they''re assassins, eh?" "All of them are rolling on the ground now. They have been neutralized like usual." "Huh, huh? Can anyone tell what''s happening?" ?Purr~? I replied to both the confused Yuishia and Kuro who purred in discontent when the hand caressing him stopped. "Nothing, just some assassins sneaking in." "I-isn''t that awful!?" "The security spell I had put up before has activated, and they''re calmly dozing off in the garden." I already had a barrier erected here to prevent trespassers when we moved to this house. So the barrier that responded to their ill-will and malice nailed them with ?Stun?, robbing them of their movements, and then Teto captured them by manipulating the ground with earth magic from a distance. "Anyway, let''s check them out, I guess." "Ehh, are you sure it''s safe!?" "All good. Our spells have already given them a warm welcome. At this point, people of this level could hardly make us break a sweat after our long history of mock battles with adventurers, bandit suppressions, and capturing criminals with bounties on their heads in our adventurer work. That wasn''t even mentioning the fact that they have been hit by the lightning spell ?Stun? and must be in a paralyzed state. They were further caught up in the soil manipulated and strengthened by Teto''s mana, so breaking away from the soil was a tall task even with ?Body Strengthening? once Teto manipulates it. We went outside and saw ten people in the grasp of earthen hands and pressed on the ground as they writhe. "Let''s see, can you tell me your goal and who your employer is?" I shifted my gaze to one of the struggling assassins. However, he kept his expression as indifferent as a stone without answering. In fact, he even tried to commit suicide by bitting the poison stored in his teeth, but--- "----?Analyze?. The poison''s variation is... I see. ----?Antidote?." I used an analysis spell, a higher version of the appraisal spell, and detoxified him with recovery magic. The man was bewildered when the excruciating pain caused by the fast-acting poison disappeared in an instant. I informed them with a flat expression. "Just so you know, my healing and dispelling skills are top-notch so don''t even think you can easily die in front of me." The men hung their heads down understanding they could neither run away nor die after I spoke and adopted silence. I could regenerate their tongues if they tried to commit suicide by biting their tongues, and I even had Teto manipulate the soil to jam their mouths with it to prevent them from committing suicide. "Now, let me ask again. Can you tell me the reason, purpose, and employer behind your assassination attempt?" "...... Can''t say." S~?a??h the ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. With them finally breaking the ice, even if it was just two simple words, I nodded in contentment. "...... Oh, alright. You''ll stay here like this until morning. It''s already late, so we''re going to sleep." "Let''s go to sleep-nanodesu, Majou-sama!" "What, are you really fine with leaving them like this, Chise-san!? I mean, they came to kill you, right?" I responded to Yuishia who looked flustered at our nonchalant take on them. "They haven''t drawn their weapons yet, so they''re just illegal intruders. Besides, I don''t like interrogation or torture, so I''ll leave that to the experts among the guards and knights." "Majou-sama is kind and doesn''t like hurting people." I turned away in slight embarrassment when Teto said that, though I could see Yuishia''s expression, which had been tense with nervousness until now, slightly eased up. "You''re kind indeed, Chise-san. And even more so, generous." "I''m just a coward when it comes to hurting people, not generous. That''s why I have the whole premises of the house firmly strengthened with harm-prevention spells. I said in self-derision at Yuishia''s words. I was just a timid and cautious person. I guess that was why I chose to heal, protect and foster over hurting someone. Of course, I didn''t just take anyone''s ill will or malice lying down, though my motto was to basically avoid getting into a scuffle as much as possible and leave such matters to guards and such who were mainly for that. And then, as I exhaled a sigh while entering the house, Yuishia quipped---- "Seriously, just who''re you, Chise-san?" "Fufu, that''s still a secret." "It''s a secret-nanodesu~" As we flashed a mischievous smile to her, Yuishia, who was apparently startled by the assassination attempt, proposed---- "It''s kind of chilling to see an assassination attempt, so can I sleep in your room today?" "Of course. Let''s all sleep on the same bed." "It sounds fun!" Leaving the assassins behind, we all slept in the same room together that day. SIDE: Suzurland Clan Apparent Heir - Olbert "Damn, those annoying adventurer brats...... It would have been for the best if they had just left behind that wand, the magic bag, and also that cat." "Please appease your anger, Olbert-sama. I''m sure the fostered assassins will surely live up to your expectations." "Alas, the world wants it to be so, it seems. A pity they''re going to be killed and their possession stolen at this tender age. Kukuku......" In the mansion prepared for Olbert''s research, two more men were present there beside Olbert. With their talents receiving the approval of Count Suzurland, they had become his aids and also court sorcerers at the same time. "Nevertheless, the wand''s color surprised me. A wand that can amplify wind magic by 10 times is simply something prepared by heaven just for us, Suzurland." One of the aids said so with deep emotions. He possessed a unique skill called ''Magic Eye of Appraisal'' which allowed him to examine the items around the noble Olbert and report his findings to him. It was due to the virtue of this unique skill that he was able to spot the identity of Chise''s ?Magic Wand - Hisui?, the magic bag, and also camouflaged Kuro''s real form, a Cat Sith. "10 fold huh...... Even the treasured wand of Suzurland only provides 5 fold amplification, right? It''s strange that a child like her would have it. She even stopped our falling carriage with magic, apparently. Ack, my butt still hurts from the impact." The other man was famous for his love of battles. He possessed a unique skill called ?Flame Manipulation? which, when combined with Suzurland''s wind magic, produced intense flames, making him one of the strongest combatants among the court sorcerers of the Lovile kingdom. Surprisingly though, a battle freak like him loved money more than anything else. He was a materialistic person who believed that with money, one could have everything, including women and alcohol. His love for money made him follow Olbert, as he was always looking for ways to make money, and during the accident as well, he was devising a way to steal the money of an adventurer seemingly carrying a huge sum he met coincidentally. "Haven''t you already treated your bum with a potion? Cease your crude jokes. Hmph, I bet that brat must have been relying on the wand''s abilities to cast magic. Such a sublime thing is just benefitting me, the head of this wind magic clan. That''s all there is to it!" "I''m more curious about the rarely seen mythical beasts, Cat Sith. Its fur and blood as a scarce mythical beast should be usable as materials for a magic potion, or it could be a good attraction. At worst, even killing it and digging out its mana core would still be worth it." After seeing the beautiful black cat on the market and learning of its true form from his comrade possessing the magic eye, the battle freak just couldn''t stop drooling at the profit he could acquire from it. "Hey, be kind to the Cat Sith. Mythical beasts have a long lifespan. We can produce far more mana-potent materials from it if we handle it well." "Bummer, what about my benefits then?" "In that case, how about we distribute the contents of the stolen magic bag among ourselves? There should be some things that can be sold for money or exchanged for other valuable items." Brimming with confidence that this was yet another simple matter for their subordinates, they discussed the distribution of the treasures they hadn''t even obtained yet. ?Magic Eye of Appraisal? could extract information about the opponents as long as they were not far above in strength. However, one couldn''t see their status if there was an overwhelming difference in strength. Rather, the aid didn''t even realize that he couldn''t see Chise''s status. Although he, as a court sorcerer, possessed a sufficient amount of mana, he was only strong when fighting from the shadows of the adventurers, the rear line. He has neglected the training of his mana perception and mana manipulation and has been riding on the virtue of his unique skill and mana reserve. Even if he had tried, though, it might have been difficult for him to accurately perceive the ability of Chise and Teto, who could control mana like the back of their hand. As the night further deepened, they became increasingly anxious seeing no sign of the assassins coming back. "Damn them! How long are those bastards going to keep their master waiting!" "Hmm, they''re indeed late. Shall we call it a day today?" "Geez, what a waste of time. I guess I''ll go to bed." While fretting, the three of them went to bed. The next morning, they received information that all the assassins they sent out were captured by adventurers and were handed over to the guards. Vol. 5 - Ch. 127 - Time to reveal our true identities Chapter 13 -The following day, we returned to our home after handing the shackled assassins to the guards. "U,Um......Chise-san, are you sure we have the time to be casual when your life is being targeted?" Yuishia, who was anxious due to a noble eyeing us to the point that they even sent assassins to kill us, asked. "Well, it''s not like we can do anything else either, after all." "So just take it easy and relax~" "Y, You aren''t wrong, but......" Nevertheless, Yuishia didn''t show any sign of calming down. Kuro rubbed her back with his paws to pacify her. "......I''m so worried. I didn''t even know what happened between you and them when I was out to call the guards. No, I''ve been staying with you guys for so long and yet, I don''t know anything about you." We were being targeted for my wand, my magic bag, and the Cat Sith Kuro. I guess it was time to reveal our status to her. I was about to speak after reaching that conclusion when someone knocked on the door. "Someone has come, Majou-sama." "Just at the right time. Let''s go." I opened the door of our house to see the adventure guild''s sub-master Sherryl standing outside. "Chise-sama, Teto-sama, Yuishia-sama. Guild Master Zerrich-sama is waiting for you at the guild." "Alright. And Yuishia, I''ll explain everything there." "Okay......" With those words, we boarded the carriage Sherryl-san had prepared and left for the guild. After reaching the guild, we were led to the reception room where the prince-cum-guild master Zerrich was waiting for us with a grave expression visible on his face. "I was waiting for you, Chise-dono, Teto-dono. And it should be our first meeting, Yuishia-kun." "Y, Yes. Nice to meet you!" Yuishia, after dealing with all sorts of requests, was now a D-rank adventurer. So for her, the guild master, who manages both guilds of this royal capital, must be an out-of-reach person. "I guess you called us for yesterday''s event? Or maybe about this morning''s matters?" As I initiated the conversation with such a preface, Zerrich spoke with a tense look. "...... For both. The guild has received a complaint from the Count Suzurland family that their member had been attacked by adventurers in the city, and are seeking compensation for it. Also, they want us to deliver the monster we have been illegally raising to them." "I see......" "I-isn''t there something wrong there?! I mean, the guards knew the cause was them recklessly driving their carriage!" I muttered so faintly, but Yuishia raised her voice in protest. Though, Zerrich hadn''t finished speaking yet. "And the assassins that Chise-dono handed to the guards confessed that their client was the Suzurland family as well as their purpose, and are being questioned for the other crimes." "So, how are they going to be dealt with?" Zerrich''s expression donned yet another complex look when I asked and answered. "Although no injuries were incurred in either incident, Olbert has been placed under house arrest on charges of false accusation, asset coveting, and attempted assassination. His court sorcerer rank will be revoked once he is sentenced. Due to these as well as his other crimes, Suzurland''s influence is expected to decline." If they were not dealt with accordingly, there were chances that the kingdom would receive a strong retaliation from the Gard Beastkin Nation which was our activity base for several decades, and possibly, from the Iska Kingdom too even if they didn''t directly share borders. Aside from that, the behemoth of the organization in this continent, the five goddess church --- where we had put a lot of effort into uplifting the conditions of its orphanages and also where we made donations at regular intervals --- might also step in as our ally. For the kingdom, rather than harming their relationships with these powers, it was safer to cut loose the three court sorcerers from the Suzurland faction once and for all. "This may affect you as well Yuishia-kun since we''re going to cut down the influence of Suzurland as a magic clan. Furthermore, we''re also going to set the influence of the other magic clans on a uniform level and have them work together to focus on magic craft." The current look on Zerrich''s face as he declared so should be the face of a politician who was going to bring a shift in his nation''s dynamic. "Err, I... that, I never borrowed the influence of the Suzurland Clan, so I don''t quite get the meaning even if you say so. But, I think it''s a joyous occasion if this is going to bring a decline to individuals who don''t treat adventurers well when they work together." "Alright. I''ll put some effort into improving the communication in the guild a little to grant your wish." On the other hand, Yuishia became flustered, not understanding how to answer. Her true feelings, however, brought a gentle look to Zerrich''s face. "Nonetheless, it''s the result of our ill judgment to grant Count Suzurland, who bears the title of wind magician, more concessions just because we''re a maritime nation. We''re really sorry for this incident." Yushia''s eyes, as a matter of course, widened seeing the prince-cum-guild master bowing his head to us, although unofficially, and once again uttered the question. "Umm...... Seriously, just who are you, Chise-san, Teto-san? Even the guild master is bowing his head to you......" "Hmm? No way, Chise-dono, Teto-dono, you haven''t told her about yourselves? If I''m not wrong, you''ve been living under the same roof for around five years, no?" I averted my gaze at his question. "I mean, I expected Yuishia to be no longer as cordial if we told her who we were......" "A cordial relationship is more fun than an awkward one-nanodesu~" When I murmured so while awkwardly shifting my gaze and after hearing Teto''s breezy response, Zerrich exhaled a sigh and explained our status to Yuishia. "They are one of the few A-rank adventurers who go by the party name of ." s?a??h th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Ehhhh!? They, they''re A-rank adventurerssss!?" I guess our popularity took a dip after being inactive for a few years since the bards had no more stories to sing about the , so she seemed to not be aware of it. Though our status as A-rank seemed to have already shocked her to the core. Yuishia was in a daze after realizing that the people who let her live with them were A-rank adventurers. "S-so, great people like A-rank adventurers taught me magic......" "Well, we came to Lovile Kingdom for the seafood and to live a partial retirement life, that''s why we are living a subdued life while hiding our rank." "It''s fun being with you!" "Partial retirement!? Just how old are you, Chise-san, Teto-san!?" Now that she said it, we occasionally forgot to keep tabs on our age due to our perpetual appearance so we had to check our guild cards. I was 47 while Teto was 52 years old. 35 years of living in this other world after reincarnation, huh? I guess I''ve been living quite well if I do say so myself. "No way, 4-47 and 52 years old...... I mean yeah, your looks haven''t changed even a bit in these 5 years....... but you look so young, rather you still look like a child......" "Well, increased life expectancy and delay in aging do happen with the increase in mana capacity." "But, it still can''t explain your perpetual looks~! You aren''t hiding something else, are you!?" "I''ll leave it for you to guess." "Chise sa~n!" Yuishia had a half-crying face at my teasing. Zerrich then made a coughing sound to remind us that the talk wasn''t over yet, so we shifted our focus back to him. "The preparation to curb the Suzurland is underway to protect Chise-dono and Teto-dono. However, there''s one thing I must confirm." "What is it?" "It''s about your black cat, Kuro. They are for some reason fixated on him. It''s not rare to request for a monster to be turned over if one is proven to be so to maintain the safety of the royal capital. And then, adventurers who keep monsters as pets are obligated to register them in the guild. In case it turns out to be an unregistered monster, the organization is bound to receive criticism in the noble''s trial." He was going all out to keep us safe so we must cooperate with him to not put extra burden on him. "Come here, Kuro." Kuro, who had been playing with Teto on the sideline since we were having a slightly serious conversation, jumped on my lap at my call. "Good boy. I am taking off your collar for a bit." As soon as I took off the collar from Kuro who was on my lap while I patted him, the camouflage effect was canceled and the fairy-like wings appeared on his back. His wings, which used to be very small in the past, had grown to be quite big, probably due to growing up, as they released strong mana particles in the air. "So beautiful...... so this is how Kuro-san truly looks......" "This...... mythical beast - Cat Sith? I see, that''s why the heir of the Suzurland family was demanding Kuro, but......" I took off the collar from Kuro to prove that he wasn''t a monster, however, it seemed to have caused a different type of worry to Zerrich and sub-master Sherryl as their brows scrunched up. "Indeed, it''s clear that Kuro''s not a monster, but then comes the question of why it hasn''t been reported that he''s a mythical beast. I mean, it''s bound to attract the suspicion that he was poached from the elven settlement." After saying that, a deeper shade of worry colored his face. Mythical beasts, including Cat Siths, require different types of environments to live in that was rich in mana. That was why the forest of towering trees --- which also has a world tree --- in the southwest of the Lovile Kingdom was currently serving as their home. His worries must be stemming from the fact that this time it was their relationship with the elven settlement that was in danger if Kuro was poached from there, however--- "I think you don''t need to worry, this kid fell from the floating island. That''s why, we are waiting for the floating island to appear to return him to his group." "Floating island...... seriously? That legendary peninsula? The floating island where dragons and other mythical beasts live!?" Zerrich''s headache seemed to have further increased after hearing this was related to the thousand-year-old legend. "Though we have no way to prove that." "Well, do we even need to prove that, though? We can just say this kitten used to be the familiar of a magician but he unknowingly transformed into a monster due to the influence of mana. We have a trusting relationship since Kuro has been with us since he was a kitten, so there shouldn''t be any problems." The only worrisome thing was keeping a wild monster. But aside from that, there were many exceptions like someone''s pet turned into a monster, or raising a monster from an egg through the imprinting method, in which cases they were allowed. "Quiet down, Kuro. Majou-sama is saying all these things to protect you." Teto pacified Kuro who let out a low growl, not liking that he was being treated as a monster. "I see...... that said, it''s clear now that Suzurland''s heir wants the Cat Sith in a low-key manner and to keep it a secret. In fact, we can even launch a counter-investigation against him on how he knows about it and why he is spreading false information if the fact was revealed." After the general discussion was over, everything was left to Zerrich and the others. Whether being accosted by a noble, or capturing the assassins and handing them to guards, these were trivial matters to me. However, contrary to expectations, the impact of these events turned out to be far-reaching, causing the movement around me to become even more intense. Vol. 5 - Ch. 128 - Suzurlands Conspiracy Chapter 14 -SIDE - Suzurland''s Apparent Heir - Olbert "Dammit! This shouldn''t be happening! They should have been easy picks!" In the secondary mansion of the Suzurland family, Olbert was pulling at his own hair and taking out his anger and frustration on the furniture and equipment. Like every other time, he played his usual cards to obtain the wand, which could hardly match the young girl adventurer''s height, magic bag, and the familiar beside her, the mythical beast Cat Sith. However, it seemed to be the wrong move this time. She directly refused to part with them, wasn''t even perturbed about his status or influence, and even turned over to the guards his nurtured assassins whom he had sent over for assassination. Due to this, the guards that had stepped in to handle the matter managed to make the assassins spill out their client''s name, Suzurland, after their interrogation. "Please calm down, Olbert-sama!" "How the hell can I calm down when our magnificent Suzurland Clan has been driven into such a corner!?" He had despised the young girl as an ignorant young mage who didn''t even know the value of those tools, but it turned out he was the frog in the well for she turned out to be a high-ranking adventurer with ties to other nations and the church. Besides, she was equally important to the guild for her abilities, enough for them to protect her. The assassins handed over to the guards were a valuable hidden battle force for the Suzurlands. Had it been another time, they could have just bribed the guards to release the assassins and switched them with any matching corpses that the slum would have in abundance. Though the problem was that the ones who stepped in as the mediator were the knights of the Lovile Kingdom themselves. "Had I known about her identity, I would have left her alone! Shit and that bastard ran away at the first chance at such a critical moment!" His other aid, the court sorcerer who had the unique skill ?Flame Manipulation?, fled from the royal capital with all the money after sensing the failure of the assassins and the worsening situation of the Suzurlands, and before the knight''s order increased their surveillance to keep an eye on his house arrest. Well, let''s just keep it brief and say that he became a wanted criminal and met his demise as a thief later. (Author''s thoughts) "Have they forgotten we are the ones who resolved the problem that had been haunting them?! I can''t believe this is happening even after all the contributions Suzurland has done for the kingdom!" That said adventurer was apparently a benefactor of the kingdom. It was she who lit the spark that gave the knight''s order, who maintained the public order in the Lovile Kingdom, an opportunity to eradicate the underground organization. Now, it was obvious anyone would link the assassination attempt against such a person to retaliation from the remnants of the underground organization, sparking the knight''s order to intervene and interrogate, which was basically where the whole matter blew up. "And it isn''t like Suzurland has done this for the first time either! Why the fuck does it have to happen on my try!" Although he was lamenting at his own misfortune, not even in the slightest bit he was reflecting on the evil deeds his family had done. Whether it was the current head, his father, or his grandfather, they had done the same thing in their time. That was why they couldn''t just discard the next heir, Olbert. As of now, he bought himself some time by deliberately refusing the noble''s trial to search for a way to weather out this storm, and by sending a protest to the guild on the pretext of ''attacking a noble and illegally raising a monster'' as a count family. "That brat, don''t we have any other information about her?! Any weakness that can give me a way to survive!" "I do have some, though this is hastily gathered information at best------" Olbert skimmed through the information his aid presented which talked about their background, an adventurer party that goes by the name of ?Flying Carpet? that had come traveling from the Gard Beastkin Nation, with an intense glare. The report was a mess of information collected from various sources like the info in the Adventurer Guild database, bards, or other people that came from the Gard Beastkin Nation. "In the adventurer records, it has been, huh......? It has been 35 years since Chise and Teto registered as adventurers at the age of 12 and 17 respectively!?" He was aware that high-ranking adventurers and magicians usually have their lifespan extended due to their huge mana reserve. However, never has he heard that they stopped aging, too. His father''s mana reserve, the head of the court sorcerer, was over 40,000 units, but even then, his aging had only slowed down and did not stop. The lifespan of the other top-notch court sorcerers in history, who also had huge mana capacities, had their ages hover around 150 years on average. 300 years was the longest anyone has ever lived. "Something''s not right here. How have they not changed even a bit from the time they registered themselves?" In the magic-underdeveloped country Gard Beastkin Nation, there have been rumors that they were able to live longer because of the blood of elves flowing in their veins or the reason why they look like kids was because of their dwarven lineage. However, even if the two races were mixed and they had a large amount of magic power, the changes in them were so little you might as well say that there weren''t any changes at all. "Could it be...... no, impossible..... they can''t be......" "What have you found, Olbert-sama?" Olbert might be arrogant and could do anything to gain hold of even more power, however, as someone born in a prestigious magician family and even able to become a court sorcerer, he obviously didn''t lack in the head department. "They might be, ?Immortals?!" S~?a??h the N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Immortal...... no way!" "Anything else doesn''t justify their perpetual appearance, it''s obviously impossible. However, everything clicks if they''re immortals hiding their age." It was written in the materials that they possessed a calmness that didn''t match their appearance, which was something impossible for a kid to have. Immortal sages or magicians were often said to appear at a point but then went into hiding to escape from the authority of that time and then appear again in the world when they were forgotten. It wasn''t anything strange if those immortal sages and magicians made their appearance using some mystical rejuvenation or disguise magic potion. "I''m going to the royal court for an audience with the King. You devote yourself to collecting as much information as possible!" "Y-Yes sir!" Olbert pressed forward to the royal court. Suzurland might have fallen from grace due to the scandal, but he managed to have an audience with the king on the basis of their past track record as a magician clan. "Speak, what brought you here today?" Olbert could feel his pride being shattered into pieces under the obvious despising gaze of the King, knights, and civil officials around. He gritted his teeth and spoke up. "O King, there''s something I wish to bring to your attention." "Oh, and what might that be?" The king, as someone who lacked nothing, looked like he was searching for something to color his boring life. With his huge wealth as the ruler of a maritime nation, he had everything from exotic furniture to women to jewels and luxurious food. He didn''t have any particular talent compared to the royal prince exiled from the royal family, so he was being supported by people around him. That was why it may look like his life was smooth sailing, however, the king was always looking for that one thing he always lacked. "I clashed with those adventurers solely out of loyalty to the king and the royal family!" "You insolent fellow! The said adventurers are the reason why we managed to uproot the underground organization that was threatening our people! Watch your mouth!" The captain of the royal guard present at the scene rebuked Orbelt, but he continued with his speech. "Those adventurers are ?immortal?! Their magic bag contains unknown knowledge and tools possessed by the immortal sage, which will contribute to the development of the kingdom." "Nonsense...... There is no such thing as immortality. Have you fallen so low to the point you can''t distinguish reality!? Besides, it''s still a dishonorable act to snatch someone else''s asset for that reason!" Olbert ignored the captain who expressed his outrage while upholding the code of chivalry and continued about immortality to further pique the King''s interest. "Everything was for the secret of immortality that has shown its footprint in history! We might possibly unlock the secret behind it if we research her hair, blood, or flesh!" "......Oh?" For the first time, a spark of interest appeared on the listless king''s face. "We, the Suzurland, hereby vow to get that secret of immortality using the entirety of our magic knowledge and alchemy technique!" All of it was an absurd story. A lot of people that were present in the audience showed their disapproval, but fortunately or unfortunately, the King, the supreme authority of the Lovile Kingdom, ended up showing interest in his talk. "Very well, then I temporarily halt the hearing against the Suzurland, so show me the secret of immortality you speak of. This talk shall not pass to anyone else''s ear. And Olbert, if the immortality that you speak of turns out to be a hoax, I will take it as a personal transgression against me. Just know that." "Yes, I swear that I will reveal the secret of immortality even if it costs me my life." At that moment, Olbert succeeded in his attempt to buy time. Vol. 5 - Ch. 129 - Yuishias Choice & The Approaching Floating Island Chapter 15 -SIDE: Yuishia I passed my days uneasy after Chise-san and Teto-san had a dispute with Olbert-sama, the apparent heir of the Suzurland who later also sent assassins to deal with us, but the days that followed were as calm as the surface of an unbothered lake that it all felt so anticlimactic. "It seems the members of the knight order are monitoring the court sorcerers of the Suzurland faction, so leave it to them." "That''s indeed correct, still......" "Anyway, Teto has an even more important thing to think about: what are we going to eat today?" I was so driven by uneasiness, yet Chise-san and Teto-san were as poised as ever. I was tense after knowing that both of them were A-rank adventurers, or that Kuro-san was a Cat-Sith, that my communication with them become awkward, but Chise-san and Teto-san continued to treat me the same as ever that I felt like an idiot for even being nervous about it all. And just like this, one month passed by------ "Chise-san! Teto-san! It''s finally here! The floating Island is here!" "Finally. Now we can help Kuro go back home." "But, we need to prepare before we get on it!" Chise-san and Teto-san, who were gazing at the rocky floating island which looked as tiny as a speck of dust visible from the house''s window, said so. "Soon, it''ll be time to part with Kuro-san." Kuro-san rubbed his body against me like a spoiled child as I caressed his back out of loneliness. Kuro-san was occasionally strict, but I felt blissful whenever he acted so sweet to me. Then, after sending me off, Chise-san and Teto-san apparently left for somewhere, probably to make arrangements for the floating island trip. So, I also left to deliver some potions to Adventurer''s Guild, avoiding the location where the Suzurland Clan''s institute was, and I had just begun to look for potential requests when I heard the other adventurers calling out to me. "Yuishia-chan, what do you think about forming a party with us?" "Ah, you sneak! I was about to ask her to join our party!" "Ahaha, I''m sorry. Maybe next time------" After the scandalous event of the Suzurland Clan, Zerrich-sama passed the order to the guild to stop acting as a mediator between the adventurers and the pupils of the Suzurland Clan as punishment for them. Due to that, the pupils, who had been so arrogant until now, could no longer easily dive into the dungeons and were now struggling to level up or collect research materials for their research. Except me. As I was polite to everyone so far, adventurers often asked me to form a party with them despite my status as one of the Suzurland Clan''s pupils. Rejecting the invitation of the adventurers I was acquainted with who spoke as frankly as ever, my gaze scanned the request bulletin board when someone called out to me from behind. "You''re Yuishia from the Suzurland Clan, aren''t you?" "Ee!? Ah, knight order." I turned around sensing someone''s presence, and I saw a man wearing the armor of the knight order standing behind me. I felt a bit disappointed in myself for not noticing him when he was so close, even after learning and self-defense art for close combat from Teto-san. "I''m here to ask about the attack towards the A-rank adventurers and the attempted assassination in detail." "Yes, I understand." I boarded the carriage that he had arranged near the adventurer guild, thinking it was heading to the office of knight order, but then I noticed the carriage had taken a different route after looking at the flowing scenery from the window and I realized it was instead heading towards the noble district. "Excuse me...... aren''t we going to the knight order''s office......?" "............" However, the man, donning the armor of the knight order, crossed his arms and maintained his silence at my question. I finally noticed the oddity at that point. The place that the carriage reached was the main residence of Count Suzurland. "T, This is......" "Don''t stop, move." Prompted by the man in knight armor who thrusts a knife against my back, I enter the mansion. In the reception room I was led to, Olbert, who was supposed to be under the surveillance of the knights and under house arrest, was there. "Olbert-sama......" "I was waiting for you, Yuishia. Take a seat." The man in knight armor soundlessly moved to stand behind Olbert. I reluctantly took a seat. And then, he began to talk about something unbelievable. "You seem to be quite close with those adventurers, huh?" "Y, Yes. I have been under their care." As I replied with a quivering voice, Olbert pulled a creepy smile. "That''s even better. Alright, take this medicine, shackles, and collar, and render them powerless!" "Whaa!?" Olbert pushed an unknown medicine and the collar and shackles that were used against criminals towards me. "This is a potent sleeping drug. Just mix it in their meal, and they will not open their eyes for the rest of the day. And these are shackles to seal their mana and slave collar. It would be a problem if A-rank adventurers went into a rampage, so make sure to bind them properly." "W, Why are you asking me to do such things to them!?" I didn''t get what was going on. However, Olbert continues to demand from me. "That adventurer, Chise was it, has the skill. The King has passed the decree to search for the ''secret of immortality'' hiding in their bodies. It''s necessary to chain them up first to search their body." King''s decree...... I finally understood the uncanny peaceful days ''til now wasn''t because Suzurland''s influence had been suppressed or something, it was simply to turn the King into an ally and to make preparations to capture Chise-san and Teto-san. "What? I''m not asking you to do it for free. Your dream was to be a court sorcerer I think, wasn''t it? I will put in good words for you with the court sorcerers once you accomplish this task." He spoke in a coercive voice to lure me into accepting the task. "But remember, you will be expelled from the Suzurland Clan if you turn down my offer. You will wash your hands of any chance of becoming a court sorcerer if you were to be expelled from the magician clan hereafter......" I would become a Court Sorcerer if I betray Chise-san. But if I refused his request, I would be expelled and I may not be able to become a court sorcerer in this lifetime. I looked at my feet, clenched my hands into fists, and squeezed out my voice. "I refuse......" "Huh? Capturing them is the King''s decree, you know?" "Even so, I am not going to betray Chise-san, Teto-san, and Kuro-san!" A shade of red crept on Olbert''s face when I refused him in a strong voice. "Have you forgotten your benefactor who picked you up from that dirty orphanage after your parents'' death!?" "Szurland had only taken me out of the orphanage! I was still hungry every day! You never taught me magic! All you did was keep pushing chores onto me! The only ones who taught me and helped me become a magician were them!" As if responding to my emotional outburst that I let out while crying out, mana began to overflow from my body. "Tsk, change of plan! Capture her, we will use her as a hostage against those adventurers!" Men donning knight armor --- the assassins that Chise-san had caught before and the magician under Olbert --- swarmed inside the room from all over the mansion. "I will absolutely not lose against you!!" Feeling a sense of omnipotence from the mana bubbling up from the core of my body, I began the battle inside the mansion. Everything that Chise-san and Teto-san taught me came naturally to me. Even as I faced multiple opponents in the room, the end result was that I knocked all the opponents senseless. And on that day, the main residence of the Suzurland Clan was pulverized. S~?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Vol. 5 - Ch. 130 - Yuishias Apprenticeship, and then their departure to the Floating Island After the floating island where Kuro came from appeared, we went through the ?Transfer Gate? and met up with Baretta and the others to prepare for our journey on the island while also looking at the situation of the ?Empty Wilderness?.?Master. We, the maids, do not wish to be a hindrance to your activity, but please know we also feel lonely when you''re absent for a long time.? "I''m really sorry, Baretta. But don''t worry, I''ve already decided to take a good long break once we settle our current issues." "Teto is also becoming a bit tired of seafood." ?Then we will eagerly await your homecoming, Master, Teto-sama. At the same time, we also wish the master to bring other guests aside from Kuro.? I chuckled dryly as I nodded to Baretta''s request, which she proposed before we left and returned to our home in the Lovile kingdom through the ?Transfer Gate?. "We''re bac, eh, Yuishia isn''t home yet, huh?" S?a??h the Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "It''s strange, Teto is usually welcomed by a fragrant aroma." ?Meow~? While Teto and I thought it was a bit strange, Kuro purred in a discontent tone, but then his ears suddenly stood upright and his nose twitched as he let out another purr. "What''s wrong, Kuro?" ?Meow!? "Teto is going after him!" As we hurriedly left our home to chase after Kuro, who had suddenly dashed outside, we caught sight of Yuishia walking down the street in front of our house. Her hair was a mess, perhaps due to the wind, and the insignia of Suzurland, the green robe she had donned, as well as the inner clothes she wore were torn up here and there, exposing her fair skin to the cool evening air. Though she looked unharmed and uninjured, probably due to covering herself with ?Body Strengthening? magic, despite her clothes being a mess. Her gait was also unsteady, but a certain content smile was on her face as if she had achieved her dream of sorts. "Ehehe, Chise-san, Teto-san. I''m home." "Welcome bac or wait, it''s not the time to say pleasantries! What in the world happened to you!?" "Your clothes look like rags-nanodesu!" Yuishia floated a complex smile as I took out a spare robe from my magic bag to cover her exposed skin. "Actually, I have been expelled from the magic clan by Olbert." "What, expelled!?... Between, Majou-sama, what is ''expelled''?" Teto first exclaimed in surprise and then turned to ask me the meaning of expulsion. Her antics somehow calmed the impatient part of me. "''Expelled'' means she has been driven out...... She is no longer welcome in the magic clan." "Oh no, that''s..... not a problem then. Yuishia can live anywhere she wants." "Yes, that''s why I was expelled!" I smiled wryly at her, who puffed her chest as if saying ''Quick, praise me'', and asked her in an amazed tone. "Expulsion or whatever doesn''t matter, but how come you ended up meeting Olbert?" I carried Yuishia inside the house using the dark magic ?Psychokinesis?, and heard her side of the story while checking her body for any injuries. So, Olbert seemingly had noticed my ?Immortal? skill, through which he managed to make the King his ally, who then ordered him to figure out the secret of immortality. Then he tricked Yuishia into visiting his residence where he played his plan by proposing he can put some good words for her to become a court sorcerer and tried to cajole her to capture me. Should she refuse, he intended to turn her into a hostage. "Fortunately everything worked out in the end, but that''s why it''s not advisable to follow strangers so readily." "Pout You''re treating me like a child, Chise-san. I mean, that man was donning the knight armor so I absolutely didn''t have any inkling of it being a trap! My word, I never expected that the King would be involved in this and he even ordered to capture you!" "Well, yea......" Next to me, who was drilling some advice into Yuishia''s head, Teto and Kuro shared an identical look and nodded at each other. "Kuro, Teto is going to beat the guy who hurt our Yuishia! Are you coming with me?" ?Meow!? "Hold your horses, both of you. Don''t make haste, and calm down." I pacified both Kuro and Teto and shifted my focus to Yuishia''s checkup once again. She was unharmed, so I guess she sailed through the storm with her own power. I performed a deeper checkup and found that incredible changes had been taking place in her body. "Like bam, I feel my emotions erupting and mana began to overflow from my core...... It was like, I could do anything at that moment. All I had to do was act on my feelings and wham, everything would go as I desired." "Yuishia, that sensation was actually due to the increase in your mana. You now have around 50,000 units of mana." "Ehh?" Her senses had yet to catch up with the changes happening in her body since she had mostly depleted her mana in battle at the Suzurland''s residence, but in short, her mana reserve was growing at a stellar rate. Just like how there were many scenes where the protagonist awakened their latent potential when they were in a pinch in fiction, her emotional outburst similarly became the catalyst that brought forth the changes. It wasn''t like such a phenomenon was rarely seen. While the abilities in the current world were coined by the numbers of one''s status, the foundation for those numbers was still the status-less beings of the bygone era 2000 years ago. There were many similar sightings where people awakened the potential slumbering within them through mental trauma or when they were facing a fatal situation though, this was just my guess. "Wha, surely you jest... woah, reall ehhhhhh!? ?Slow Aging? skill!?" It was a time for celebration, however, it was also a headache-inducing situation. I had initially taken an interest in her because of the same immortality factor I had sensed in her, just like me. And with the appearance of the skill ?Slow Aging?, the prelude to the actual ?Immortality? skill, it should have been time to make the young fledgling take flight on her own, but "I almost forgot~ I have a request for you, Chise-san!" "What happened? There''s no need to stand on ceremony at this point." "Chise-san, please make me your disciple, a magician''s, no, a witch''s disciple! Please!" The plea of Yuishia, who had already taken off the green robe of the Suzurland clan she was expelled from, made me recall our first meeting. "Alright. Then, you''re now my first disciple. Let''s get along well, Yuishia." "Yeah, let''s get along like before-nanodesu, Yuishia." "Chise-san, you''re really cool from beginning to end, huh?" ?Nya~? Kuro licked the tears that streamed down Yuishia''s eyes from happiness as Teto congratulated her. "I originally intended to leave this house in your care when it was time for us to leave for the Floating Island. Well, it seems impossible with your outburst at the Suzurland''s residence." "A, Ahh...... sorry." I consoled Yuishia who bowed her head apologetically. "Pay it no heed. After all, in the king''s words, if something is black, then it''s black, no matter how white it is." "Majou-sama, there''s no way white can be black. White will always be white no matter the angle." "That was just an analogy, Teto......" Then I explained our revised plan to her who looked slightly bemused, apparently finding mine and Tetos trifling banter odd. "Since we''re all under their radar, let''s ditch the Lovile Kingdom and set off for the floating island together." "We''re going to visit Kuro''s birthplace." "Wha, ehhh!? I''m also going to Kuro''s birthplace?" "Of course. Alright, stop dawdling, and start putting all the items in the house into the magic bag. We''re leaving right away." "Hold on, Chise-san! I think you just said something incredible that I failed to understand! I mean, you''re behaving completely differently!" Looking at Yuishia who was flustered when facing the sudden situation, I said. "I was just being considerate of you, as our housemate, and was hiding a few things. There''s no need to put up a front now that you''re my disciple." "Majou-sama, you seem lively and enjoying yourself." Teto said so while grinning, and Yuishia muttered ''Perhaps I was too hasty'' as she had a faraway look in her eyes. Then she took a look outside "E, Err, Chise-san...... knights, and court sorcerers are gathering outside the house." "They must have come to capture us, huh? But that''s a futile endeavor. They''re not going to release powerful spells just to break my barrier in this urban area, so rest assured." In the meantime, while we prepared for our departure, Zerrich rushed here with personnel from the Adventure Guild in tow after fully grasping the situation, causing the circumstances to take a chaotic turn. I can sense the fear and unease in the surrounding houses due to the intense situation, so it was best to leave this place quickly. "Yuishia, is everything ready?" "Y-Yes ma''am! We''re good to go at any moment." With a tense face, Yuishia headed to the second floor while wearing my spare robe. There, we eyed the floating island after arriving at the roof from the window of the second floor. It was pleasant weather, and the floating island had moved much closer to land compared to when we first saw it in the morning. I guess we should be able to reach it at this distance. "You guys, get on the flying carpet. Yuishia, you hold on to Kuro tight." "Okay-nanodesu!" "B, But it is my first time flying in the sky, though! How did it come to this!?" Originally, I planned to ride on the magic wand Hisui with Teto carrying Kuro in her arms. However, the situation was now different with the sudden addition of Yuishia. I got on the unfurled carpet, Teto sat beside me, then Yuishia sat behind us, her one hand grabbing Teto while hugging Kuro inside her robe with the other hand. "Alright, we''re off then!" "Let''s go to the floating island!" "Eek, uwaaaa!" The flying carpet rose into the air carrying us, which was noticed by the people who came to capture us as they turned their gaze towards us. "Oops. It''s a bit harder to balance this thing." "Chise-san! I beg you, please don''t crash it!" My skill in operating the flying carpet had significantly rusted after not using it for a long time, causing it to sway in the air at the beginning. Though, that was only for a while, as I quickly stabilized it, raised the altitude, and flew freely into the sky in the direction of the floating island. "Chise-san, attacks are coming from below!" "Relax. I already put up a barrier to fend off attacks." "Everyone, farewell-nanodesu~!" Teto bid her goodbye to the neighbors as she looked at the people on the ground below. It seemingly incited the attackers as they further increased the output of their attacks but soon, we were out of their attacking range. "Woahhh, the ground is so far away, and the floating island is so close." ?Meowwww!? Yuishia expressed her admiration for the floating island whose appearance was getting clearer and clearer in our eyes. Kuro too looked excited at the sight of his birthplace. I gathered mana into my eyes, and confirmed the floating island was encased in a barrier to cut off the mana flow, just like the ?Empty Wilderness?. "Grab on tightly, I''m going to raise our speed and enter the island at once!" "Roger-nanodesu!" After informing everyone, we crossed the floating island''s barrier, piercing the clouds at a high speed and making our way to the surface of the island. "This is... the birthplace of Kuro-san." The surface of the island was overrun by trees, and the remains of a stream and a mountain peak could be seen there. Approaching the floating island resembling a colossal biotope, I cautiously lowered the altitude of the flying carpet and descended gradually. SIDE : Adventurer Guild - Zerrich I used to be a royal prince but I relinquished my noble status and inherited the title of Duke. With the title of Duke coupled with my inherent personality, I assumed the role of a diplomat for this nation, the nation of trade, and effectively gave it an edge on various fronts. However, the result also invited a problem. The elder brother was mediocre even as a King, but the little brother was still excellent as a Duke. That was how the aristocrats usually decided to value us. Although there had been improvements in recent years, the King''s value further plummeted for not being able to properly handle the famine situation, as the focus was shifted to the trade front to replenish the fallen tax yields. This shift resulted in the House of Count Suzurland, who could use wind magic which was the boon for unhindered sail, being favored. "This is quite troublesome, but perhaps it will improve things a bit." It was far from enough to have an upstart adventurer assuming the seat of guild master if they wanted to restrict the Suzurland Clan who were unceasingly flaunting their authority. Normally, it was not considered desirable for the Adventurer''s Guild and the nobles of each country to be closely intertwined. However, to counter poison with poison, I became the new guild master at the suggestion of the former guild master. At that time, I wanted to maintain my distance from the King, so thinking it was the right time, I appointed the former B-rank adventurer Sherryl the sub-master, and while I became the Guild Master and took up the role of overseeing the two adventurer''s guilds in the royal capital. From there on, a game of tug-of-war unfolded between us and other magic clans behind the scenes, all scrambling for hegemony. It happened then, the apparent heir of the Suzurland clan set his eyes on the A-rank adventurers Chise-dono and Teto-dono, who traveled here to take a temporary break from her work, harassed her with extortion, kidnapping, and attempted assassination. Just when I thought I had severed the arrogant wings of the Suzurland clan and that the guild would finally be free from their toxic influence, a piece of shocking news made its way to me. Apparently, the heir apparent of the Suzurland clan had managed to turn King into his supporter through his nonsense claim of ?Immortality?, and moved to capture the innocent Chise-dono and her friends. The knights who were torn between following the King''s orders and their own sense of justice and the adventurers under my command clashed in front of her house. And then, Chise-dono and her friends set off to the sky, vanishing into the vast blue expanse above. The commotion died down with their departure. "You have gone mad, my King and brother." No matter what the reason was, this was an unfavorable situation diplomatically. This nation could no longer be left in his hands. Thus, I immediately took action. One year later-- joining forces with the nobles, we ousted my deluded brother, who was obsessed with the idea of immortality, from the throne and imprisoned him. The root of all evil, the House of Suzurland, was executed for inciting the King, throwing the nation into chaos, and several other illegal acts, leaving only their name behind as a magic clan. I held no desire to take upon the throne since I had already relinquished my royal status. I realized that even if the main cause was the Suzurland Clan, the situation had arisen due to the King''s favoritism towards a single faction which led to the crisis. So I transformed the current structure of the Lovile Kingdom''s government to a parliamentary system of nobles, where I assumed the role of its first-generation chairman. In the annals of history, future historians would recount the following words After the execution of the House of Count Suzurland for their illegal activities and for inciting the King, the influence of the royal family waned. And fifty years after the death of Duke Zerrich Lovile, the first chairman of the parliament who was also the younger brother of the King, the direct line of the imprisoned King also ceased to exist. Although Duke Zerrich had children, none of them ascended to the throne, and with no one to uphold the banner of the royal family, who had been reduced to just a symbol of the nation, the era of the Lovile dynasty completely vanished into the river of time. Transitioning to a parliamentary system, the nation adopted the name of Lovile Republic, which no longer required a King to function. Odd enough, the fate of the Lovile royal family mirrored that of the Suzurland Clan, which retained only its name as a magic clan. The real reason behind the demise of the dynasty was said to be due to them laying their hands on the ?Creation Witch? Chise. Their doom that was born out of their unjust actions towards the ?Creation Witch? Chise, who had left her footprints throughout history, had historians say ?Like a mirror she acted, goodwill met goodwill, and ill-will met ill-will?. Vol. 5 - Ch. 131 - Mythical Beasts of the floating island Chapter 17 -V5C17(131) - Mythical Beasts of the floating island After landing on the floating island, I took a deep breath. Sigh. This trip has drained quite a lot of my mana. I had to use a good amount of my mana to carry all three of us to this far-off island. My broom would have been far more efficient in carrying us here. The flying carpet, however, guzzled down 100,000 units of my mana to reach the height of the floating island. So this is the birthplace of Kuro. It''s a nice place! ?Nya~? Just as we were surveying the surroundings, Kuro, who was hiding in Yuishias robe, came out and landed on the ground then began to walk. Then he wagged his tail and turned to look at us. It seems Kuro-san is asking us to follow him like usual. Well then, lets take him up on his offer. Teto, although I dont know if it''ll be necessary, keep your guard up. Roger-nanodesu! Then, as we walked through the floating island with Kuro leading the way, all sorts of mythical beasts gathered around us in no time. Wings on the body of a horse, this child is Pegasus, huh? Majou-sama, Majou-sama. Kuros friends have also come here. Chise-san, look! There are squirrels with horns and dogs with fairy-like wings growing on their back! There were Pegasuses, spirit cat Cat Siths, horned squirrels who lived in yggdrasil - Ratatoskrs, and spirit dog Cu Siths. There were also other mythical beasts like Wolf Fenrirs, Great Eagle Aquilas, Rabbit Al-mirages, Turtle-Snake Aspidochelones, a combination of a lions body and an eagle''s head - Griffons, a rat with a jewel embedded into its head - Carbuncles and many more that appeared in front of me and nuzzled their bodies against me. Wai, too many, so heavy and suffocating Youre popular, Majou-sama~ But so many are gathering up to her, I wonder why Most probably, they were attracted to the smell of my mana (?) that was lingering around me due to the explosive amount of mana I used on the flying carpet just before. I guess they were here to absorb the mana leaking out of my body. I dont mind their fluffy bodies pressing on me, but there were just too many of them and it was getting suffocating. Calm down, Im not going anywhere! I finally snapped and released my mana at once, and, seemingly content from absorbing it, they finally showed signs of calming down. Though the younger ones still continue to hang around us, apparently taking an interest in us, without returning to the forest. Grumble Theyre all getting Majou-sama''s mana. Teto is jealous. Fine, fine, dont be like that. I''ll refill you later. Refill? Looking at Yuishia tilting her head in confusion at our conversation made me realize I had yet to tell her Teto was a demonic race - Golem. Still though, where are Kuro and the others heading to? From the look of it, they were walking straight towards the mountain that was there when the floating island was still a peninsula island. After some time, we left the mountain path and proceeded through the beast trail, with all sorts of mythical beasts coming near me for my mana. And whenever that happened, the mythical beasts who didnt get their turn at the beginning intimidated and threatened them, and somehow, they formed a row of mythical beasts. They would then leave after I use the mana recharge spell ?Charge? while caressing their bodies. You really are loved by them, Majou-sama. Teto also wants Majou-sama to pat her. Yes, yes, youre a good girl. Good girl. I''m happy that the mythical beasts are showing me their love, but we arent getting anywhere at this rate. I find these mythical beasts, with their eyes brimming with goodwill to receive attention, harder to handle than the malevolent monsters, which caused me to falter in my steps. Then there was Teto, who was like a puppy abandoned by her master, so I caved in and patted her head, which was enough for her to cheer up. I think I''m a bit tired After my battle at the Suzurlands mansion, I was taken to the floating island right after. I put almost everything in Chise-sans magic bag, but there were still many things that were left behind. I''ll get them back later. But indeed, its not good to have too much tension, so let''s take a break for a while. Then we set our backs against any fallen tree or boulder that we saw nearby, as I took out some fruits from my magic bag to eat. I also shared them with the Mythical beasts who had been walking beside us and were looking longingly at the food, and they happily munched on them. As we were having a leisurely rest, I sensed a mana reaction from the sky and shifted my gaze, but it had its back against the sun, so I couldn''t exactly see it and I only knew it had wings. h! A Harpy!? I quickly expanded my mana sense while readying my wand against what looked like a monster with the head of a woman and the body of a bird, and saw several shadows showing themselves from the surrounding grasses. Chise-san. There are also sub-species of Lizardmen. The ones that appeared from the grasses were people with angular reptilian heads and green or blue scales. However, their appearance looked closer to the transformation that occurred when draconic species used their racial skill ?Dragonification? which they could learn, than the monsters called lizardmen. I glanced at them with vigilance when they appeared, as I didnt expect monsters to be living on the floating island of mythical beasts when Teto tugged at my robe Majou-sama they arent monsters. Theyre like Teto Same as you, so demonic race? Huh, Teto-san is a demon!? As I was thinking that Yuishia sure has enough leeway to be surprised at our secret despite being besieged by a group of mysterious people from the demonic race in a corner of my mind, the winged demonic woman descended. Human! Rephrase your wording! The fact that you dare to compare a being of noble status like me to a lowlife monster such as a Harpy is worth a thousand deaths! A pair of white wings were growing on the back of the girl who swooped down from the sky. An angel? Indeed! Were the kin of the gods, one of the trusted followers of the goddesses Im Shael, an angel of the divine race! The young angel girl, who said her name was Shael, pompously puffed out her chest in pride at Yuishias mumbling. I really wasn''t sure if she was of the divine race instead of the demonic race. The angels that appeared in the myths were spiritual lifeforms, very much like devils. They were egoless existences that were there to follow the orders of goddesses like Liliel. Though, there were also beings among them who possessed their own ego and had appeared in the world, but Since youre introducing yourself, then so shall I! I am Yahada! The one that is the vessel of an old dragon and hence, a dragon warrior! The dragon warrior with a sturdy body, like that of a military man, who named himself Yahada, swung his spear in a show of force and trampled the ground beneath him. There were also other angels or dragon warriors gathering here, and encircling us. You Mythical Beasts! Why do you protect the invaders of the island?! As we found ourselves surrounded, the mythical beasts roared and positioned themselves between us, the angels, and the dragon warriors, forming an impassable barrier to prevent any further conflict from unfolding. So I lowered my wand after sensing their will. Im Witch Chise. The reason behind our visit to this floating island is to help a Cat Sith who had fallen from this island return to this place, we do not wish to fight. Also, its indeed rude of us to mistake you for monsters, for which I apologize. Sorry-nanodesu. Teto followed suit and bowed after me. Then, as Yuishia, too, bowed her head in apology albeit a step late, the black cat - Cat Sith Kuro jumped in front of Angel Shaela and Dragon warrior Yahada, making their eyes widen in surprise. You! You were alive!? I was sure you were dead after being blown away on that stormy day! This is a joyous occasion! Our missing friend has come back! Quick, inform the village! Shael, realizing Kuro was the same Cat Sith that had fallen from the island 5 years ago, extended her hands to him, but Kuro escaped from Shael''s grasp while flashing a prickly expression, and nuzzled himself against Yuishias feet. Shael showed a frustrated expression at his antics and then looked at Yuishia with a sharp glare. The mouth of the enigmatic dragon Yahada contorted into a smile, and sent one of his comrades to deliver the news while Yuishia winced due to Shaels glare. We accept your reason! However, you have to come with us to the place of our grandfather for judgment. There is not a single precedent of a human coming here from outside for the past 1200 years. With those words, Shael and Yahada maintained their encirclement vigilantly as they waited for the messenger to return. However, conflict didnt occur with the mythical beasts standing between us like an immovable wall, and eventually, they received word to treat us like guests from the being they called ?Grandfather?. We started moving while surrounded by them. Moreover, each time I moved, the mythical beasts appeared, greeted me, and absorbed magical energy before vanishing. The angels and dragon warriors who witnessed this displayed expressions of astonishment. Who the hell are you? Why are mythical beasts greeting you? Majou-sama is Majou-sama-nanodesu! They just want my mana, thats all. I guess they might just want to taste a different quality of mana from me, I thought so while walking and saw a small settlement at the foot of the mountain. Apparently, that was where the angels and dragon warriors lived. Their lifestyle was simple. Though materials like bones, mythical beasts'' hair, or fur which I assume they have got from the corpses that passed away either from accidents or old age were seemingly widely used there. This floating island had enough value in terms of materials with mythical value to build a palace above the ground, or so I thought. We passed by the village as I was lost in such thoughts, and then arrived at one corner of the mountain. Grandfather is coming! Be sure to not be rude towards him! And then, I felt the ground shaking right after Shael gave the warning. A colossal being whose mere steps shook the ground, and possessed an even greater abundance of mana than myself. As Yuishias expression turned stiff, I judged the coming being wasnt an opponent to be feared by taking a look at Kuro who purred in joy. And soon, that appeared. ?I bid thee greetings, noble benefactor, thou who hath rescued our wayward offspring from the surface realm. Amongst our kin, I am known as ''Grandfather'', though in truth, I am but a humble dragon.? From the colossal dragon, a thread of telepathy communication was released with his voice sounding that of a serene elder. Dr, Drago. fwoosh ?Io, it seems that my presence hath stirred within the young lady there a profound reaction, overpowering in its intensity.? Yuishia fainted upon the sight of the colossal dragons presence. Mythical beasts swiftly came to her aid, supporting her collapsed frame and gently laying her on the back of a massive mythical beast. ?Thy arrival to this isle hath been foretold by the divine oracle of Luriel-sama. We extend a most gracious welcome unto thee, ye apostles of the esteemed Goddess Liliel, and thy faithful companions.? The dragon here was already aware of us through Goddess Luriel, eh? The angels like Shael and the others showed their surprise at that statement. S?a?ch* Th? ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?Nya~? Amidst this, Kuro jumped in front of the colossal dragon and purred as if asking to be spoiled. In response, the colossal dragon gazed upon him with gentle eyes. ?Hahaha, the safe return of the progeny of the Cat Sith doth gladden mine heart. Above all, thou hast done valiantly by bringing the very star of mine hope.? The colossal dragon then slowly bowed his head to us, who tilted our heads in wonder as to what star of hope Kuro brought. ?Oh, thou blessed apostle of the Goddess Liliel. Wilt thou extend thy benevolence and rescue the offsprings of mine upon this Floating Island?? His following words baffled me even more, as I lent my ear to listen to the colossal dragons circumstances. Vol. 5 - Ch. 132 - The history of the floating island, and the request of the ancient dragon Chapter 18 -?The apostles of Goddess Liliel. Will you be kind enough to save these kids of mine on the Floating island?? Please wait, Grandpa! We will fulfill your wish! And, why do we need to rely on outsiders!? Indeed. Are you going to ask outsiders when we dont even know if theyre capable enough? Just like how I was baffled by the dragons words, the angel Shael and the Dragon warrior Yahada also raised their voices in bafflement. ?Were going to have a more serious discussion. Shael, Yahada, leave.? "Yes." However, the dragon they called Grandpa asked them to leave, regardless of what they had to say. Shael and Yahada, complying with his words, unwillingly pulled their friends outside, and left for the settlement we came from before. ?Now, make yourselves at home, visitors.? Hmm, alright. Lets sit down! Then, as we sat down on the ground, the mythical beasts who had tagged along came out to support us with their warm, fluffy bellies. There were also mythical beasts who had secretly followed us and nuzzled themselves on our laps or arms. The colossal dragon watched all of this with loving eyes. ?Youre really loved by mythical beasts whose intuition and instinct far surpass that of humans. Indeed, youre just the right person to entrust with my request. Speaking of which, my self-introduction is still due, isnt it? Im the ancient dragon of Verdigris a senile old dragon who has been alive for 10,000 years. Everyone calls me Grandfather though.? Nice to meet you. Im Witch Chise. And also the apostle of goddess Liliel. Teto is Teto-nanodesu! And a swordsman (?) guarding Majou-sama-nanodesu! The dragon before me, who called himself ?Ancient Dragon of Verdigris?, nodded at our introduction. ?Alright, so it is Majou-dono and Guardian-dono. To entrust my requests to you, I would like to tell you about the history of this floating island. But may I ask how much you know about it?? Alright, well, I have heard about the legend where the island disappeared into the sky with the mythical beasts 1200 years ago, but thats all The ancient dragon nodded when I answered. ?Thats the basics. Lets first talk about how it all began, the mana disappearance 2000 years ago.? Then, the dragon grandpa began to talk about the familiar faraway past one that Liliel and Lariel had often told us in the dream oracle from his perspective. ?An unprecedented crisis in the shape of the disappearance of a vast amount of mana due to the fault of the magic civilization struck the world, resulting in the deaths of multitudes of mana-reliant creatures. Since we, the ancient dragons, were the ultimate beings who had been alive since the genesis world, we are mana independent and also possess a tough body. We cooperated with the gods to sustain the world, made our place in the various parts of the world like in the mountains, valleys, or forest, and continued to release mana that came forth from our souls.? It wasnt just the goddesses who took action to save the world by doing things like isolating the low mana region by erecting a barrier, other beings like ancient dragons cooperated with gods and sacrificed their bodies to continue to supply the world with mana, apparently. ?Everything went well for the first 500 years. However, the people who had restored civilization to some extent discovered the ancient dragons who, as foolish as they were, had exhausted themselves to the limit to supply mana to the world and slayed them.? Thats ?This resulted in the collapse of one of the pillars in charge of the mana supply. However, there were also mythical beasts or people who lived in the places of my brethren. They who were chased away from one home to another gathered before me.? Both Teto and I felt a sense of sympathy for the dragon grandpa, who squinted his eyes as if recalling that time. I have heard about the legends of dragon slayers in various places, but I never knew such was the story behind it They killed you even when you were working so hard, it''s so sad. He then grinned in self-mockery at our reaction. ?We, the ancient dragons, don''t resent humans. Besides, ancient dragons are the ultimate beings born at the inception of the world. Even if our bodies were to rot away, we would become a new egg somewhere in the world and reincarnate, inheriting those memories. We are ?Undying?, so to speak.? However, to heal themselves and be reborn again, they needed to gather a good amount of mana from the environment, so they would not appear in the world for a while he added. I had become ?Immortal?, but I didnt expect there to be undying ancient dragons too. Indeed, I could never underestimate this fantasy world. ?Returning to the topic; human greed eventually made its way to me and other nearby places too. Multitudes of mythical beasts ran for their lives from the domain of other ancient dragons and gathered here. And if I were to be slain, the mythical beasts and people who sought refuge with me would be left without a place to go, destined to either be hunted down by humans or perish without access to mana-rich lands.? And this led to the creation of this floating island, I guess. ?Thats right. There happened to be an apostle of the sea mother, Goddess Luriel-sama, and an apostle of the Heaven Goddess Leriel among the people who sought refuge with me. We used the powers of the two apostles to create a floating stone, then I made the island float with my mana and escaped into the boundaries of the sky.? So that was how the floating island was created, huh? Then, are the people like Shael, who named themselves angels, and the dragon warriors like Yahada one of the races of those refugees? ?Indeed. Well, Shael and the other angels may have taken the title of gods kin, but they are no different from the Demonic race.? Then he began to speak about how those two races came into existence. The angel race like Shael was the result of their ancestors having children while in a state of being possessed through ?Divine Descent? by angels. An angels ?Messenger Descent? was an extremely powerful magic, very much like the ?Demonic Possession?. One could understand it as letting a spiritual lifeform take possession of a practitioner which would result in the mana of that spiritual lifeform supplementing the practitioners. In the case of ?Demonic Possession?, it created side-effects like sanity erosion for the practitioners, and some situations may even lead to a reversal in the master and servant positions and have their bodies be taken over by the demonic lifeforms which was why it has been banned. However, in the case of the angels ?Messenger Descent?, humans were set to be the master and angels were the servants. Aside from that, a method has also been addressed in the magic index of the five goddesses church in case there was a need to resolve an angelic possession. Anyway, having a child in that state resulted in the assimilated angel getting fused with the fetus, and the babies were thus born with white wings, the characteristic of angels. I see, since their origin is connected to the angels serving the gods, they have taken upon the title of gods kin. But why did it happen, though? ?Such a phenomenon was unimaginable 2000 years ago. The introduction of status has made possible the birth of new species like angels. Though, it seems like some conditions need to be met for the birth of these angels as they cannot be simply born just by having a child while in ?Messenger Decent? state.? And if these conditions are somehow met, and if the demonic beings that had either mutated from ?Demonic Possession?, independently materialized, or born from mutation had children with humans, it was possible that or maybe it has already been established as a distinct species somewhere in the world the offspring may carry demonic traits. S?a??h th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?Heaven Goddess Leriel-sama judged that the apostles the parents of the angel race might be used as religious tools due to their appearance, so they sought refuge in my place under her guidance.? Then that means the dragon warriors like Yahada were the new species of the demonic race that escaped to your place for the same reason? When I hurled my question, which seemed to be an obvious outcome from the conversation so far, the ancient dragon who was was called Grandfather slightly averted his face as if it was hard to answer. ?AhC, Theyre they were just humans in the beginning. In their long life on the floating island, there happened to be a time when there were only a few males left somehow. So, to avoid their bloodline from getting too concentrated, I used my seeds on those who wished for it. I had thought it would end well since the mating between ancient dragons and humans in the genesis era gave birth to dragonkin. However, in my case, they became Dragonoid a dragon demonic species.? The dragon grandpa looked embarrassed since it happened on his watch. So in other words, the dragon demonic species Dragonoid was born from the attempt to recreate a myth. If anything, Dragonoids bore a striking resemblance to the genesiss dragonkin, since they looked very much closer to dragonkin in their ?Dragonification?. Then there are only angels and demon dragon species on this island? ?Indeed. Im not sure if it was due to the special environment of the floating island, or maybe due to the increase in population to avoid the extinction of the newly born species but no normal human child was born for a whole generation. Only the angels and demon dragon species continued to be born.? It appeared that there was a settlement with a total of 350 demon-race people on this floating island. Nya-Nya-nanodesu. ?Nya~? As our conversation went on, Teto became bored and started playing with Kuro and the other clinging mythical creatures. As we observed them playing, the dragon grandpa and I found a moment of relaxation before cutting to the main topic. ?Well, that is all about the origin of the two species, lets talk about the main topic now.? Although I was quite content to be able to hear about a piece of history, we have yet to talk about his request. You want me to save the children of this floating island, the mythical beasts, angel species, and demonic dragon species. But what exactly do you want my help with? ?It has been 1200 years since we escaped to the sky to avoid the flies on the surface. This island has worn down quite a bit after all these years and is gradually losing its area. I don''t wish for any more offspring to be born on this narrow and unstable island. So, I would like you to take my children back to the surface.? However, they would only be the target of persecution and hunting if they were to return to the surface without a plan. I guess he must be hoping for a place that could give them asylum, and a room for growth in place of this floating island. And I have the ?Empty Wilderness?, a place as big as a small nation. Besides, there was also merit for us in helping him out. To raise young mythical beasts, they need to be provided with mana. However, once they become adults, they would instead supply mana in return. The ?Empty WIlderness? was currently relying on the world trees for the most part to generate mana, but the addition of mythical beasts would give us new sources and generators of mana. I understand your plight. I will set up a ?Transfer Gate? here, and will get ready to accept the migration of the mythical beasts and the islands residents slowly. Eh? So not just Kuro, but Kuros friends will also live with us, Majou-sama? Yeah, I guess so. Receiving my approval, the dragon grandpa bowed his head. ?You have my gratitude. Indeed, just as Goddess Luriel-sama said in the oracle. You will become the key to bringing my children back to the surface from this ark.? And in this way and on a peaceful note, my first encounter with the dragon grandpa who looked as if a weight had been taken off his shoulders came to an end. T/N - Berettas - Master, please bring more guests. Chise - Alright. (Bring-in whole legion of Mythical beasts and demonic race) Beretta - Master, when I said to bring more guests, that wasnt what I meant. Somehow, this meme automatically replayed in my mind xD. Vol. 5 - Ch. 134 - Yuishias Immortality Factor "That day, I felt an emphatic reaction when I touched you.""Emphatic reaction?" "Yeah...... A reaction in response to meeting someone who possesses the quality to acquire the skill just like me." Yuishia already came to know that I had the skill, but realizing that even she has a chance to acquire the same immortality skill, her eyes went wide to the limit in fact, compared to all the tumultuous adventures she just went through, this was the one that surprised her the most. "Huh, you''re joking, right? I mean, I''m just a commoner, a daughter of a fisherman, and I was initially incompetent...... It''s just ridiculous to think I can acquire such a mythical skill like ." "If there''s something I have understood from inspecting your body, it''s that the nature of is completely independent of a person''s lineage or their skill in magic." It''s the quality that genesis people, the direct creations of gods, possessed. People who were born while inheriting that quality from their ancestors could acquire it by housing huge mana reserves in their bodies. Immortal Sages or Witches that appeared in folklore, legends, or myths were precisely the same kinds of people. That was why there should be a lot of people who just led normal lives even if they have the quality to become because they lack in the mana and magic department, resulting in their factor never blossoming. On the other hand, there should be an equal number of magicians who, despite housing a huge mana capacity and diligently training their magic, could never acquire because they lacked the inherent quality to become one. "Then, Chise-san helped me because you want me to become one of your comrades? Does that mean Teto-san also has this skill which is why she never seems to age?" "...... You''re wrong. Teto was originally a golem I created which evolved into a Golem Demonic Species." "That''s right!" As I revealed Teto''s true status at Yuishia''s question, Teto changed a part of her body to mud to show her. "Oh, so that''s why...... Good grief, it seems nothing is impossible for Chise-san." She has received so many surprises in just one day that she was completely accepting everything with an ''Oh, well that''s how it is'' attitude. "And, I didn''t save you to make you an like me. My plan initially was to let you act independently once you are somewhat capable of living on your own." I had intended to purchase that house after our trip to the floating island as a gift to Yuishia for becoming independent. Well, it was a pity that the plan changed to us running out of there due to the King who desired and Olbert who used this fact to make him his ally. "Besides, Majou-sama said that there''s no guarantee will grant Yuishia happiness." I chuckled dryly at Teto who spoke about the words I had once said to her before on a whim. "Perpetual youth and long lifespan aren''t they something amazing......?" "It has been just 30 years since I acquired this skill, but it''s mainly because I was capable enough that I can pursue the lifestyle I want." "Ah..." Yusihia mumbled, she must have noticed the underlying meaning in my words. Had I been powerless, I would have fallen prey to the schemes of the Suzurland''s apparent heir Olbert, captured by him, and reduced to just a pet so that he could research the ''secret of immortality''. Besides, she may have felt my sadness of being unable to grow old but still seeing my own child growing up and becoming an adult whenever I talked about my step-daughter Selene. "That''s why I made you my disciple, but it''s not because of . You only have at present which just provides you with a long lifespan, so you can still pass away naturally." Yuishia has already gained enough mana, knowledge, and magic skills to comfortably earn 3 gold coins per day. We had to flee from the Lovile kingdom due to the drama there but she could still live an independent life by moving to the Iska Kingdom or the Gard Beastkin Nation and leading a normal life as a human. s?a??h th? N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Rather, I would very much recommend it, but--- "Chise-san. I still want to learn many things from you! Besides, I would hate myself if I parted with you here without ascertaining the matter of the floating island with my own eyes!" "Yuishia......" "That''s why, forget about things like , please continue to take care of things as usual!" After saying that, Yuishia bowed her head making a bitter smile appear on my lips. "And then there are the floating islands, mythical beasts, ancient dragons, or even the goddesses! Every single entity is something you would never encounter in your normal life! I am dead sure if I leave here to live an ordinary life...... I will absolutely regret it ''til my death!" "Fufu, I see. Indeed, it might be so." "Let''s work together!" I quietly nodded in favor of Yuishia''s enthusiasm. In this way, the preparation to accept the migrants from the Floating Island began, and so did the life of Yuishia as my disciple. SIDE: Yuishia My life as the disciple of Chise-san in the mansion of the hadn''t changed that much. "Good Morning, Kuro-san, Ai-san." I really wonder why Kuro-san was acting together with me even though we managed to return him to his birthplace, the floating island, after so much hard work. There was also the maid Ai-san who had been assigned to me by the head maid Baretta-san to teach me about the things in the mansion. Apparently, there were just too many places in this mansion that I could get lost in if I acted alone. Then, after having breakfast with Chise-san and others in the dining room, I also focused on my work under the guidance of Ai-san. "Ai-san, I want to practice my magic, where can I do it...?" Ai-san guided me to a room where multiple transfer gates were installed, and from there, I passed through the transfer gate connecting to the northern wilderness. "Here it is, a barren land......" "I see, then this is a suitable place to use magic, indeed." There are craters here and there on the barren earth which have been left behind from all the wild acts. Then Ai-san moved to stand behind me to look over my magic training. I used my magic, meditated to recover my mana, and then repeated it again for my mana training. This place was devoid of monsters to fight, and neither could I subjugate them to level up, so my magic training was basically a repetition practice. However just doing that would also be stressful to the spirit, so I also set aside some time to delve deeper into the study of magic from the books that Chise-san has gathered while traveling with Teto-san to the floating island and get in touch with the people or mythical beasts there, occasionally visiting the surrounding villages with Chise-san through her , or earning some pocket money by selling potions during the said trips. I had taken up the alias of ''Yui'', judging that the Lovile kingdom must have already placed a bounty on us, and led a life isolated from the secular world. Amidst all that, it became a daily routine of mine to check if the skill has yet changed to the or not in the status screen. Vol. 5 - Ch. 135 - Warrior of the Demon Dragon Race - Yahada Chapter 21 -A night passed. The following day, we transferred back to the floating island alongside Beretta. A barrier has been erected around the floating island by the gods just like the and it was filled with just enough mana density for the mythical beasts to live in, so Mechanoids like Baretta or the service dolls who had yet to evolve also had no trouble acting there. Once Baretta and the Dragon Grandpa got to know each other, we started our survey of floating islands. At that time, Angel race Sheal and Demon Dragon race Yahada also accompanied us. "We heard Grandfather asked for your help yesterday. We''ve been told to help you in any way possible." "We also have some people who feel like they''re prisoners of this island. Some already agreed to migrate to the surface." Sheal looked reluctant as she said so, though, in contrast to her, Yahada had a smile on his dragon-shaped mouth and replied positively. "Are we going to migrate to the place Majou-dono said as soon as possible?" "No, that place is still not ready. We first want to know the lifestyle of the mythical beasts and what they like to eat." "If you have any questions or concerns that I can assist you with, please feel free to ask. I am here to help with any inquiries you may have." Yahada took the lead and began explaining how things worked on the floating island while giving us a tour. We would visit the floating island twice a week, and learn many things from him while receiving glares from an unhappy Sheal. We accepted the seeds and saplings of plants that were necessary to replicate the living environments of mythical beasts, and, after verifying them, I created them with my and then cultivated and planted them with the help of the maids in the mansion. Aside from that, we also learned about their settlement. There were a lot of stone structures created through earth magic in their village, and, after receiving wisdom from Dragon Grandpa, they were growing crops like wheat on a rotation basis. "What do you eat for food?" "Wheat, beans, fruits, and root vegetables that grow in the forests. Besides those, there are also the fish that Sheal and her angel team captured from the sea using a net." "Ohh...... that''s amazing." The floating island was floating at quite a high altitude, and for the angel group to descend from there to sea level, capture fish or other marine products, and return to the island, their flying skills must be commendable. "Hmph...... any animal that could be raised as livestock has already become extinct several hundreds of years ago. That''s why we captured fish as a substitute." "I see, it must have been rough on you." "Of course! We do a high-altitude round trip from the floating island to the sea then back again to the island! It''s the most dangerous work on this island." That may be why she boasted about her race, I think. "Then we, who are unable to soar into the sky, live here while farming. We also receive a few blessings from the mythical beasts, through which we make tools." According to them, the horns or fangs of mythical beasts were used as cutting tools after sharpening them, while their claws were turned into farm tools. This island didn''t have any ore veins, so they rely on such tools. While they also use magic, it was inevitable for their civilization to be at a low level with all these factors. Another type of tool was nets or ropes knitted from the hair of mythical beasts which were used in fishing by angels or used as safety ropes to get back to the island since they were quite durable. Speaking of the rest of the populace in the settlement, the women from the Demon Dragon race, who had gone into hiding due to outsiders'' intrusion, were closer to dragonewt in appearance than having dragon heads like Yahada. There were many dragonewts with scaly bodies and magic stones in their bodies so there shouldn''t be too much of a difference between them. Just as I was thinking about it, I suddenly recalled a folklore I came to know in the Lovile kingdom. "Speaking of which....." "What''s the matter, Majou-dono?" "Nothing, it''s just that I''ve heard of an old tale about how a beautiful maiden of the dragonkin came falling from the sky, married a dragonewt young man, and conceived a brave child......" If I remember right, it was one of the folklore in the northern coastal region of the Lovile kingdom. A very beautiful dragonkin woman was washed up on the shore and was rescued by a young male dragonewt who nursed her back to health. This sparked some feelings between them and the woman, in the end, gave birth to a child. The child was said to be extremely strong, capable enough to take down even the mightiest of monsters, and was hailed as brave by the locals. It was like the tale of Kaguya-hime or Momotarou but the Isekai edition. If I remember right, the one who told me this old tale was the guild master of the Lovile kingdom''s northern harbor town guild, Daguel. He had said that in the end, S?a?ch* Th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. <------And well, I''m the descendant of that heroic dragonewt from the legends! Though I don''t know if it''s true or not, and I don''t know where my ancestors went, they were known to hold a scale pendant of a high dragon. This is that pendant.> Recalling his almost made-up folklore and the verdigris-color scale pendant he had shown, I talked to Yahada. "......We''ve been safeguarding the old scales of Grandfather for generations." After saying that, he showed me a scale pendant that was almost a look-a-like of the pendant Daguel had shown me, but with more vivid color. I guess this should be the original state of Daguel''s pendant, which should have worn down and lost the ancient dragon''s mana after hundreds of years had passed. "Seldom do people or mythical beasts fall from the island. Our bodies are durable, so they might have crashed into the sea while using magic to offset the collision impact and may have survived. However, we never thought they''d survive after falling into the sea, but it seems like one of our race members has luckily managed to spread our lineage outside......" "Probably......" I muttered in response to Yahada''s words. "I think I may have met a descendant of one of these survivors once. "I see...... Maybe that person might be looking to know more about their roots." The world was really quite a small place, ain''t it? And this had become the trigger for the migration of the Demon Dragon race. I shook off the melancholic air and set out to secure seeds or saplings for the ecology requirements of the mythical beasts. Then, I would usually ask questions while Baretta jolted them down on a notepad. Teto acted as our guard while Yuishia surveyed the surroundings with keen interest. Vol. 5 - Ch. 136 - The trails of their migration plan up to the 5th year Chapter 22 -?Master, I would like to give you the report about today''s plan progress.? "Thank you, Baretta. I''ll check it now." In a room in the mansion, I was reading the data that Baretta has provided while checking the condition of the ?Empty Wilderness? through a monitoring magic tool. "Mana generation is on the right track, and so is the creation of suitable habitats for mythical beasts." ?Yes. The river near the southern Gard Beastkin Nation has been expanded, we built some artificial springs there and are now in the middle of planting the seeds and saplings after artificially forming some slopes there with magic.? "What''s the status of the land planned for settlement?" ?They have begun to process the soil under the supervision of Teto-sama...... that being said, the soil has already been fine-tuned through the body and mana of Teto-sama so we can plant this season''s crops at any time." To proceed with the migration plan, we spent our starting year researching and understanding the mythical beasts and the other two races in the settlement. We learned various things and made an investigation to see if bringing any vegetation from the floating island to the ?Empty WIlderness? would pose any problem. However, it would have taken time to bring the vegetation from there and cultivate them in the ?Empty Wilderness?, so we just searched for similar seeds and plants in the surrounding regions and made do with them instead. In our second year, we proceeded to make changes to the entire ground surface of the ?Empty Wilderness? under the suggestion of Baretta while continuing the cultural exchange with the floating island. The ground surface of the ?Empty Wilderness? was originally perfectly leveled due to the disaster of the ancient magic civilization. The recovery of the earth vein and its mana flow was also going favorably, so using the control magic tool, we brought forward the transformation underground by inducing earthquakes. Of course, Teto and I could have done that too with our magic, but just pouring some of my mana in the magic stone that was the core of the control magic tool was enough to cause earthquakes at a far larger scale with minimal price, so we went along with that instead. After inducing terrain transformation once every month for a whole year, the ground was vastly transformed. In place of originally flat ground, there were now hills directly receiving the sunlight, depressed shady places, rock forests --- rocks and boulders that had come up to the surface from underground due to the earthquakes --- and wet marshlands that came about when some water bodies transformed part of the land. There were also some other new ruins and magic tools of the ancient magic civilization that were excavated which I didn''t find on my previous sweep of the wilderness, but I was so busy fine-tuning the land that I couldn''t get the chance to check them out. Then in our third year since we started project migration, we started bringing in Sheal, Yahada, and the other representatives to the ?Empty Wilderness? so that they could get to know where they were migrating to and showed them the habitants of the mythical beasts and the planned land for settlement. The forest had expanded to some extent near our old home where we used to live with Selene, and there, I was surprised to see that a new spring and stream had formed due to the groundwater that gushed from the ground. After the tour, I connected the floating island to the land allocated for settlement with some ?Transfer Gates? so that they could come and go anytime. "Feel free to ask for our help if you ever need some!" "But, is it okay? What about your free time?" "This is also for the sake of new heights." The floating island residents did farming on their limited land, but due to their superior bodies'' ability, it hardly took much of their time. Thus they were left with a lot of free time on their hands. That was why they invested their free time so far into their hobbies like singing, tool making, or martial arts contests. Hence, some put that time to use helping out the maids, like planting seeds and saplings in the ?Empty Wilderness?, while taking back the fruits, nuts, or lumber from fallen trees which were precious commodities in the floating island. These things were used as fodder to raise the insects or other creatures in the ecosystem of the ?Empty Wilderness?, and the quantity we had was more than enough so I offered the extras items for them to bring back. When we reached the fourth year, we began to accept small-sized mythical creatures, starting with Kuro''s friends, the Cat Siths. The mythical beasts were surprised at the sight of the vast land when they first passed through the ?Transfer Gate?, and they carefully began to take their steps into the edge-less land. The Cu Siths dug holes in the ground, or under fallen trees and made their nests there. The Ratatosks settled near the world trees and arduously began to gather nuts. Kuro''s friends, the Cat Siths, and the Carbuncles preyed on the rats that we had released in the forest to breed, or the birds that came flying in to feed on the insects. Apparently, they had been suppressing their abilities as beasts all this time so that it didn''t strain the floating island under the orders of the Dragon Grandpa, but now they could live here without worrying about such things. And then on the fifth year, which was now--- Migrated small-size mythical beasts had apparently conceived children as they were now diligently working to raise them. Dragon Grandpa was delighted to hear the news, though he also showed his remorse that they couldn''t raise them on the floating island. Aside from them, the members of the two races were preparing farms and houses in the planned settlement land ahead of their migration while doing various exchanges like bartering for the crops that the maid group from the ?Empty Wilderness? raised with the fish they caught from the floating island. That being said, not everything was progressing in our favor. The mana output in the ?Empty Wilderness? was currently progressing at a snail''s pace due to the amount of mana being absorbed by the small-size mythical beasts, which was making me restless recently. "It would be impossible to migrate them all at once, but bring in mid-size and large-size mythical beasts here one at a time once the mana density stabilizes." ?Understood. Then I would like Master to make a suitable size ?Transfer Gate? for them.? "Yeah, I know...... or rather, the topic circled back to spending mana again, huh?" I exhaled a deep sigh and calculated the amount of mana I would need to make it. S?a??h the N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The creation of the ?Transfer Gate? involved the creation of a pair of corresponding magical tools, one by one. Right now, my mana capacity has topped at around 500,000 units after continuing to eat ?Mysterious Nuts? in these five years. Furthermore, I gleaned from my prior failure when I tried to create a big transfer gate that I would need 5 million mana for a medium-sized transfer gate, and 15 million mana for a large-sized one. "Sigh...... let''s take it slow and steady. I have to use mana in other places for inspection so it''s impossible to spend all my mana in the creation of a transfer gate." ?Besides, ''that plan'' also needs a large amount of mana.? Things might be alright now, but there was never an end to the trouble, huh? Just then, Teto and Yuishia entered the room where Baretta and I were. "Majou-sama~, we received a lot of delicious fish and salt." "Welcome back, Teto, Yuishia. How was your trip to the floating island?" "Everyone was delighted with the food we brought." Teto and Yuishia went to barter foodstuff today. The things we offered from our side were the vegetables that the maid group had raised, and the items made from processing them. Sweet items like sugar or jam that were made from fruits were very popular on the floating island since they werent something they could get. Also, the empty glass bottles that were left behind seemed to be used as containers or vases there since it was something too complex for them to make. Well, this exchange was dubbed bartering, but it was more like passing them samples of the items they were later going to produce by themselves. There was just that much that the residents of the floating island could use for bartering so they even brought out the tools made of mythical beast fangs or claws, but I had to decline using them as bartering objects due to their value. I mean they''d be gobbled up cleanly by the outside world without even any of their bones left behind if they barter things with such a broken sense of value. That was why I was currently hosting regular bartering sessions between both sides so that they could slowly get accustomed to assessing an item''s true value when the time comes for them to get in contact with the outside world. "Majou-sama, Majou-sama, the dragon people said they want liquor." "Alcohol, huh......? Well, festival season is soon upon us." "Apparently, the harvest this season was poor so they didn''t have any grains left for alcohol." The floating island also has yearly celebratory festivals. Hmm, well I do have some aged alcohol that I either made with ?Creation Magic? or bought from outside occasionally...... "I guess discussing it with Dragon Grandpa first would be better. And I think he''ll also enjoy alcohol...... Prepare three barrels of alcohol." ?In that case, let''s prepare some popular alcoholic beverages. Then they can choose what to make after migrating.? In this way, though it was a roundabout way, we proceeded with the relocation plan as they gradually got used to the ?Empty Wilderness?. Rushing the relocation plan may potentially lead to some form of distortion or imbalance. That was why we were taking our steps cautiously, discreetly, and slowly while carefully ensuring integration with their current way of life. Well, as the saying goes, even the most well-conceived plans can be thwarted. We couldn''t prevent the residents of the floating island from dividing into a migration faction and a conservative faction. Vol. 5 - Ch. 137 - Migration Faction & Conservative Faction Our initial plan was to relocate most of the mythical beasts of the floating island to the . However, several old mythical beasts didn''t like the idea of separating from Dragon Grandpa and made a stand to remain on the floating island.To that, Dragon Grandpa''s words were------ His tone was a mixture of joy and sadness. This floating island''s power and internal mana were sustained with the help of Dragon Grandpa''s mana. And he can''t stay away from the floating island due to the intricate connection between him and the floating stones located in the center of the floating island which dated back 1200 years ago. Due to that, only Dragon Grandpa would be left behind on this floating island after relocating all the mythical beasts and inhabitants. So, it wasn''t just the mythical beasts who were worried about him, but also the members of the other two races. "You guys don''t have any pride! Have you forgotten the favor of Dragon Grandfather under whose protection you could live peacefully in the past?! You traitors!" "We''re not betraying anyone, and we have never forgotten our debt to Grandfather. However, this is Grandfather''s request to Majou-dono. It''s to expand our race, and also to bring prosperity to our children." "What, are you dissatisfied with our past lifestyle?!" "We''re not dissatisfied. However, we''ve learned of the things we can never get on this island. We''ve also learned the technique to make them by ourselves. In that case, why can''t we have them then?" "That''s the poison of the Witch! It''s her deadly poison to make us lofty ones depraved!" Yahada was spearheading the migration faction consisting of many young ones. The young ones gradually became aware of the outside world as they received lectures in the open-air classes of the service dolls that I dispatched or when they heard stories about the royal capital from Yuishia. Another turning point for them should be the change in food. The triggers for it were just some trivial things. Like the cookies Yuishia made with sugar which she distributed to the kids who were there for the exchange. Like the drinking water they usually stockpile from rainwater on the floating island copiously gushing out of the ground in the . New things like sweets, iron, and water were enough to invite a drastic revolution in their common sense. There were also things besides these that were encroaching on their lifestyle. "I, I will never accept this!" So said Sheall from the conservative faction who voiced her thoughts loudly. She was apprehensive about the cultural invasion that she felt was just wearing the skin of a migration plan, but seeing the same stoic expression on Yahada''s face even after saying so, she turned her back seemingly in regret and flew away from there. "......Aren''t you going to show yourself, Majou-dono? You''ve already seen everything you need to see." "So you noticed, huh? And, sorry...... it''s happening because we intervened with the floating island." We, who were seeing all of this from the shadows, showed ourselves in front of Yahada after Sheal left. I then saw bitter smiles appear on the faces of the Dragon-Demon race members, which I''ve become proficient enough to more or less read in these five years. "No, Majou-dono isn''t to blame for that. Besides, it''s hard to say if we would still have a peaceful life like this if it wasnt Majou-dono but someone else who visited this floating island." Well, indeed, in the future where abundant mana would become commonplace in the world, the floating island might fall somewhere on the ground, or maybe it would be visited by the other people who gained flight capability as the magic technology advances. It was possible that they might capture and kidnap the mythical beasts or the members of the two races as slaves or some kind of precious samples. They would surely choose to fight in that case, wouldn''t they? "You''ve imparted us with your wisdom, of course not all of it was fairytale-like, you also passed down the worst of the stories." "What about it? Knowledge from a single perspective isn''t enough to convey the true nature of things, that''s why I just made sure you got to hear the stories from multiple perspectives." "However that knowledge, for the ignorant us, has become a tool to protect us, too. I''m really grateful for that." Yahada, who bowed his head after that, knelt on the ground, causing a thud sound, and made a deep sigh. "However, I also understand Sheal''s point. Although not everything was sunshine and rainbows, I can''t deny that it does indeed feel like we''re disrupting our serene life so far. People are really complex creatures, aren''t we?" Was it because he was ignorant about the things that he already felt happy with, or maybe he thought that there would be even more fun things waiting for him after gaining more knowledge? He chuckled in self-derision, perhaps because he felt his desire took precedence in his heart. We quietly listened to Yahada''s monologue, as we maintained our silence for a while. SIDE: Angel Race - Sheal "Damn it, just why isn''t it getting into Yahada''s head? They''re trying to destroy our lofty traditions and culture!" Their life which had been calm, and unchanging for the last 1200 years suddenly faced an upheaval in the last few years. The various things like the tools and food created by that person named Witch easily destroyed their culture. Her meals that were made using sugar and spices seemed to show us just how crude and simple our traditional food, which we took pride in, was. It wasn''t just that. They, angel race people, were still flying to the sea surface to throw nets, and capture fish but our hauls were no longer something that the people of the island sought after. Rather, those fish had become just mere things to barter for the items the Witch had. Aside from that, they also tried to barter with the fangs, claws, or fur that the mythical beasts had shed over the years, but that Witch refused to exchange with them. From Sheal''s perspective, the Witch''s reasoning should be that since all those mythical beasts would one day move to her land either way, why would she bother to trade for these things? Those dragon warriors also gained chicken as livestock in their exchange with the Witch, and now, since they could now get eggs at fixed intervals, the value of fish the Angel race members caught has relatively plummeted. Some of the other angel race members switched to river fishing since catching fish from the sea was dangerous and their harvest was also just so-so. "At this rate, there will be no one left on this island. Have they never thought about Grandfather who will be the only one left behind?!" S?a??h th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Even the conservative faction as well as the members who didn''t leave because of their concern for Grandfather were also slowly having positive thoughts about the relocation plan under the persuasion of Grandfather, and the Witch''s honeyed words. "What should I do? How can I protect this island? Please tell me, Leriel-sama......" Sheal offered her prayer to an old goddess''s idol that was worshiped by her ancestors, the apostles. The weathered idol has already lost its limbs and wings after the effects of the on it vanished due to the passage of time. But that weathered idol was the only thing she could cling to at this moment. Vol. 5 - Ch. 138 - Yuishias Growth Chapter 24 -In the meanwhile, Yuishia was diligently practicing her magic through repetition and striving to improve her power by using her mana to the utmost limit every day. My thinking was that it was fine even if she doesn''t become so I didn''t give her . Anyway, by practicing her magic and consuming her own mana, she increased her mana capacity from her initial 50,000 units to 150,000 units, displaying astounding growth. And today was--- "I''m starting then, Chise-san." "Hmm, anytime is fine." In these 5 years, her equipment has also changed considerably, as she now held a wand that buffed water magic by up to five times. In contrast, I was facing her with an evergreen oak wood wand, which I used in the past, in my hand. At present, I had a total of 250,000 units of mana out of my original 500,000 unit capacity since there was some work in the morning where I needed to spend half of my mana. Yuishia was facing me with only 150,000 units of mana, but she could conjure up more powerful magic than me if she limited herself to only using water magic due to the amplification from her wand. "Haaaaa ------!" The mock battle thus began with hundreds of ice spears appearing as the trigger. We were both also equipped with a mana tool that I made with which absorbed all kinds of damage at the expense of ones own mana. Well, this was just a mock battle with proper safety measures, but how we use magic must look like we were trying to kill each other to others if anyone was watching. Cold chill pervaded the air, the ground was gouged out, and a sense of death prevailed over the surroundings. "Her power from her growth and her water magic aptitude is even higher than mine, huh? --- ---!" I blocked Yuishia''s magic while it was descending to the ground, and further thickened my barrier to defend. At the same time, I also released my magic to counterattack which Yuishia blocked with her own magic. Having said that, my magic, which was aiming for that gap, still struck her. Yuishia deployed her barrier magic in an attempt to reduce the damage, but my magic pierced that and managed to damage her, which greatly reduced her mana. "Huff Huff......This is my full power! --- ---!" Yuishia unleashed her area ice magic to drain my mana all at once. Ice lumps the size of mountains, innumerable ice pillars, frozen ground, and accumulated white clouds that the blizzard left behind in its wake; it was terrifying that all this magic spectacle done on such a vast area was caused by a single person. "Amazing, even Teto would be left in a sorry state facing that." I heard the cheery voice of Teto, who was watching this mock battle. Anyway, the result of her magic was an ice age-like world stretching far and wide in the barren land of the , submerging it into cold and quietness. "Pant Pant...... this means it''s my...Huff... loss, huh?" After she said that, I rested my wand on Yuishia''s shoulder. With her breathing short due to exerting all her power, she sat down on the stop. Yuishia may have had a conditional advantage, but I still had plenty of energy to tackle her. "You were great. I don''t have anything to say about your offensive power, but your paper-like barrier is a matter of concern. Also, you were too impatient in the end. You used up even the mana you should have kept for defense. Focus on this aspect." As I lectured Yuishia about her blunder, Yuishia, with her eyebrows scrunched up, asked. "How did you dodge my final attack? It was an area magic, you know." "Well, I used short-distance teleportation with to move behind you. You see, like that." Then, I demonstrated it to her by taking a step forward and simultaneously using to teleport a short distance away, to which she let out a dry chuckle. Rather than thinking about how to stop a large-scale attack, it was far more efficient to think about how to evade it. "There really is no beating Chise-san, huh?" "You''ve also grown splendidly these past five years. However, when it comes to area magic, the larger its range and the more power it has, the lower its versatility becomes." "Versatility......?" For example, we usually just use simple magic to produce a lump of ice or blow some gentle wind, which was enough to counter the intense heat wave on a hot day. Or magic that could make it rain or create water was enough to extinguish a forest fire or some conflagration. "It was really tough to handle your area magic, you know. But you see, that was uncalled for. The only time it can be really helpful is either in case of a war or in a monster stampede." "The forest would have been flattened to the ground if it was used there." She has heard from us how we were taking care of nature on an everyday basis, and how much effort and time we put into creating these forests from a barren wasteland. She seemed to have gained a newfound realization about the power she now possessed, which could easily ravage the forest we had raised so painstakingly, as her body shivered. "Chise-san, Teto-san. Sure enough, isn''t magic scary?" "Yeah, that''s why the use of area magic is limited even if you master it. Rather, it would be more effective to use mana into more concentrated magic within a narrower range, than using it in area magic. Having magic that can penetrate an opponent''s defense, just like how I penetrated Yuisia''s barrier, is also necessary." Area magic was just flashy magic but on a larger scale and was more useful in taking down numerous small fries at once. However, when it came to dealing with individual powerful opponents, it was more efficient to use magic specifically designed to bypass their defenses and deal damage. "Like this--- " I utilized around half the amount of mana Yuishia had used in her area magic and created ice needles. And when I unleashed them on the ground, they spread like thorn shrubs followed by a soul-piercing chill. "So pretty......" "Your finger will come off if you touch it, just so you know." S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Eekk!?" The ice thorns that Yuishia stared at while hurriedly pulling her hand back were reinforced with curse-like effects. It wasn''t magic to reduce the opponent''s defense, instead, it was a lethal attack to pierce that defense as well as their body to damage it from the inside and freeze their blood and organs. If the enemy happened to dodge them, there was still the soul-piercing chill that could be sustained with mana, and just a slight touch would be enough for the chill to enter their body and gradually erode it. I waved my hand lightly to make the ice thorns disappear since it would be dangerous to leave them out for long, and then turned to Yuishia. "Your magic is really an eye-opener, Chise-san. On the other hand, I still have a long way to go to become a master. Besides, the skill still hasn''t appeared yet either......" Yuishia, low on confidence, looked concerned over the acquisition of the skill. I had around 50,000 units of mana when I got that skill, but it seemed like mana capacity requirements differ on an individual basis to acquire that skill. Though, we might still be missing a piece of the puzzle for all I know. Anyway, I looked at the frustrated Yuishia and asked. "Yuishia, you wanted to be a Court Sorcerer before, do you remember why you wanted to become one?" "It was...... to earn money. To become a splendid magician to reassure my deceased parents that I am living well." "Then, what is your definition of a splendid magician? Someone who can use strong offensive magic?" Yuishia shook her head at my question. "I think it''s something else. Chise-san, did I make a mistake?" Hearing her question, I realized I may have worded my question poorly. "You didn''t. But for me, a splendid magician is someone who does their best for the sake of the people." It''s something Majou-sama always does! Saving people in need!" "For the people...... Isn''t it the same as what I''ve been doing all this time?" Yuishia chuckled to herself in self-derision. She accepted requests from people from the floating island as she interacted with them. Like making medicine to cure a child''s fever. Conducting tests of strength to assess their strength compared to the people outside. Teaching them about the convenient tools from the outside world. Helping out in building their new settlement. Healing the mythical beasts who were injured in the forest with recovery magic. The things she could do remarkably even with minimal usage of mana and magic. "Alright, your next assignment is to come up with a magic spell that can help the people." "Coming up with a helpful magic spell?" I nodded. Yuishia, at present, has actual experience battling with C-rank monsters, but she should be stronger than that. However, she was driving herself away from the people around her by only focusing on destructive and lethal offensive magic. That was why learning convenience magic, magic to make one''s life prosper, or magic technology to create tools among other things would help abate the people''s fear of her, and would also lead to an improvement in one''s quality of life. "Majou-sama always spends her time making tools when she''s troubled." "Well, it''s convenient, after all. , I mean......" I''m preaching that Yuishia should do this or that, but I could basically skip this step since I could make them instantly with . This made me think it was a bit unfair in that regard. And then, the serious-minded Yuishia started murmuring to herself on the spot. From there, Yuishia continued with her magic practice as usual. However, it seemed like her compatibility with devising magic tools was a perfect fit. Yuishia herself was a diligent person, so she repeatedly went through tiresome research on the fundamentals of magic. Her made it possible for her to continue her research over a long period, and her vast mana capacity helped her in conducting experiments repeatedly. Furthermore, she herself was a skilled magician, so she also has many ways to earn her research fund. This was also the moment where Yuishia''s path as an adventurer and as a magic researcher was set in stone. Vol. 5 - Ch. 139 - Harvest Festival & Rescue Chapter 25 -Ten years had passed since the floating island relocation plan was set into motion. Mythical beasts gradually moved into the ?Empty Wilderness? alongside the residents of floating islands who built their new homes and shifted their base of activity to the new settlement. However, there were also some mythical creatures and members of the conservative faction who wanted to stay behind, so we took our time to individually talk to each of them, addressing their concerns and resolving them. For example, One resident was worried about Dragon Grandpa. Another resident felt reluctant to leave the house they lived in for so long. Another resident couldn''t bear to leave behind the tree they planted as a substitute for a grave. And yet another resident, burdened by old age and illness, preferred death over becoming a burden to the younger generation. Patiently, we listened to each person, probed the source of their worry, and worked to resolve them. Sometimes we made compromises, and finally, almost all the residents agreed to move. And today "Seriously, congratulations! This is another year we managed to hold the festival!" The floating island residents, too, held a festival, albeit a modest one, around the time of the autumn harvest festival every year. And since their relocation to the ?Empty Wilderness?, there has been a baby boom among the residents due to the presence of vast land and abundant harvest resulting in more vibrant festivals with the improvement in their life. The festival was held at the former settlement in the floating island which has been almost abandoned. Even Dragon Grandpa made his appearance. ?How joyous. Now I can finally be at ease.? "You still have to watch over us, Grandfather." ?Well, indeed. I''m also looking forward to the plan Majou-dono has devised.? Dragon Grandpa lifted a barrel of liquor with one hand and drank it all in one go. It has only been three years since the residents began to make their own alcohol, so the taste is a bit off, but it was still delicious in its own way and everyone was enjoying their liquor happily. "It''s great that we managed to hold the festival this year as well without any hiccups." "Yeah, it''s great-nanodesu! And the cooking is also delicious compared to the previous years!" I watched the festival from a place slightly further away from the venue with Teto next to me relishing the dishes she brought. This has made me vividly feel the passing of yet another year. Yuishia has also matured slightly in these ten years, now appearing to be around 20 years old, and, under the enthusiasm of the children who remained as fond of her as ever, she has gone out on a food tour. Just as the settlement was dyed in such a soothing vibe of a festival, a certain person suddenly rushed in, all flustered. "Majou-dono! It''s serious! Sheal, Please save Sheal!" "!? What happened!?" The serene atmosphere of the festival instantly took a tense turn, and I pulled out my wand from the Magic Bag. "She had gone out all alone saying she would come back with fish for the main dish of the festival, and is now being attacked by a school of monster fishes!" "Understood. Teto, please look after everyone!" "Got it-nanodesu!" I immediately straddled my wand and took off. The main delicacies in the previous festivals used to be the fish captured by the angel race, so Sheal from the conservative faction ventured into the sea despite the high risks in order to evoke memories of their past lifestyle by offering a rare fish. I immediately spotted Sheal who was being attacked by countless fish monsters leaping out from the sea surface as soon as I flew down from the floating island. The safety rope required to return to the floating island was bitten off, and while she was battling the fish monsters with her spear, the gradual accumulation of her injuries was slowly bringing her closer to the sea surface. "Damnit! Be swept away?Storm?!" She repelled the fish monsters lunging at her by producing wind blades around her body. Though, it was hardly a help for her as her hands and legs continued to bear injuries from the numerous water fish monsters shooting out from the sea surface. "Hang on, I''m just coming to help you, Sheal!" "Don''t you dare interfere! They''re my prey!" I was about to help her, but Sheal snarled with glaring eyes, even as she continued to get injured. However, due to that momentary shift in attention, we were late in noticing a presence creeping closer from the depths of the sea. "No way!? Kraken!" It must have been attracted to the surface by the school of fish monsters and the smell of Sheal''s blood. It extended its countless tentacles from the sea in an attempt to drag Sheal down. "?Thunderbolt?!" I dropped a thunderbolt on the Kraken''s body before its tentacle could coil around Sheal, killing it instantly. All that was left was the body of a kraken floating on the sea, and also the bodies of the fish monsters who suffered the same fate from the aftermath of the thunderbolt. "Are you alright? Let''s go back, I will heal you there. Everyone is worried about you." "Why did you save me?" When I lowered my altitude to the same level as Sheal, she feebly lowered her spear and muttered so. "Yes?" "I''m asking you why you saved me! You could have saved yourself the hassle of persuading me with my death!" I suddenly understood what she was trying to say. Sheal, the last remaining member of the conservative faction, was avoiding any kind of persuasion from me or Dragon Grandpa. And with her death, the relocation plan of the floating island should have been completed. "I can''t accept it! I can''t imagine having a life anywhere else, leaving Grandfather all alone! Grandfather''s soul is linked with the floating stones just so that the island could continue to float! It will only be him left behind on this deserted island!" "I know!" It was something I came to know in the first year, after investigating various things to formulate the relocation plan. I was looking for the source of the mana that kept such an enormous mass of land like the floating island afloat, and that was when I learned about this fact. "What do you know! The barrier of the gods will lose its effect once we move away from this floating island! Once that happens, all the mana will disperse, and me and the mythical beasts would then be driven into a corner! Grandfather planned to keep the island floating until he could land it somewhere!" Although they were not dependent on mana like mythical beasts or require that much mana like them, races defined as demonic races still need sufficient mana, or else they can''t be active for long in a low-mana environment. When it came to the exceptional physical and peculiar abilities they possess, they required an equally high amount of mana to maintain themselves, but the mana they produce is only a meager amount. Hence, they needed to take in mana from the air or food. "In the end, he will die, vanishing together with the floating island his soul has been linked to, and return to being an egg. So is the plan he confessed to me." The undying trait, in Dragon Grandpa''s words, was that he would turn into a new egg, and be reborn again with only his wisdom being inherited. In other words, the reborn ancient dragon would have a different consciousness, making him a completely different individual. You could say he was the second generation of the Ancient Dragon of Verdigris. "Then why, why didn''t you let resistant members leave on their own accord?! If the flourishing of the races is the wish of Grandfather, even half of the residents should have been enough for it!" ''Don''t push Grandfather to solitude,'' with those barely audible words in the end, power left Sheal''s body, and I quickly held her in my arms. It seemed like a combination of blood loss and agitation had resulted in her losing consciousness. In addition, during the attack by the school of fish monsters, she was scratched by their sharp fins and seemed to have been inflicted with a mild poison. "Anyway, let''s return first, everyone is worried about you.?Teleport?!" I touched the body of the Kraken and teleported above the floating island. And once we were there, I slowly lowered the floating body with psychokinesis. "Sheal seems to have captured it alone. Everyone, let''s give her a heroic welcome. And can I also ask you to dismantle it?" "No, I di" " " "Woaaaah! Amazing!" " " I announced that the one who subjugated the Kraken was Sheal amidst the cheery voice of the floating island''s residents. "I''m going to heal Sheal. Teto, please help them out in handling the Kraken''s body." "Roger-nanodesu!" Sheal, who was suspended in mid-air with my magic, tried to deny her involvement in taking down the Kraken and resisted when I carried her, but due to her injuries and the poison, she couldn''t muster any reaction from her weak body. I transported her to our mansion through the ?Transfer Gate?, put her on a bed, and proceeded to heal her. "?Heal? ?Antidote?, your injuries are healed and the poison is also cured, but let your body rest, okay?" "......It''s a soft bed. Could this be one of the tools you create to corrupt others?" A bitter smile appeared on my face after hearing the overly dramatic words of Sheal who was impressed by the softness of the bed I laid her on. "I have asked someone to bring some festival dishes here later, so take a proper rest for now." It was just her and me in the room. Neither of us said any words for a while, and as the thread of silence continued between us, Sheal spoke. "Kuh, me being injured, and then moved to your base for recovery. So is this your plan, closing the gate to the floating island once there are no more residents left there after the festival, which means your relocation is complete!?" Goodness, she sure was capricious and prejudiced. I was slightly astonished by her words. But thinking about it, maybe the cause of all this was the title ''kin of gods'' that they had taken upon themselves. "I''m asking you again. Why didn''t you leave the people of the conservative faction on their own?" "Well, you see. There''s also my personal interest in it." "Kuh, sure enough, so you want all the mythical beasts and residents of the floating islands, don''t you!? Or else, you''re after the remains of Grandfather!? Because if he chooses to die together with the floating island, his body would still remain! You greedy Witch!" Indeed a capricious and prejudice-harboring girl. I ignored her words though a punishment would have been due if Teto or Baretta were here to hear her. "What I want is the mana Dragon Grandpa exudes." "Mana......" "The amount of mana he generates can not only sustain a floating island, but it can also cover the growth of mythical beasts as well. It''s quite fascinating, you know." More accurately, the amount of mana he could generate was equal to a fully grown world tree. Even if he couldn''t fill the wilderness to the brim with mana, just his existence alone was helpful to the world. There was no way I could ignore his plan of disappearing together with the floating island. "Wait, hold on! Witch, you! What are you scheming!" "......I just plan to teleport the floating island here." S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. After saying that, I took out the monitoring magic tool of the ?Empty Wilderness?, and displayed the map of the whole region. Excluding the untouched northern region, I focused the map to the southeast, where the settlements of the angel and demon-dragon race were. There was a massive depression in the north of those settlements. "It''s going to be an unleveled landing if the floating island was to be lowered just like that, so we have expanded a hole there to match the bottom of the island. Once we lower the floating island on top of it, we can slowly disconnect the link between Grandpa''s soul and the floating stones." Though Dragon Grandpa couldn''t accomplish it on his own, untying the connection with the help of a third party was theoretically possible. This was supported by both Baretta''s calculation and Dragon Grandpa''s experience. "It''s not safe to facilitate the landing if we don''t evacuate the residents and the mythical beasts." Well, calculating the required amount of mana for the landing of the floating island was more troublesome than filling up the necessary mana with "Magic Crystals" and placing them throughout the island. "I don''t know how long it''s going to take but I will definitely free him." "Witch...... You, you have been taking care of our feelings to that extent, and I......" Not knowing what to do, I just hugged Sheal who lowered her head in dejection as she recalled her actions. "I''m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but I didn''t want to give you false hope with uncertain information." "...I understand. If the grounding of the floating island is successful, I''ll move there too. So, when will it happen?" "We can do it anytime. But it would be perfect to do it right after the festival." When I said that playfully, Sheal, who had been wearing a stern expression all this while, had an impish smile on her face alongside me. T/N - Hi guys, hope you''re having fun. We are glad to announce that we have released another patreon tier(s) for this series where you can read further chapters than what the current tiers offer. You get to access 6 additional chapter for the Undying Ancient Dragon tier and 12 additional chapter for Goddess Apostle tier (6 chapter per tier in short). So if you subsrcibed now to our patreon, you can read up to 24 additional chapters. Vol. 5 - Ch. 140 - The large-scale teleportation of the Floating Island Chapter 26 -After I received Sheal''s promise to move out from there, I started to prepare for the teleportation of the floating island. < < <------Yes, Head Maid!> > > In 10 years, all 20 of the service dolls led by Baretta managed to evolve into Mechanoids. I thought about the reason behind their simultaneous evolutions and deduced that it may be due to their exchange with the residents of the floating island. It might have set the service dolls'' evolution towards the Demonic Race - Mechanoid into motion. The maid team was now deployed to the designated places for teleporting the floating island. This was prepared just in case we missed the teleportation point for the floating island and caused it to fall, so the maid team was there to cope with the varying situations that may occur due to this with magic. Yuishia, Sheal, and Yahada, on the other hand, were------ "Everyone, we''re going to start the final act of the festival! So please gather at the village plaza for safety!" "The witch is going to bestow us with the greatest gift! You''ll absolutely regret it later if you miss this! Ah, you, where do you think you''re sneaking away without permission!?" "All the residents are here, and the mythical beasts are also on their way. You can start at any time, Majou-dono." "Just in case, I''ve done one last check with , and it''s all green. Besides, the unusable is also closed so there''s no fear of anyone using it." "Now, it''s just Dragon Grandpa left." Just as I told Sheal, we were now going to relocate the floating island together with Dragon Grandpa, but I was still skeptical if we could really pull it off. "There''s no other option. I mean, there are many who wish for this. It''s in my nature to want to fulfill this wish for them." After saying that, I stood in front of Dragon Grandpa and held my wand tightly. "Teto will support you, Majou-sama!" "Yes, please. Then, I''m starting------" I channeled my mana into the wand and then stabbed it into the ground. The that had been laid at every place of the island linked to Dragon Grandpa with him as the center lit up, and began to take the shape of a giant teleportation magic circle. The spell wasn''t just inscribed on the ground surface of the island, it even showed up under the bedrock at the bottom of the island in mid-air and took the form of a globe-shaped, 3D-layered magic circle. The three-dimensional magic circle that shined with a bluish-white light began to revolve like the gear of a machine, and an intense torrent of mana enveloped the entirety of the island. "I had trained my mana control ability just for this day. Nevertheless, it''s still hard to handle." "Hang in there, Majou-sama!" It wasn''t just Yuishia alone who was training her skills in magic over these ten years. I, too, was polishing my mana manipulation skill together with Baretta to teleport this island. Teto supported me just when my grip was loosening on the wand from the dazzling radiance and the pressure from the mana, but the teleportation magic circle still looked to be on the verge of dismantling. We also took into consideration this scenario by putting measures to prevent the spell''s activation just to be on the safe side, but if we missed this chance, it would take another three or more years to prepare another attempt. Just then------ With those words, Dragon Grandpa touched the wand with the tip of his claw and took the difficult part about the 3D layered magic circle to himself. "Dragon Grandpa...... Thank you!" "You''re amazing! How did Dragon Grandpa do this?" He said it in an easygoing tone, but ceremonial magic was a rite where multiple people simultaneously worked to activate a single magic. Aside from this characteristic, he even joined in the middle which should be even harder...... "Well, so be it. Let''s do it at once." The magic circle lit up even more as its rotation began to accelerate. And at last, the island floating in the air above the ocean disappeared from that place. All that was left was the residual mana glow, which scattered and disappeared not long after. SIDE: Yuishia All the residents were gathered in one spot. It was so that if any problem were to arise, then my magic or the barrier magic tool that Chise-san prepared may come in handy. "Oh, Kuro-san. You also came to see it?" Cat Sith Kuro-san arrived by my legs, ran up on my back, and perched himself on my shoulder. Then as I watched the sky together with Kuro-san, a bluish-white radiance began to appear in the northern sky. The radiance gradually increased and in the center of it, I was able to see the silhouette of a floating island. The bluish-white radiance then bloomed like a firework, and the teleportation of the floating island was finally finished. Soon after, the wind pressure from the aftermath of the magic arrived to where we were, making my robe flutter. "Beautiful...... it''s like a flower of light opening its petals to fully bloom." "Wait, isn''t that our island!?" "Which means... Grandfather must be there too!" I could see the bedrock at the bottom part of the island scattering and flaking away due to the impact of the teleportation, but that too was handled by Baretta-san and the other maids who were waiting down below. "Wha! Grandfather!" "Ah, Sheal-san, it''s still dangerous! ------!" I hopped on my wand and chased after Sheal-san, who flew into the night sky, quickly. My forte was water magic, but I also had a knack for wind magic which I had the lowest aptitude for by following Chise-san''s example and training myself so I was now able to use flight magic to fly using my wand. Though I say that, tracing a three-dimensional trajectory was difficult for me and the best I could do was fly a straight path and mitigate the falling movement...... Anyway, I chased after Sheal-san while riding on my wand, and saw Chise-san and the others when I reached the floating island. "Phew, I''m dead tired, Teto. Just the thought of doing it again makes me nauseous." "Let''s take a break for a while after this." Chise-san, who had been leaning on Teto-san who was sitting on the ground, flashed a faint mischievous smile after hearing Dragon Grandpa''s words. "We still have to sever the connection between you and the floating island. I''m going to have you help out with the reformation of the once that''s over." . Afterwards, as the residents and the mythical beasts formed a line to meet Dragon Grandpa and continued their festival, I left the place to meet Chise-san with Kuro-san and saw her sleeping in the arms of Teto-san. "Sshh-nanodesu. Majou-sama is tired and currently sleeping." "Alright. We''ll leave after seeing her sleeping face." Applying teleportation magic on a large scale, it was a spell straight out of a myth that was used to evacuate believers facing a crisis to a safe place, and today, I experienced its grandeur right before my eyes. s?a??h th? N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Looking at the sleeping Chise-san, the mature aura she usually had wasn''t present, and at this moment, she had an adorable sleeping face matching her appearance. Vol. 5 - Ch. 141 - Tea Party in Gods space Chapter 27 -A month had passed since the activation of the large-scale teleportation magic, and the ?Empty Wilderness? was slowly regaining its former tranquility. Also, since we now had an increased number of residents, I built a church with my ?Creation Magic? to support the believers. In it, I put the idols I created following the images of the goddesses I had seen in my dream oracles, and the management of them was left to the Sheal, who has taken on the title of the ''kin of gods'', since she asked for it herself. "Witch! Leave this church to me! I will properly manage it!" There was no such thing as holy scriptures on the floating island, though the church eventually became a place where the residents revered the idols, offered their harvests, and found solace. Incidentally, there was also a small shrine erected beside the church to give offerings to Dragon Grandpa, and both of them were visited by the residents daily. It was just the Heaven Goddess Leriel and Netherworld Goddess Loriel whom I haven''t seen yet that had poorly replicated statues similar to those found in typical churches since the times they appeared throughout history were very low, which was rather endearing. At nightI realized both Teto and I were standing in the black space of a dream oracle that we hadn''t been in for a while. "This is, Liliel''s space, huh?" "Are we going to meet them again!? Teto is happy!" ?Good evening, Chise, Teto. Thank you for your help regarding the floating island matter.? I looked up to see Liliel descending with Lariel and Luriel flanking her sides. ?Thank you very much, Chise-chan~. I was also worried about it, but I couldn''t use my resources as a goddess on the island on my own, so I had to maintain the status quo up until today.? As Liliel expressed her thanks, Luriel stepped out from her side and stretched out her hand to take us in a hug. I immediately straightened up and took a step back, though Lariel grabbed ahold of Luriel''s clothes and stopped her from advancing. ?Seriously, you never skip out on chances for skinship. Isn''t that why Leriel and Loriel distance themselves from you?? ?Hmm~ but it''s natural to be drawn to cute things, isn''t it?? ?I believe we have something more important to discuss.? As the serious-faced Liliel looked at her sisters with a reproachful stare, I prepared myself for whatever they were going to talk about. Hearing Liliel''s words, Luriel, who was exuding a friendly, amicable, and big-sister-like aura, instantly adopted a serious attitude. ?Once again, you have reduced the burden on our shoulders by lifting the barrier of the gods on the floating island. Not only that, but you also protected and helped the mythical beasts and the island''s residents to move to a new place. Thank you very much for your help.? "I didn''t particularly do it out of a chivalrous heart, it was the birthplace of Kuro so I decided to help them out." "This time''s matter was too difficult for Teto to understand, so she couldn''t be of any help." Being thanked so straightforwardly caused me to be a bit embarrassed so I hid my face under my triangular hat, while Teto was dejected since she couldn''t help out this time, unlike Beretta. ?That, and there is something we must tell you.? "Something you must tell me?" As I lifted my hat to look at Luriel''s face again, Lariel spoke without any hesitation in place of Liliel, who seemed stumped on how to pass on the next information. ?Originally, that floating island came under the jurisdiction of the Sea Goddess Luriel and Heaven Goddess Leriel. In short, Leriel, too, should be here to convey her gratitude but as you can see, she''s not here.? ?I''m really sorry. Leri-chan is really busy right now.? "Busy? Ah, has something happened in the place she is supervising like what happened at the ?Empty Wilderness? or the floating island?" I was thinking that I didn''t mind settling this problem, just like when I took down the monster deep inside the abandoned mine at Lariel''s request or Luriel''s floating island request, but Luriel, who seemed to have read my thoughts, gently reprimanded me. ?Due to Chise''s hard work, the ?Empty Wilderness? restoration is on the right track. Besides, the barrier will also be lifted from there just like with the floating island in the near future. Your hard work has brought in so many changes, from the forest to the plains to the swamps and many more. The ground surface is gradually gaining its former look, so you can live as you like, Chise.? "Live as I like, but thats what Im doing right now, no?" "Majou-sama is always having fun~" In my defense, I''m living quite carefreely, but it didn''t seem so from the godessesses'' perspective, apparently. My shoulders dropped in dejection mentally. In fact, I visited the Lovile Kingdom, where we were supposed to be wanted, on our occasional day off, buying paintings from young... now grown-up artists, checking out new works of famous tableware studios, and many more...... However, what surprised me even more was that their King was confined in just one year since we left the Lovile Kingdom and their monarchy system had changed to a parliamentary system. Though they might have shifted to a parliamentary system, the governing body of the parliament was mostly composed of nobles due to the influence they had, and while few in numbers, there were also members from non-state organizations like the grandmasters of the Adventurer and Merchant''s guild that joined in. Well, leaving that aside, ?Leri-chan''s territory is fine. But you see, Leri-chan is the Heaven Goddess. She governs the sky and wind so she also has similarly equal authority over space.? "Is that space something like another dimension or a subspace?" I have heard that spiritual lifeforms like angels, devils, spirits, fairies, ghosts, and many more existed in these other spaces. Aside from that, the legends of phenomenons like being spirited away or disappearing houses also occur due to this where they get moved to such different spaces and then reappear in some random location. ?Yes, Leri-chan has sensed some kind of strangeness in a new, different dimension and so, she is apparently busy monitoring it.? Such different dimensions usually vanish by themselves under the corrective force of the world''s rules, but, depending on the situation, there were also times they took a definite shape and turn into something like a dungeon. ?Though it would be nice if it''s some groundless worry.? In contrast to Luriel who heaved a sigh, I conveyed my willingness to help within my capabilities. "Well, let me know if something happens. I will help out if there''s something I can do." "Teto will also help out!" ?Alright, and thank you, Chise-chan, Teto-chan. If we really need help, I will inform you.? ?Well, we have said everything we needed to say so now I would like to hear about the recent changes in the ?Empty Wilderness?.? Lariel chimed in once Luriel was done with conveying the important matters. Furthermore, Liliel made a table, chairs, and a tea set appear out of thin air and also joined in on our conversation. ?Let''s sit, we are done with the important talk, so it''s time for a tea party to commemorate Chise''s hard work. I would also like to hear about the recent events in the ?Empty Wilderness?.? "Alright. Let''s see, there are a lot of things like......" How cute the newborn babies of the mythical beasts were. Baretta making us wear all sorts of clothes. The interesting book I bought from my outing. S?a??h the ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. How I''m currently in the middle of trying to come up with a spell to transform into an adult appearance with Yuishia by taking inspiration from the racial skills of the beastkin''s ?Beastification? and the dragonkin''s ?Dragonification?. Visiting Dragon Grandpa to talk to him and listen to his old tales. All of them were just commonplace stories, though Liliel and others listened to them with keen interest. Now, there was a village consisting of several hundred people in the once barren and unpopulated ?Empty Wilderness?, and, as someone looking after them, I thought that I may indeed be unconsciously forcing myself to work hard. Just like Liliel said, maybe it was time to take a break from things for a while. After that, I guess I would leave for another journey with Teto as a whimsical adventurer. Vol. 5 - Ch. 142 - A Dragon’s Roar and Farewell Moment Chapter 29 -The place where we teleported the floating island became Dragon Grandpa''s territory, and in one part of this land was a cavern. "Is this much alright, Majou-sama?" "Yeah, this is durable enough. Let''s install the light magic tool as well " "S-so ahead are the floating stones that made the island float......" Teto and I had been building a tunnel to the floating stones in order to separate the connection between them and Dragon Grandpa. "How, how did it turn into me helping out as well......" "Well, Dragon Grandpa specifically nominated you." As we walked down the tunnel maintained by Teto while installing light magic tools in the depressions on the wall, we arrived at a dome-shaped space where a huge green crystal was enshrined. Though the mana supply was now suppressed by Dragon Grandpa since it was no longer necessary to keep the island floating, this huge green crystal was precisely the floating stone we were looking for. "Gasp...... It looks so fantastical. By the way Chise-san, is that crystal the floating stone? It kind of resembles the crystal on the wand in your hand." "Hmm? Did I not tell you? It''s also a floating stone." "No, you didn''t! Hmm, wait. When even a crystal of this size was already targeted by others, then isn''t this gargantuan-size floating stone even more of a danger magnet!?" The floating stone was glowing in a pale green light for there was a deep connection between it and Dragon Grandpa so a fixed amount of mana was still being transferred to it even with Dragon Grandpa holding back his mana. There were also many small-sized floating stones at the bottom part of the floating island that were resonating with this giant floating stone in the center. I reckon this resonance was the reason the whole island was able to float. While I was contemplating this, Teto made a road to the floating stone. I was about to approach it when "Majou-sama~ Teto can''t approach it~" "Huh? You''re right" Yuishia and I also tried to enter the spherical space just like Teto, but we were pushed back by that space. In the meantime, Teto seemingly had become addicted to the repulsion force in her attempts to enter the space as she was now quite enjoying the gentle pushback effect it was generating. "Majou-sama, this is quite fun!" "This... should be the repulsion force from the floating stone." "Chise-san, what is a repulsion force?" "Let''s see. In simple words, it''s like a barrier around the floating stone." The said barrier''s rigidity was different from normal barriers, but its purpose should be the same: to keep people away. "What, then doesn''t that mean we can''t do what we came here for!?" "Ah, I see. That''s why Dragon Grandpa nominated you." "Teto doesn''t get it." I was the only one who could interfere with and neutralize the repulsion force from the floating stone that had a connection with Dragon Grandpa. But then, it would be a tall task for me to keep the repulsion force at bay while also severing the connection between them. In that case, the ones who could help me out were either Teto or Baretta who possessed vast amounts of mana. They were once a golem and a service doll, so they could handle intricate work like this. And yet, Dragon Grandpa nominated Yuishia on purpose. "So we can only rely on Yuishia for this one, huh? Then I''m leaving it to you, Yuishia." "Impossible! It''s impossible for some like me! There''s no way!" "It''s fine. We have plenty of time, and I''m sure once you accomplish Dragon Grandpa''s request, the reason will present itself." I channeled my mana into the ?Magic Wand ? Hisui? and generated another repulsive force to neutralize the floating stone''s repulsion barrier. "V, very well. ?Fly?!" "Good luck, Yuishia!" "Good luck!". Though not as proficient as I, Yuishia soared into the air and slowly headed towards the floating stone in the dome-shaped space. Teto and I cheered her on. Then I gathered mana into my eyes to observe her work. An innumerable number of green, tube-shaped mana passages were extending from the floating stone into the ground surface. It seemed like they were connected to Dragon Grandpa''s soul and that was how it acquired the mana. "What to do...... I dont know if cutting them off is fine" In the end, it was just a connection in mana form, not a physical one. Yuishia then invoked a magic spell that had a thin, sharp blade form. "So I just have to cut the... kuch, so hard......" Yuishia was using a pure, high-density mana blade which may not sound complicated but in itself held high attack power. However, those mana tubes connected to Dragon Grandpa''s soul weren''t something weak, as just severing a single tube consumed more than 100,000 units of mana. "Chise-san, I don''t think I can do this anymore......" "Great work. Let''s go back to the surface, then we''ll discuss it there." We headed to where Dragon Grandpa was, who just said ''Yuishia, please continue like that'' with a grin plastered on his face. Yuishia, on the other hand, was completely exhausted just by severing one tube among the several hundreds of tubes. I wanted to enter as well, but the repulsion force wouldn''t let me do that, unfortunately. I didn''t want to be forceful, since it might end up damaging the floating stone and consequently harm Dragon Grandpa''s soul as well. Just like that, Yuishia would spend her time severing those tubes once a week. In the beginning, Yuishia grumbled how she wanted to quit since each session led to her being completely exhausted, but she still did it under the expectant gazes of the floating island''s former residents. In the second year, maybe it was because she discovered a more efficient method as Yuishia managed to sever the tubes with relatively less mana and it even reached the point where she could cut two of them at once in her third year. She was getting better at it. Then, in the fourth year "Chise-san, Chise-san. I think I kind of understand what Dragon Grandpa wants me to know!" "You do? That''s great." It was the spring of the fifth year since we started our work to cut off the connection between the floating stone and Dragon Grandpa''s soul. When I turned 62 years old, and Yuishia 32 years old, the last tube was finally severed. "Hurray. It''s cut off. Ah!" The floating stone, unable to generate mana on its own after completely losing its connection with Dragon Grandpa, dropped to the ground and was crushed into many pieces. "Alas, even though it was such a precious thing. What a waste." "A floating stone of such size is extremely dangerous to leave alone. In fact, what happened is for the best, in my opinion." GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOODD(T/N - This line is in english in raw) We raised our heads after hearing the roar echoing from the cave''s entrance. "Majou-sama, Dragon Grandpa is rejoicing!" "Let''s go, Yuishia!" "Yes!" We swiftly took the tunnel''s stairs that we''d become familiar with and when we reached the exit, we saw Dragon Grandpa dancing in the sky. Due to him being shackled to the floating island for so long, we just quietly stared at his form flying so freely which we weren''t able to see until now. Dragon Grandpa then descended in front of us after a final spin in the sky. ?You have my gratitude, Majou-dono, Protector-dono, and Discipline-dono. You have finally severed the fetters that had bound me.? "I didn''t do anything. Everything was Yuishia''s hard work." I said that, and gave Yuishia a push, putting her at the forefront. ?Once again, Disciple of Majou... No, Majou Yuishia, I''m very grateful.? "Y, You don''t have to. Besides, I am not quite sure, but I think I felt something like a soul when I was cutting off those tubes.''" Dragon Grandpa''s mouth slackened in happiness after hearing Yuishia''s words. ?That''s why I requested Yuishia-dono''s help, to make you feel it.? "Huh?" ?It''s a part of secret art called ''Soul Link'', a technique to connect your soul with someone or something. There may come a time in the future when you acquire ''Immortality'' or even as you continue to live for a long time that you don''t want the person next to you to die ahead of you, it will come in handy at that time.? ''Just think of it as advice from a concerned senile old man. After all, Majou-dono and her Guardian-dono don''t need this lesson since they''re already aware of it,'' so said Dragon Grandpa. Hearing Dragon Grandpa''s words, Teto and I looked at each other and couldn''t help but smile a bit. Even if neither of us had ''Soul Link'', we didn''t have any plans to be separated from each other ever and we didn''t have any plans of dying either. "Teto will always be with Majou-sama, absolutely!" ?Camaraderie is a beautiful thing, isn''t it? I think I will enjoy the embrace of the sky for a while longer!? With those words, Dragon Grandpa once again leaped up and flew through the sky, apparently to let the mythical beasts and residents know that he had been freed from the floating island. After Dragon Grandpa left, Yuishia turned to us. The first time we met her, she was just a 12-year-old little girl, and now, she has grown up to become a beautiful woman in her mid 20''s. (T/N : Chise most likely mean by her physical appearance, since she''s already 32 as mentioned before) "Chise-san, Teto-san. I''m thinking of leaving for a journey to become a splendid magician that can be of help to people!" I nodded at Yuishia''s earnest gaze. "Well, I had a feeling you were going to say that sooner or later." "Yuishia looked like she had something to say for a while now!" Yuishia''s determination was visible to anyone. That''s why, it wasn''t just us who knew about it, ?Meow~? "Woah, there!? Kuro-san!? Even your wife Tora-san is with you!? What''s the matter?" ?It might be impertinent, but we brought them here.? "Baretta-san brought them!? Ah, ouch, ouch, it hurts, Kuro-san, Tora-san." Baretta and the other maids already suspected that Yuishia would mention her plan to leave for a journey once they saw Dragon Grandpa soaring in the sky, so they also gathered here. ?Kuro-sama and Tom-sama are saying they want to join you on your journey.? "Eh, is that so? I was going to leave alone, but do you want to come with me?" ? ?Meow~? ? That''s how much the Cat Sith couple, Kuro and Tora, were worried about her. "And there''s one more......" As I said that, someone stepped forward carrying a bag so large that it looked like a tiny hill. "Err...... What''s that luggage on your back, Ai-san?" Ai, the second to evolve into the demon race - Mechanoid after Baretta, performed an elegant bow while carrying a bag that was filled to the brim. ?Yes, I''m also thinking of joining Yuishia-sama on your journey since I want to update my worldview and information about the world for my sisters. I have already received permission from Master and Baretta-sama.? "Eh, ehhhhhh! I didn''t hear anything about it~!" Yuishia was determined to go alone on her journey, but here she was with Kuro, his wife Tora, and the Mechanoid Ai appealing to join her on her journey. It was especially so for the Mechanoid Ai. She has been taking care of Yuishia''s every need ever since she moved to our residence and she already considered herself to be Yuishia''s exclusive servant. She was determined to follow Yuishia no matter where. ?Yuishia-sama, with my presence, you won''t have to worry about cleaning, washing, or cooking.? "Cleaning, washing, cooking......" ?I can also help you out as an assistant in your magic research for the people and the world.? "U......uggh!" Now Yuishia was struggling with her choice to leave alone for a harsh journey. ?As long as you allow me to join you, I promise you will never lack a Mechanoid''s quality clothes.? ".........I will be under your care in this journey." After experiencing the merit and comfort of the clothes made by Baretta and the others, Yuishia could no longer return to her old clothing and thus caved in. ?Then, let''s do the employment contract. I would like to request 30,000 units of mana per day as payment from Yuishia-sama. I will be your servant after the contract is complete.? "A, alright...... I almost forgot you wouldn''t be able to move in a low mana environment region for long. So I would have to supply it, huh? Furthermore" ? ?Mewo~? ? "Kuro-san and Tora-san will also need mana...... I, it''s almost half of my mana daily......boo-hoo." Realizing the journey wasn''t going to be how she thought it would be, Yuishia''s shoulders slumped in dejection as she quickly went through the mana contract procedure with Ai. "Well, Ai has basically packed up all the things that will be needed in your journey, so here are the farewell gifts from me." I created a magic bag with ?Creation Magic? and handed it to Yuishia. It has been enchanted with user limit and time delay effects. Since it was convenient, I also had Ai carry the same thing. S?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "And this is a seed of the world tree. If you ever decide to stay anywhere for a long time, then plant it there." "It''ll be useful in replenishing mana for Ai, Kuro, and Tora!" "In addition, these are the robe and triangular hat Baretta and the others have made. I enchanted them, so they''ll surely be of help to you." "They''re of a different color from Majou-sama''s clothes!" "This is a ?Mana Crystal? you can use as a mana tank. It can store up to 100,000 units of mana so take your time in filling it up." (T/N - I think number should be a typo from author) "Yuishia will certainly feel happy when you refill a lot of mana!" "And......" ?Master, Teto-sama, Yuishia-sama is going to be buried under your gifts at this rate.? Baretta stopped me, who was burning with intent to load my disciple up with as many things as possible to ease her journey, and Teto, who was adding explanations from the side. I entrusted my step-daughter Selene to her biological parents quite early, while Yuishia was raised with sufficient time until she could become independent. My relationship with Yuishia was going to be around 20 years long soon. Each farewell so far left me with nothing but a sense of loneliness. And finally ?The teleportation magic of Majou-dono is amazing, but allow me to drop you off at your desired destination.? Dragon Grandpa! Alright, I''ll be relying on you then! After saying her gratitude, Yuishia rode on Dragon Grandpa''s back along with Ai. Then the Cat Sith couple, Kuro and Tora, took their place within each of her arms. ?Im off then!? Chise-sensei, Teto-san! I will absolutely become an amazing person! Good luck, but try not to force yourself, okay? You can come back at any time! Make sure to call me for help when youre in trouble! Teto will be looking forward to our reunion! As I waved my hand and saw her off, Dragon Grandpa vigorously leaped toward the southern sky, and soon disappeared from our sight. ......There she goes. Its going to be lonely without her. Our life with Yuishia was fun. But seriously, she never changed her way of calling me Chise-san even after she requested to become my disciple, and yet, to call me Sensei at the very end she was really sly. I just taught her fundamentals and even recommended her to not aim for ?Immortality?. That''s not something worthy of being her sensei, but this girl really Majou-sama, you taught her everything you could think of! As I looked up at the sky and wiped my eyes with my sleeve, Beretta said. ?Master, I have something to suggest.? Hmm? What is it, Baretta? ?The manpower of the maid group has been reduced now that Mechanoid Ai has departed. Also, the increase in population in the ?Empty Wilderness? has brought about further work to take care of, so I recommend we expand the number of service dolls to cope with the increasing workload. Initially, I propose adding 20 service dolls, with a future goal of expanding the workforce to 100 service dolls.? Alright. I was slightly sad, but I guess there is another thing to keep me busy, huh? I knew it, only a smile suits Majou-sama best! It was an encounter and a farewell. But if it was her, who was both ambitious and earnest, I am sure she would acquire ?Immortality? and come to meet us again. I kept this feeling deep inside me. T/N - Hi guys, hope you''re having fun. We are glad to announce that we have released another patreon tier(s) for this series where you can read further chapters than what the current tiers offer. You get to access 6 additional chapter for the Undying Ancient Dragon tier and 12 additional chapter for Goddess Apostle tier (6 chapter per tier in short). So if you''re on S-rank Savior tier, you can read up to 21 additional chapter. Vol. 6 - Ch. 143 - The life of the immigrants Arc 6 - Crisis of the western continent and Witch''s bondChapter 1 - Several months passed after my disciple Yuishia left for a journey riding on the back of Dragon Grandpa. I was surveying all the places in the ?Empty Wilderness? with Teto and Baretta. "Magic gives birth to magic, and further enhances the transformation of nature, huh?" "Oh, amazing! There''s a waterfall here!" ?Previously, when the maid group conducted an investigation, we identified a great water source.? I looked up at the top of the waterfall where a large amount of water flowed down and the rainbow it created made me squint my eyes. The progress of the earth veins'' regeneration brought about shifts throughout the wilderness terrain. (T/N -Author strikes again with their changed setting huh) The once nearly flat land now had undulations, with protruding rocky mountains and small river and wetland formations. It became suitable for the caves and nests that served as the habitats for mythical beasts. Furthermore, the food like fruits and nuts from the planted trees that the herbivore mythical beasts stored underground to cope with winter sprouted in spring and grew rapidly under the blessing of mana. Nature was gradually eroding the once barren lands, and, according to my guess, almost all the spots within the great barrier would be covered by nature in another 30 years. "But it seems like nature''s overgrowth might encroach upon our mansion and the settlements of the Angel and Dragon-Demon races as well." "That would be troublesome." ?Master Teto-sama. I don''t think you need to worry. Currently, we are at the stage of managing the land''s growth through the control mana tool. In the next stage, we plan to sow rare magical plant seeds in suitable environments as I requested before to balance the influx and outflow of mana.? The mana plants that Baretta had requested were exceptionally rare herbs created by my ?Creation Magic?. Among them were -the Ambrosia, a mythical herb that only bloomed once every 50 years; -Taros lotus, a purple plant known for treating fatal diseases, which took in poisonous traits if raised in any other place besides a high-quality marshland; -Mandragora, a versatile mana potion ingredient that could also be classified as a magical creature; and -the fruit called Hamon, said to be used as a raw material for divine sake and the all-purpose healing elixir. Any of these were materials whose acquisition difficulty level would be rated at least B-rank if the collection request was posted for them in the Adventurer Guild. Aside from that, Baretta reported that she would create a habitat for the rare plants that could serve as ingredients for various mana potions to adjust the excessive growth of the forest caused by an abundance of mana. Considering all that, I guess there would be no problem. As I was walking through the forest with Teto and Baretta while contemplating all this, two shadows passed overhead. The owners of the shadows seemed to have noticed us as well as they drew a huge arc and landed in front of us. "Witch! And her followers! What brings you here today?" "Is there something happening here?" The ones who landed in front of me were the angel race Sheal who possessed white wings and Yahada of the Dragon-Demon race riding on the back of a griffon. It seemed like in order to act with the angel race members like Sheal who could fly in the sky, the Dragon-Demon Yahada was cooperating with the flying mythical beasts that have migrated to the ?Empty Wilderness?. "Just taking a stroll. I wanted to see the ?Empty Wilderness? with my own eyes." "The witch is as serious as ever. You are the ruler of this land, after all." "Hey, Shael! I apologize, Majou-dono!" Yahada warned Sheal, whose attitude had mellowed down compared to before, for her carefree remark. I chuckled wryly and told him it was fine. Teto also didn''t seem to mind, and Baretta had moved a step behind following her maid etiquette, and watched us from there. "I don''t mind. Besides, I am not some great persona that others should obey respectfully." "No, Majou-dono is the benefactor of our entire race and our Grandfather! It would be a felony to have such a carefree attitude in front of you like Sheal!" "Anyway, why are the two of you here?" When Teto noticed my awkwardness at Yahada''s attitude, she asked a question to the two of them in order to change the subject. Sheal proudly showed us the contents of her stuffed bag. "This! We came to pick up gems and ores!" "These are ores we found on the slope of a mountain that rose up in the west due to the terrain changes! It takes time to walk there from the village, so we borrowed the powers of the angel race and griffons to pick them up." In the two bags were the collected rough ores and beautiful stones. Since the floating island back then lacked metal resources, Sheal and Yahada were happy to find metal ores and gems. S~?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Oh, that''s great." "Amazing, all of them look so delicious-nanodesu~" "!? I am not going to hand them over even if you''re a golem demonic race! I''m going to give them to Grandfather after polishing them nicely! He likes shiny things very much!" To the east of the ?Empty Wilderness? was the home of the Ancient Dragon of Verdigris. After being released from his connection with the floating stones, he has been flying freely around the world. He often left this land for more than a month at a time and always came back with beautiful shiny things he picked up on his way back. ''It''s really true, huh? Dragons do have a fondness for treasures and shining things,'' or so I thought at that time. I ask them various things like how their lives have changed from living on the floating island to now. "How are you two doing? Have you gotten used to life on this land?" "We''re flying around every day! And delivering... were they called letters? That!" "My days are also fulfilling." They both were part of a demonic race group, consisting of several hundred people, that had originally been living on the small floating island. The baby boom that happened after they immigrated to the ?Empty Wilderness? has also calmed down, and they split into two groups right now. One group built a village where the former floating island was located near the place where Dragon Grandpa resides and was engaged in fishing and farming in the nearby rivers and springs. Another group built their village by the outer region of the ?Empty Wilderness? near the house where we used to live in with Selene and were either hunting down monsters and animals or felling trees outside the barrier. Aside from them, those with other jobs were spending their time cooperating with mythical beasts like Yahada. Those who were focused on hunting received help from the spirit dog Cu Siths and the wolf mythical beasts Fenrirs while those who were on forestry or agriculture jobs like woodcutters get the help of the cow mythical beast Gaurens and the goat mythical beast Tanngri-snirs for plowing the fields or transporting lumber. For quickly traveling through the vast ?Empty Wilderness?, there were the flying mythical beasts like Pegasus, Griffon, or Hippogriffs. Then there were also the deer mythical beast Elks whose regenerating horns made for excellent materials, one-horned beast Unicorns that boasted great purification power, the female Gaurens who provided milk, etc. There was also the goat mythical beast Barometz that got its golden wool trimmed by the village women. They were all living in harmony without harming the mythical beasts. But of course, some mythical beasts preferred the embrace of nature rather than living among the people. There are also some mythical beasts, while very few, that had resistance to low-mana environments and choose to leave the ?Empty WIlderness? to go on a journey. I listen attentively, nodding along as they shared their stories. "I will bring vegetables, meat, and other mythical beasts'' materials to your place next time, WItch!" "Then it seems like we need to leave the barrier and hunt down some great monsters!" Yahada showed a broad smile as if saying it was a nice idea at Sheal''s words. "Thank you, I''m looking forward to it then." I said my words of gratitude to them, while internally wracking my brain on how to tell them the worth of the materials they were sharing like good neighbors which if displayed in the outside world would fetch terrifying prices due to their rarity. In fact, given how they were living until now with limited access to metal resources, I could already envision them exchanging these materials for copper or silver coins readily. At present, no one has come to the ?Empty Wilderness? from outside, but the great barrier Liliel and the others had erected was gradually fading as the years pass by. In the past, it used to block anything from entering, but now it only obstructed the flow of mana or the people and monsters that harbored ill will. Now, wild animals could go in and out of the ?Empty Wilderness?, and occasionally harmless monsters also pass through sometimes. There was the possibility of people coming from outside the barrier for business in the future. "Someday, we have to be ready for it, huh?" ?Master, you can leave the countermeasures to us.? "Alright, Baretta. I''m leaving this to you." Baretta and I quietly discussed the matter. Nevertheless, time sure flies fast. It has been more than five years since Sheal and the others have completely relocated here from the floating island. They, who are from the demonic race, age slowly, and their life expectancy was also around 200~300 years, so it kind of felt like it was just yesterday''s matter. While I was immersed in such nostalgia, Sheal looked as if she just remembered something. "I almost forgot. We saw a huge tower on the western mountain ridge earlier. Did you build it, Witch?" "Tower?" "I couldn''t think of anyone besides Majou-dono who could raise such a structure in a short time frame, however, the slanted tower looked a bit crude, unlike Majou-dono''s craftsmanship, which strikes me strange." "No, I have no idea about this." "Is that so? Well, that''s all I had to say. We''re heading back now." "Alright, be careful on your way." We saw off Sheal and Yahada who once again soared into the sky, and for the time being, returned to our residence in the central region of the ?Empty Wilderness? while wondering about what even was that slanted tower. T/N - (Not exactly sure if it should be bond of destiny, but considering the recurrence of past characters, going with bond for now) Vol. 6 - Ch. 144 - Slanted Tower and the Space-Time Flotsam Chapter 2 -After hearing about the slanted tower from Sheal and Yahada, we quickly headed over toward the mentioned location. Considering that the location was in the west, I guessed it might be another ruin that appeared due to the tectonic shifts. We reached the place by riding on the flying carpet and, indeed, we were able to spot it. "Just like they said, there really was a tower here, huh?" It was slanted diagonally, but a robust tower entered our vision. I could spot some signs of chipping on the tower that was taller than any of the trees in the forest, but it was otherwise clean, and there wasn''t a single stain on it that would have been proof that it had been buried underground. I took a peek inside and the majority of things in the tower had already decayed. I also saw traces of it being used by people. "What''s this tower, Majou-sama?" "I don''t know. But first, ... Didn''t work, huh?" I used appraisal magic, but I still didn''t understand what this tower was. Though I understood that the stones of the tower were made up of things like monster materials blended through alchemy or synthesis, and it has also been enchanted with mana. However, while it had signs of being damaged, the tower hardly looked weathered. I tried to reverse calculate its age from its condition, but this also ended in another failure. Fortunately, it didn''t seem like it was rigged with anything dangerous like traps and such so I could investigate inside with a piece of mind. "Teto, how is the ground around the tower?" "The soil is definitely not from here! It''s as if it was moved-nanodesu!" Teto stabbed her hand into the ground to investigate the tower''s foundation as well as the soil around it and said that the ground around the tower was not from here. As if it was moved, huh?...... It might have been moved to this place similar to how I teleported the floating island to the . "Is it the result of someone experimenting with teleportation magic, or did it get caught up in an accident? Anyway, let''s investigate it from the inside." If it was due to an experiment, there shouldn''t have been any need to specifically use a tower, but if it was an accident, then it would explain the traces of someone using it, probably the person who got caught up in the accident or even before that. Thinking we might find some kind of lead if we searched around the deteriorated interior, Teto and I explored the insides of the tower. The interior was damaged here and there but it was surprisingly clean, and, in my opinion, it could be brought into use again after fixing its foundation, righting the inclination, and repairing the damaged area. "I guess we can turn it into some kind of facility after fixing it......" Like turning it into a facility for compounding or for mana tool experimentation which would usually cause a strong smell or make loud noises if done in the mansion otherwise. The tower''s stone seemed to be made of a mixture of monster materials so it didn''t look like it would break easily. Besides, wasn''t it typical for a witch or a sage to live in a tall tower? While thinking about all this, I looked around the tower''s interior with Teto. First, I picked up the items scattered on the floor and put them in the magic bag. As I thought of sorting them later, Teto seemed to have found a book. S~?a??h the N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Majou-sama~ Teto can sense mana from it!" "Nice, Teto. State preservation has been applied to this book. Let''s open it." I quickly opened the book since it wasn''t really locked and I was able to read its contents thanks to the language comprehension ability I received when I reincarnated. "It seems to be an ordinary diary from its content. There are occasionally some incomprehensible nouns, but there''s no specific strange point about it even from the beginning and end." "Unn-unn. Teto can''t read it. Teto didn''t understand!" Teto could only read the characters that were widespread in the ninth continent that we were living in, so she was unable to read the book. Considering that, I wondered if this was the language of another continent, or maybe an old forgotten language. "Let''s keep it for now, we''ll read it later." There might be some hints in the diary so I was planning to carefully read the contents after calming down. Nonetheless, this really was a mysterious tower. "Majou-sama, we should ask Kami-sama times like this!" "Ask Kami-sama... Do you mean Liliel or Lariel? I wonder if they can tell us." To begin with, I didn''t even know if we could initiate a connection with a dream oracle from our side. For now, I erected a barrier around the tower so that other people or mythical beasts didn''t mistakenly enter. After that, we returned to our residence while collecting medicinal herbs along the way. ............ ...... ... That night, I, who had slept early, found myself in the space of a dream oracle. I used oracle magic before sleeping, praying that I wanted to know about the tower from Liliel and it seemed like it went well. However there was only Liliel and me, Teto wasn''t there. ?What''s the matter, Chise? It seems like you want to ask about something...?? "We found a strange and unfamiliar tower in the ?Empty Wilderness?." ?A strange tower? Can you elaborate?? Liliel''s expression turned slightly grim when I explained it to her, after which she made a deep sigh. ?Sigh...... So that''s what it is, huh?? "Err...... Did we do something we shouldn''t have?" ?No, you''re obviously doing well with your work. After all, it''s for living freely in this world. The problem is the tower that has suddenly appeared.? I was a bit anxious, wondering if we did something unnecessary by searching that tower, though Liliel only showed a troubled smile. "I don''t understand at all. There shouldn''t have been anything there until a few days ago when Sheal spotted it, it was as if it sprouted from the ground." ?You''re not exactly wrong in your judgment. Well, it''s a ''Space-Time flotsam''.? "Space-Time flotsam?" As I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term, Liliel looked as if she didn''t know how to explain it to me. ?''Space-Time flotsams'' are living things or objects that have drifted from outside the world. In layman''s terms, they''re like meteors.? Like the meteors that are attracted by the gravitational pull of a planet, the ''Space-Time flotsams'' that drift in between the space of worlds appeared from the space-time hole. They were pulled in by the force of the world, apparently. ?In this ninth continent, Heaven Goddess Leriel is in charge of managing them and making them appear deep in the mountains or in demon-infested areas to keep them from doing people harm. Considering the situation, it''s indeed far away from the general populace, maybe she guided it to Chise''s place.? ''So that''s why an unfamiliar structure suddenly appeared,'' I nodded in understanding. "I see. So does that mean the ruins people find after clearing away the demon-infested regions are......" ?To start with, there are too many Space-Time flotsams like the tower. The flow of time in space-time varies so there are times when something from thousands of years ago would appear almost intact. Also, Heaven Goddess Leriel protects the people who fall into space-time holes and then returns them to their proper place and time.? The root cause of the various fairy tales and folklore that resemble Urashima Taro like the lost house mysteries where you encounter a house in the middle of a mist-filled forest or the times when many years had already passed when you just returned from visiting someone could all be traced back to them being caught up in such cases of space-time shenanigans. "The world is really full of wonders huh." ?Indeed. The structure this time didn''t seem like it would pose any danger. After analyzing your story, I think it''s a building that had been transported into another dimension due to the magic rampage caused by the ancient magic civilization 2000 years ago and is now back in its place.? "So that''s how it is. Then I think there shouldn''t be any problem if we reuse it, right?" ?Yeah, you can. Though be careful since the state of space-time is not looking well recently. Maybe even more Space-Time flotsam may drift there.? "Thank you. You really solved my problem. Well, that being said, I''m not an expert in space-time." Then as I chatted with Liliel a bit more after that, I felt my consciousness drifting away. It seemed like the time limit for the dream oracle was about to end. ?Well then, goodbye Chise. Let''s meet again later.? "Goodbye. I also want to have another meeting alongside Teto next time." In this way, I came to know about the origin of the tower. The world was really a place of wonder, wasn''t it? Vol. 6 - Ch. 145 - Relocation and Reconstruction of the Tower Some time passed after we discovered the tower, a Space-Time Flotsam, we began to fix it up.?This tower will be Majou-sama''s research area! So do your best, everyone!? ? ? ?------We understand, Head Maid!? ? ? "Err...... You don''t have to put in that much energy..... And why are you even working hard here?" "Give up, Majou-sama!" I was thinking of gradually putting the tower we discovered to use and eventually turning it into an experimental facility for compounding or making magic tools one day. So, when I told Baretta about my idea------ ?Master, please take a rest. We, the maid corps, will turn the tower into a place suitable for the Master''s new pastime.? After saying that, she began the reconstruction of the tower with the mechanoids and the newly added service dolls, putting them in rotational shifts. The maid corps started with correcting the slant of the tower with their ?Psychokinesis? magic, adjusting the foundation with earth magic, adding the missing stones, cleaning and renovating the building''s interior, and various other adjustments. I didn''t even get the chance to help out. "......Nothing to do." "It''s fine to have such moments occasionally~" Since I was the type who couldn''t calm down when I wasn''t doing anything, I felt restless leaving everything to Baretta. But Baretta and the others were so firmly against me lifting even a single finger for this matter that I could only watch them with a fuzzy feeling bubbling inside me. "Majou-sama, You can do something else that you like~" "......You''re right. I guess I''ll go fishing for a bit." "Then, Teto will go swimming!" Teto took off her armor, leaving her shirt and shorts on, and jumped into the nearby river. "You''re really having fun huh, Teto?" Glancing at the carefree Teto with a smile, I took out my fishing rod from the magic bag and dropped the line into the river while gazing at the sky. "It''s so calm......" I leisurely fished while pushing up the wide brim of my triangular witch hat, and gazing at the sky. "Oh, I seem to have hooked one." Soon after, I felt a response from my fishing rod, and when I pulled it up, a small fish was biting on the bait. "Hmm, it''s not big enough to be our food. Release." I removed the fish from the hook, put it back in the river, added another bait to the hook, and dropped the fishing rod into the river once more. Spending my extra time leisurely like this, free of any thoughts, was kind of fun. There were often sketches of immortals fishing in tales, but this was, in fact, an efficient way to train one''s mana manipulation skill. "Fishing is difficult, isn''t it?" I, who possessed an enormous amount of mana, could naturally bring forth all sorts of effects on my surroundings by just discharging my mana. For the medicinal herbs and mythical beasts who take that mana for their growth, it was their food. Speaking of this, ordinary small animals and fishes were vigilant against sources of potent mana so they usually stayed away from them. This was particularly for me, as when I, who possessed enormous mana, held the fishing rod, my mana got channeled into the body of the fishing rod and ended up alarming the fish, which obviously means no fish to catch. That was why I controlled my mana to not alert the fish and the moment they took the bait, I immediately channel my mana into the fishing rod and pull it up strongly without giving the fish any chance of escape. The momentary strengthening of the fishing rod was another level of ?Body Strengthening?, and fishing was also a way to practice the strengthening of something other than their own body like tools. Specifically, the fishing rod I was using right now was made from a branch of the world tree that has excellent mana conductivity and degree of amplification, so even a slight amount of channeled mana would alert the fish. So it was just perfect for this kind of training. "Well even if I say that, I kinda like this kind of atmosphere usually." I wasn''t struggling to make a living, and thanks to my ?Immortality? skill, I had limitless time to spend. So I just fish and practice my control over mana while also reading a book. "Speaking of which, I still haven''t checked the diary we found from the tower." I had just given the diary from the tower a cursory glance before, so I opened the diary now to read it while I was fishing. The contents of the diary were the records of a person who was caught up in a space-time rift due to the mana rampage caused by the ancient magic civilization 2000 years ago. ?One day, everything was swallowed in black out of the blue, and by the time I came to my senses, I was in a pitch-black space with just my tower.? ?It is a bizarre place. Alone, I feel like I am losing my sanity. I want to go back, I want to meet my family, I want to see the flowers of my hometown.? ?Becoming a captive of the space-time rift, I am slowly becoming insane. I bet I wouldn''t be able to return to this tower if I threw myself into the pitch-black space outside, but I can''t take it anymore! I''m betting on this sliver of hope and leaving for the journey.? ?I, I''m going back to my hometown------? I closed the journal of the person who got caught up in the recklessness of the magic civilization and closed my eyes at the idea of my hometown. It seemed like I was too absorbed in reading the journal, as I had already fished until the evening before I knew it. In the meantime, I removed the fish caught up in the fish hook with familiarity using ?Psychokinesis? magic without using my hands at all. I caught around ten fish. Teto, on the other hand, was intensely staring at my profile after being tired from just fishing. "Let''s go back, Majou-sama, it''s going to be evening soon." "Right, I guess it''s time to go back. What are Baretta and the others doing?" "It seems like they''re done with repairing the tower." ''They''re really fast with their work, huh?'', I thought while flashing a bitter smile. We headed for the tower where Baretta and the others were working. It seemed like we came at just the right time as they were already waiting for our return. ?The tower is now available for use from tomorrow onward, Master.? "Thank you, Baretta. Well then, shall we head back?" Teto and I installed the ?Transfer Gate?, prepared beforehand in the tower, and then returned to our mansion from there. And at the end of the day, I heard the report about the events of today from Teto, Baretta, and the other mechanoids and then went to sleep. S?a?ch* Th? ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. But right before falling asleep, the contents of the journal I read today surfaced in my mind, and I muttered. "May you meet someone......" The fact that the person who became a space-time flotsam wasn''t inside the tower, I wonder if he left the tower to meet someone. It was highly unlikely that the person could reach their hometown according to their wish, and chances are they might not be safe. Space-time rifts were unpredictable objects, there was a chance he may have arrived somewhere else or perhaps got lost in the rift in the end. Or, they might be rotting somewhere in the limbo of space-time rift already. As I fell asleep, praying for the man to meet someone safely, I found myself dreaming of Earth that day. T/N - Hi guys, hope you''re having fun. We are glad to announce that we have released another patreon tier(s) for this series where you can read further chapters than what the current tiers offer. You get to access 6 additional chapter for the Undying Ancient Dragon tier and 12 additional chapter for Goddess Apostle tier (6 chapter per tier in short). So if you''re on Awakened Earth Golem tier, you can read up to 18 additional chapter. Vol. 6 - Ch. 146 - The dream of hometown and sakura flowers I had a strange dream.My memories about my previous world, Earth, were supposed to be vague and yet, they were as vivid as crystal-clear waterfalls in my dream. The rows of skyscrapers decorating the townscape, the dashing automobiles, and the concrete ground under my feet. There were only roadside trees and weeds growing out of the crevices of the concrete or tiles in the name of nature. (This is not where I belong.) s?a??h th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I looked at myself, and it was the body of the otherworlder Chise. I guess I can''t even appear as my past self because my memory of my past was all vague. Besides, the days I spent in the otherworld might already be more than the time I lived on Earth. While walking through the concrete jungle of the townscape, I felt that my place of belonging lay within the serene and harmonious embrace of nature. Strangers passed by without noticing me, a girl dressed in a witch-themed robe with a triangular hat and a wand as tall as her. Amidst all this, a nostalgic smell suddenly tickled my nose in this odorless dream world. (The smell of flowers, the smell of spring......) I walked in the direction of the smell and found a park. Several trees were lining the open park when the center of the park suddenly changed in color from the surroundings. I saw sakura trees there, their petals dancing under the whims of the breeze. (......Haha, why did I forget this, I wonder?) While gazing at the sakura trees that shower the surroundings with their beautiful petals every year and possessed beauty befitting the title of ''national flower'', I shed tears in the dream. It was going to be nearly half a century since I was reincarnated in the otherworld. However, I completely forgot about the sakura. (I didn''t have enough leeway to cheer myself on in my own way amidst my hazy memories.) (I made Teto the support of my heart instead of the flower of my hometown, so I never considered it necessary to remember them.) (The ?Empty Wilderness? has become the place where I belong, so my thoughts never grasped the straws of my memories from the previous world) Despite all of this, the journal that contained the writer''s desire for their hometown that I read today seemed to have stirred the thing that had been sleeping in the depths of my heart. That being said, there was no need to escape from this either. It wasn''t as if the sakura trees were going to destroy the ecosystem. Rather, I was brimming with the thought of showing Teto, Baretta, and everyone else the splendor of the flowers from my past world. And after reaching that juncture, I woke up. "......Majou-sama. What''s wrong? You''re crying." "I just had a nostalgic dream, that''s all." As I woke up, Teto was looking at me with a worried expression. It seems like my tears didn''t just come out during my dream, I cried even in my sleep as well. I smiled at Teto while wiping away my tears, though Teto''s worried look still did not leave her. "Teto, I''m thinking of going outside to feel the night wind, will you come with me?" "I will!" Then, when Teto and I left the room after changing into our regular outfit in the dead of the night, Baretta, who had been on night duty today, spotted us. ?Where are you going this late, Master?? "Just going out for a night walk. Would you like to join us?" ?Then I will take you up on your offer.? With Teto and Baretta, I left the mansion and walked through the night landscape. The place I was heading to was the top of a hill near the mansion. Reaching the summit of the hill from where the mansion could be seen, I turned around and saw the mansion and the outstretched farm behind it shrouded in the veil of the night. "The farm has extended to quite a range. Isn''t tending to such a huge farm taking a toll on you?" ?It''s alright since the maids and golems are helping out.? "I see, thank you for all the things you''ve provided us, Barettta." ?Please don''t. Interacting with plants and animals and building up connections with other people, it''s through all these social experiences that our souls are born and we become mechanoids.? After saying that, she flashed a smile that indicated how much she was enjoying her daily life. ?So, what are you planning to do, Master?? "That''s right. Majou-sama was crying in her sleep back then." "Well, I just had a nostalgic dream. So, I thought I''d recreate a scene from my previous world as I suddenly yearned for the flowers of my hometown ?Creation? Sakura!" I planted my wand into the ground and conjured a single sakura tree on top of the hill. I think the age of the sakura tree that was in full bloom was around 30 years old. Just like the sakura I had seen in my dream, its petals were nimbly dancing under the moonlight. "So these are the flowers from Majou-sama''s hometown!? They are so cute, just like Majou-sama!" ?Indeed. Besides, the scattering of the petals also evokes a feeling of loneliness.? Teto and Baretta also stared at the sakura tree. "This is the sakura flower from my hometown. It has verdant green leaves in the summer, then the leaves die and fall in autumn. Then the tree withstands the winter all just to blossom in spring, and bloom for a short time, letting its petals ephemerally dance in the air. In a way, these flowers are like the life of a person." For the immortal me to yearn for the sakura that resembled the fleeting nature of human life, I didn''t know if it was just a simple feeling of homesickness, or if it was my jealousy at the fact that this immortal me could no longer walk the same path as an ordinary human. As such thoughts swirled in my mind, Teto embraced me from behind. "Majou-sama. What did past Majou-sama do when looking at the sakura tree?" "I don''t remember. Though, a majority of the populace liked to do flower-viewing." "What is this flower-viewing thing?" "It''s doing a party beneath these sakura trees. Gazing at the dancing petals, eating delicious food, drinking sake, and having fun. It''s celebrating the arrival of spring after the passage of harsh winter." ?It sounds like a lovely custom.? "Well, flower-viewing is now even held for Japanese plum and peach blossoms. Besides, celebrating spring has become a mere shell of a festival for the bunch who just want to cause a ruckus." Starting from the world trees, many types of trees were growing in the ?Empty Wilderness? though most of them have one or more practical purposes. Like the pine cones or acorns becoming sources of molds and the nut-laden trees that serve as feed for wild animals. Other trees that have been gathered were trees suitable for woodwork, fruit trees that bear edible fruits, tea plants, medicinal plants, and many more. So the idea of sakura trees, that blossomed just for a short while once a year, sounded quite luxurious. As I spoke about the flower-viewing custom with Teto and Baretta, I felt like it might be fun to gaze at the cherry blossoms together. Such desire suddenly rose from inside me. "In that case, let''s hold a flower-viewing session! Majou-sama won''t feel lonely if we all spend time and have fun together. You don''t have to cry anymore." "I guess so. I''m looking forward to it." And so, we gazed at the cherry blossoms through the night. The next day, we gathered the maid corps and the village members of the angel and Dragon-Demon race, and the ?Empty Wilderness? welcomed its first flower-viewing festival. Vol. 6 - Ch. 147 - A flower-viewing event The sudden announcement of the flower-viewing event stirred up the overnight. The news spread among the mansion''s maids, the angel and Dragon-Demon race, and even among Dragon Grandpa''s mythical beasts. And on the day of the festival... "I didn''t expect it to turn out like this." "Oh, so many people have gathered!" Since it was a festival, the residents of the brought their own food and started eating right away. The mythical beasts that were living together with people also gathered, playing tag with the children. Dragon Grandpa, who had his massive body curled up, was gazing at the only tree which had sakura flowers blossoming. "Dragon Grandpa, so you also came." Unlike the time he was bound to the floating stones, Dragon Grandpa, who could now fly wherever his mood led him to, felt mentally younger than he was before. "Dragon grandpa, let''s drink together!" Teto came up carrying two wine barrels on her shoulders. She put them down in front of Dragon Grandpa and opened the lid. "Ah, drinking 20 years of liquor like water......" I couldn''t drink alcohol with this 12-year-old body of mine, but since I''m immortal now, I kept aged liquor anyway. I would buy them from the town or age them with my and then store them in the basement of our residence. Liquor has been arranged for today''s flower-viewing session, but I didn''t expect such a big crowd to gather...... Furthermore, the two in front of me were such heavy drinkers that the prepared quantity of liquor was being rapidly guzzled down. "Whatever. Baretta, prepare to distribute this. DCreationLiquor!" I used my and created a separate batch of sake in barrels, different from the one Teto and Dragon Grandpa were drinking. This time, I created a type of sake called ''Japanese rice wine'' which was made with rice as the main ingredient, it was also called ''refined sake''. I had aged it for a moderate period of three years, so I was able to prepare around 20 barrels. "Yes, that''s right. Well, it''s different from the mirin (sweet rice wine) we use as seasoning." The maid corps, including Baretta, were putting all their efforts day and night into managing the mansion, cultivating the crops, and devoting themselves to many other things. D With such sentiments, they had been experimenting with making soy sauce, miso, cooking sake, and other condiments. Though obviously, I had no memory of how to create these seasonings in my head. All they had was the finished seasoning made through , so they were using that as a base to research, reproduce, and enhance our seasonings to create a dining table that suited my tastes, which was apparently their goal. , Master!" "Thank you. I''m looking forward to it, though the meals we have now are already delicious enough." As the maids distributed the sake, I spread a mat a little distance away and sat there while gazing at the sakura. Unlike the sakura at night, this lively and bustling flower-viewing scene was also an enjoyable sight. Occasionally, residents of the came over to greet me, or the mythical beasts approached me with high spirits in search of my magical power. At first, everyone was looking at the rare flower from the witch''s hometown, but as time passed by the focus gradually shifted to eating and drinking. I couldn''t help but smile wryly, thinking that no matter the place, people were usually more interested in other things than the festival itself. Amidst all this... "No, well... I''m not really good with alcohol, you see." "Uhhh......" However, one drunk person was pushing me to drink sake. "Baretta......" Then, after saying that, Baretta silently approached behind that Mechanoid and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. Baretta, the first mechanoid, and the first 20 service dolls that I made with possessed their own distinct personalities but were generally level-headed. On the other hand, the second-generation Mechanoids that had just joined the ranks after Yuishia left for a journey had transformed into a demon race a lot quicker, perhaps because they had a lot of opportunities to come in contact with people and exhibit more human-like personalities. Although I welcome the diversity in their personalities, it becomes a headache when they go too far. Looking at Baretta haphazardly flinging any maid that came into her view, it appeared as if they were part of the festivities, creating a lively atmosphere. Beside them, the other animal lover mechanoids were happily petting the gathered mythical beasts, and there were even some drunk maids who had their faces buried in mythical beasts'' fur to smell them. Then, there was also one mechanoid who was taking care of an angel race young boy who was born during the early years of the migration. Though she seemed to be doting on him too much. A pretty onee-san type mechanoid doting on a cute boy from the angel race. "......Let''s just pretend I never saw it." It was useless to bring age differences between long-lived demonic races. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. It might look like an older maid and young boy situation but in a few years, that young boy would grow up, so this might correct the mismatch in appearance. Until then, I was going to pretend as if I didn''t see this moderate love spectacle of onee-shota. Well, as the food gradually ran out, there were those who, emboldened by alcohol, removed their clothes, and then for some reason, engaged in raucous brawls while dressed lightly in the field. It was sometimes necessary to let out some steam I guess, so let''s overlook this as well. "Fueeeeeee, Teto can see five Majou-sama~" "Ah, Teto. You''re still drinking." Apparently, she consumed quite a lot, not only had she drunk the 20-year-old aged liquor, she even guzzled down sake. "It seems like it''s time, I am going to take Teto with me and rest. Everyone too, try not to go overboard." Leaving the scene to Dragon Grandpa, I carried Teto with my magic and then laid her on the bed in the bedroom. I passed the time leisurely while putting Teto''s head, who had begun to sleep soundly, on my lap, rustling my fingers through her hair, and watching the sakura tree visible from the bedroom''s window. We were going to have a very long eternal life ahead of us, and these commonplace yet extraordinary days would be the support of our long journey. I spent my time today while firmly engraving these feelings inside me. Vol. 6 - Ch. 148 - The use of the tower As the flower-viewing session came to an end and the sakura petals dispersed, we went back to our usual lifestyle.As the days passed, we made some new discoveries and found some changes in our surroundings. First, it was about the sakura tree that I created with my . I created it based on my memories, but they seemed to have high mana generation ability. Although its ability wasn''t comparable to a world tree, it did boast a much higher mana generation output compared to ordinary trees and it also exhibited a property to calm the ferociousness of monsters to some extent. I did hear that sakura trees possessed characteristics like ''Evil Warding'' and ''Dispelling Malice'' in Japan in my previous life. Maybe by bringing such trees that held such nuances to the other world that they were able to exhibit such power. World tree leaves could be used in medicine and its branches were also one of the best magic mediums for things like wands so they couldn''t be spread into the world that easily. On the other hand, the sakura petals'' effects weren''t comparable to the world tree leaves and since their application was also only limited to pacifying monsters and mana generation, we had been gradually increasing the number of sakura trees by planting them through cutting methods. "They are still small, but I guess we will be able to see lots of sakura trees in 10 to 20 years." I was already looking forward to the scenery that would unfurl after a decade or two. Aside from that, I and a small portion of the maid corps would usually go to the tower that has already been repaired by Baretta and the other maids. "I had long since wanted to start my own personal research." For decades I was focused on the goal of restoring the and the mana density inside it. But now that everything was progressing so well that I didn''t even need to help out anymore, I began to do some research on magic in the tower. "I wonder what kind of effect a fruit would have if it was grafted on a world tree that held exceptional mana and vitality......" I planted a sapling of a world tree in the vicinity of the tower and grafted different fruit tree branches such as apples, oranges, and pears onto it and then used on it. The amalgamation of different trees could be said to have similarities with a Chimera, a synthetic lifeform in a sense, but of course, I didn''t have any intention of creating one here. And the grafting experiment that was done on the world tree surprisingly resulted in it bearing fruits. "I see...... At the expense of lowering the mana output of the world tree, it was able to bear fruits that were filled with mana." "Majou-sama, this is the same as the mysterious nut that Majou-sama eats~!" Just like what Teto said, the fruits from this experiment held identical properties as the . I had now discovered the way to produce the to increase the upper limit of a person''s mana capacity without using . I was happy that I could now have different variations in taste since I was only able to produce one kind of fruit, pear, with my creation magic up until now. The world tree''s mana output in itself has lowered to the level of a sakura tree, but I guessed that this was due to the mana being condensed into these fruits. "I wonder if it''s similar to the mana-dense monster meat that high-ranking adventurers or nobles eat." Although there was no definite proof, there was a saying since a long time ago that eating mana-rich items could increase one''s mana capacity. Apparently, nobles put up requests for the delicate parts of the monsters that adventurers take down and then eat that meat. But if it was just taking in the mana from external sources, then even drinking a mana potion should be able to raise the upper limit of one''s mana capacity, hence there may be another mysterious factor at play--- such theories had been summarised in a book. While I researched the topics that piqued my interest, I occasionally had discussions with the maids that frequented the tower. Then over time, the maids would come to me one by one holding a small box. S?a?ch* Th? N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Mechanoids that excelled in making clothes would come to me with such requests. Magic silkworm was one of the monsters domesticated by people to produce high-class silk, so I gave my permission. The fur discarded by mythical beasts and gathered by the residents needed chemicals so that they could be cleansed, processed, and turned into items, so it was best to process them in the tower which had a compounding facility. If there was a problem with the requests though, then it was------ "Red-Eyed Spider should be a D-rank monster if I remember right. Won''t handling them be dangerous?" They also had the alias of ''forest hunters'' due to their agile movement in using their threads to jump from one tree to another and then catching their prey by pouncing on them from above. Although the Demonic race possessed high physical abilities, a child would still be nothing compared to these creatures. Then seeing the antics of Red-Eyed Spider that rubbed its hands and feet and made some cries at me as if to say ''please'', I couldn''t help but think it was quite a versatile entertainer. That being said, the vibe it was giving was indeed toned down compared to the Red-Eyed Spiders I had defeated in the past. To be more accurate, I couldn''t sense the same animosity and malice from it. "Could it be a variant species? Well, you can raise it, but I will have you take responsibility and dispose of it if anything happens by chance." Once I approved the rearing of a monster, the other maids flooded me with their request of wanting to raise honeybees, treants, and fungal and omnivore-type monsters. Unfortunately for them, the wasn''t ready yet to accept so many monsters at once. Moreover, these types of monsters are likely to gradually migrate on their own, so I have put them on hold for now. Especially that monster plant at the end. Since it was possible to create an artificial mana stone by feeding lower-level monsters to a plant and condensing a magical stone in its core, they may have intended to create an artificial mana stone ranch, so I rejected that idea because I felt it would be dangerous in various ways. With all these considerations, the tower eventually became a place used not only by me but also by the mechanoids. Currently, I was researching mainly three things in the workshop of the tower. "Hmm, the combination failed, huh? Let''s discard this one after extracting the mana. Next is------" One of them was studying compounding by researching magic potions mentioned in the different books through trial and error while dispensing the essential magic potions to the villages of the . "Come to think of it, since there are many who ride on the backs of flying mythical beasts, I should create a fail-safe mana tool for safety. !" Using the Earth magic spell , I shaped a fragmented piece of the shattered giant floating stone from the floating island along with iron and then bestowed it with the fail-safe effect through . Lastly, I infused a vast amount of mana into the iron itself, transforming it into a black magic metal called "Magic Steel," creating an accessory. This was my study of mana tool craftsmanship used in everyday life. And finally... "Hmm. Magic to transform into an adultDD!" I solidified the image with my magic and created an entirely new magic spell through this magical research. The approach involved enveloping myself in an illusion of an adult persona created by hybrid magic of light and dark elements. I wrapped the surface of my body with the mass-carrying dark magic and overlaid it with the illusory magic of light. As a result, I grew to the same height as Teto but...... "Hmm... There''s something strange with Majou-sama''s looks. Very strange!" "I guess it doesn''t work after all." I performed a spin on the spot, but both my movements and expressions were stiff. To put it plainly, it was like wearing a costume, except it was composed of mana and I could feel the weight due to the properties of dark magic. The movements of my limbs were dull. It felt like I was wearing a geta made of magic to raise my height, which affected my balance. Moreover, a touch would give a sensation different from that of a real physical body. Furthermore, the illusory light magic didn''t synchronize with my facial expressions, so it felt like I was wearing a mask. "This thing can''t be called adult transformation magic." "Is that so? What a pity." With that said, Teto pouted in disappointment as the magic was deemed a failure, but it didn''t mean I had given up on the idea of becoming an adult through magic just yet. Besides, it was difficult to distinguish if this magic was fake at first glance so it could still be used as an alternate persona or a decoy in times of emergency. In fact, since this magic was basically like wearing mana on my body, I could sense the possibility of a new type of defense magic different from barrier magic from it. And so, I passed my days tinkering with compounding mana tools and magic which felt like I was just playing around under the guise of research. Teto also joined in. "Majou-sama~ are you still busy with research? Teto wants to play with you." "Well, you''re right. Let''s call it a day for today." I would have nearly shut myself in the tower for god knows how long if I was alone, but, fortunately, Teto would request me to hang out outside with her, so I was able to have a moderately relaxed, or you could say balanced life. I sometimes sparred with Teto to keep my combat abilities from becoming rusty, took relaxed walks in the forest, and ventured out of the great barrier to defeat monsters to secure mana stones for Teto, earn money, or go shopping with teleportation magic. I had such a peaceful daily life. "What''s wrong, Baretta? It''s rare for you to come here." As Teto and I tilted our heads in confusion seeing Baretta, the one managing all the maids, personally visiting the tower which was rare for her, she passed a piece of information to us. ''So they have finally come, huh?'' As I nodded in understanding at Baretta''s words, Teto once again tilted her head in puzzlement, not understanding our exchange. Vol. 6 - Ch. 149 - The investigation team for the Empty Wilderness With the reformation of the environment and abundance of mana in it, the great barrier erected by Liliela and other goddesses was no longer necessary, and so the intensity of the great barrier was weakening as the years went by.Even though Liliel was a goddess, activation of her power required a small amount of gathered magical energy accompanied by the prayers of her followers, enabling her to perform miracles. In that case, it would be better to return the blessings of prosperity to the people rather than maintain a great barrier that did not directly affect their daily lives. However, if that happened, it meant various things would flow in and out of the weakened great barrier like plants, animals, monsters... and people. We had expected that eventually, people would come to investigate. "Well, they''re bound to come and investigate. Who are they?" from outside the barrier. They were unexpectedly attacked by a monster, but the Dragon-Demon patrol rushed to their aid and protected them.> "Well, there''s nothing else we can do." With that thought, I followed Baretta to where the rescued individuals were gathered. A young adventurer party was assembled in the village''s plaza. Although they had been injured in the battle against the monsters, they seemed to have already fully recovered, likely due to the use of potions. The four-person party consisted of demi-humans who looked unfazed even in the presence of angelkin and dragonkin-type folks despite their resemblance to the monster humanoids. "What is this place? It''s different from what we''ve heard." "Beautiful... What''s your name, Lady?" "You look so lovely. I saw you from afar." The dog-kin adventurer, who seemed to be the leader, was surveying the village with a look of astonishment. Meanwhile, the dragonkin man was making advances towards a female dragonkin who shared a similar appearance, and the birdkin adventurer was attempting to flirt with a female angelic being with wings, both of whom were already married and had children. "Sorry to disappoint you, but those two are married and have children, so discard any hopes of getting together with them." "Hmm, a human girl? And a maid? No, this is a village of demonic races, so are you also from a demonic race?" Ignoring his crestfallen dragonkin and birdkin comrades, the male leader turned his attention to me. "Sorry, but could you bring out the leader of this settlement? We are an investigative team dispatched from the Gard Beastkin Nation. There are many things we want to hear about." Before I could respond, Beretta interjected and put him in check. Then, after hearing Baretta, the man in front of me showed a perplexed expression, and I took the opportunity to introduce myself. "Well, it may be a bit too much to say I rule over them, but I''m more like their representative." "Such a young lady is......" "I may look like this, but I''ve lived more than twice your age." As I commented such and made a self-deprecating laugh, the leader''s expression became meek. It seemed that they chose someone who could engage in a calm conversation just in case they made contact with the residents, or perhaps they chose a serious person considering my personality... "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Witch Chise." "I''m Teto, the protector of Majou-sama-nanodesu! Nice to meet you-nanodesu!" As I introduced myself, another member of their party, different from the dragonkin and birdkin beastfolk who were depressed due to heartbreak, spoke up. "Witch Chise and Swordsman Teto...... Could you be ?" "You know about us?" "Well, of course! Your feats are basically bedtime stories in the Gard Beastkin Nation. Tales of an adventurer party appearing on a flying carpet! But there were rumors that you died or returned to your hometown. I never expected to find you in a place like this..." "Hmm? I can''t quite follow the conversation. Let''s exchange information with each other." Then I listened to their side of the story. Apparently, many different phenomena have been sighted around the . Like the frequent occurrence of earthquakes, the sightings of mysterious lights, and a dragon recently flying from the direction of the causing panic among the populace. People were guessing that the evil dragon that had been sealed inside the barrier by the goddess in the faraway past has finally been freed. "We have come here to investigate the truth behind these happenings under the request of Duke Hamil." Furthermore, if it turned out there really was a dangerous being here, each nation was to prepare itself to subjugate it. "We have heard that the is holding the title of the land in the . Word was that you did this to seal the atrocious being. There are even rumors that both of you passed away, caught up in the scheme of the previous tyrant king of the Lovile Kingdom and so the seal has been weakened." "Aside from that, the weakening of the five goddesses'' barrier has greatly stirred up the five goddesses'' church. They''re claiming stuff like it will be the dawn of disaster if the taboo land is released." I was so surprised at the exaggeration of the rumors that I could feel my eyes looking over into the distance instead of at the adventurer party. From a diplomatic perspective...... Well, I hoped the nations could work hard and somehow pacify the situation. As for the religious side, I wished Liliel and the others could pass an oracle down and somehow calm them down. (------Its impossible. No one can accept our oracle, and even if there is, we can''t bend the rules to accommodate personal interest.) I think I heard such a voice echoing in my mind. "I, I see...... By the way, is Duke Hamil the head of the Duke family, Gyunton Hamil?" Prince Gyunton of the Gard Beastkin Nation, too, had wed into the Duke Hamil family around the time we left for the Lovile Kingdom, and took upon the title of Duke. "Yes. We received a warning from the Duke that under no circumstances should we anger Chise-dono in case we happen to meet you." "Good grief, just what is his perception of me?" So I sighed, but I felt the urge to meet this friend from the Gard Beastkin Nation after not hearing about him for a long time. Afterward, we explained our situation to them, muddling some lies in between. How we fled from the Lovile Kingdom after their king targeted us. How, for the next 10 years after that, we moved from one place to another while protecting a human girl and a mythical beast or helping the angel and Dragon-Demon race people as well as the mythical beasts migrate to the . Although the indeed used to be a desolate land in the past, I told them how we all worked hard over the tens of years planting trees and restoring nature, and then transforming it into a mana-abundant land. During this process, there were crustal movements, but they had no impact on the surrounding areas. How the mysterious light phenomena were also a result of our magic, as our attempt to restore a part of the land. The dragon that has been sighted was a high-ranking dragon revered by the dragonkin tribes, and he was my friend. However, half of the story was so absurd that it appeared to be a lie. "So there is a reason behind every abnormal phenomenon. However, it''s hard to believe it all at once." "No matter how high-ranked an adventurer you are... it''s hard to accept it." The adventurers who came to investigate appeared lost, unable to simply swallow our explanation. "Well, you don''t have to believe it. Anyway, can you make it back to the town? Shall we escort you to the town Vir?" "If possible, I would like you to meet our client, Duke Hamil though..." Their expression said that their explanation would hardly be believed, rather it was a question of if they wanted to believe in it themselves. "Well, we will eventually need to get in touch with the outside world either way. Very well, I''ll come with you." I couldn''t dispatch any of the maids as a coordinator due to their poor ability in low-mana regions, so that left only me and Teto to take over the role. "Baretta, we''ll be going out for a while so we''ll leave the management of this place during our absence to you." "Alright then, let''s go." "Go? You mean right now!?" Immediately after that, a Pegasus and a Griffin landed beside us. I guess they were observing the situation, too. "Are you guys going to help out? Thank you." "Then Teto will ride the wand with Majou-sama." The Pegasus and the Griffin took flight, each carrying the dumbfounded adventurers from the investigation team. I also straddled my magic wand Hisui, and once Teto also hopped behind me, we left in the direction of the Town Vir of the Gard Beastkin Nation ''It should have been 20 years since I last visited,'' I thought while leading the Pegasus and the Griffon through the sky above the forest. When we descended in front of the town, the mythical beasts put them down then once again soared into the sky, and returned to the . On the other hand, the adventurers and knights that had been on guard against the giant dragon from the rushed out one after another, probably mistaking it for a sign of a monster invasion tonight. And then------ "Wha!? That dress style, Chise-san!? and Teto-san too!?" S?a??h th? ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "It feels nostalgic to see familiar faces. It''s been a while." "Good evening-nanodesu!" I pushed up the brim of my triangular hat and gazed at the lineup of adventurers. I could see the visage of the young adventurers whom we have guided 20 years ago in them. I couldn''t recall their names right away, but all of them have grown to be veterans, without a doubt. Then under the loud commotion and cheers, we received their welcome as we stepped into Town Vir for the first time in a long time. Vol. 6 - Ch. 150 - A Reunion with old friends After receiving the welcome from Town Vir, we then headed to the guild to meet the guild master along with the adventurers who came to investigate the ?Empty Wilderness?."Oh, Fred-kun. You''re already back? I heard a ruckus about monsters coming to attack the town, is it settled now?" "W, Well, they weren''t monsters...... more like mythical beasts. We came back riding on them, we also brought a witness with us." "It''s been a while. Have you been well?" After saying that, the dog beastkin adventurer from the investigation team, Fred-kun, gave the floor to us who were concealed by his shadow as we stepped forward to greet the guild master. Then the guild master, who used to be a guild employee before, adjusted his glasses and displayed an astonished expression when he saw us. "You''re Chise-san...... and Teto-san, right?" "Yeah, we''re back. We bought dried fish and liquor as souvenirs, where do I put them?" "They''re very delicious!" When we were on our way to the town, I suddenly recalled the promise we made to bring back souvenirs, so I created some delicious dried fish that we ate in the Lovile Kingdom and presentable alcohol with ?Creation Magic? during our flight, which I was now giving to them. Though without even batting an eye at them, the beastkin guild master who looked visibly aged with his hair white, incomparable from his young age, wrinkly skin, and dull fur rushed towards us in an almost kneeling gesture. "Thank god...... Thank god...... I''m glad you''re safe." A bitter smile appeared on my face seeing his face crumpled up as he cried like a child without minding the surrounding gazes. "Hey, hey, did you forget we''re A-rank adventurers? I won''t get into any dangerous situations so easily. Besides, you already know my creednever take risks, don''t you?" "I know! But it still doesn''t stop me from worrying about you! I heard you were caught up in the political strife in the Lovile Kingdom and there has been no news about you since then!" Ah, indeed, being surrounded by knights and court sorcerers in pursuit of the secret of ?Immortality? could be considered a form of political strife, probably...... My eyes took a distant look realizing it. And after that, I had hardly gone to the adventurer guild, and the later days mostly consisted of using teleportation magic to earn money by selling potions in various towns or purchasing items like books, tableware, or artwork. "So why are Chise-san and Teto-san over there!? What in the name of god is happening inside the ?Empty Wilderness?." Then, I once again explained the turn of events to the guild master who had calmed down, and sure enough, even his face was tinged with bafflement, unable to believe it. "Hmm, so Chise-san and Teto-san were working to restore the barren and mana-less ?Empty Wilderness?? And you''re saying in the process, there were earthquakes and mysterious light phenomena, and that the giant dragon is your friend......? And you even formed a small village with the protected mythical beasts and demonic races......" "Well, that''s basically the gist of it." When I nodded at his summarized explanation, the guild master cradled his head in his arms. "Are you alright, guild master? Even we couldn''t make heads or tails out of it......" "A-Ahahaha, of course, I''m alright. But two of your comrades look rather listless though......." "Ah, don''t worry about them. They just fell in love at first sight with people of my land only for it to turn into unrequited love." I commented so when the guild master turned his gaze to the birdkin and dragonkin adventurers who were still in shock. "Err, then I should be asking if they''re okay in another sense......" Everyone exchanged perplexed glances, somewhat troubled by the situation. "Anyway, my plan, for now, is to visit Duke Hamil......" "I feel like it would turn into a precarious situation if Chise-san and Teto-san act, so I would like for you to wait in this town. Oh, and it has been a while, so can I request for that?" "Ah, yes, yes. That, huh? Understood." The members of the investigation team looked confused at our cryptic exchange, though a gleam appeared in Teto''s eyes when she heard us. "I''m going ahead!" "Ah, there she goes...... Well, please arrange the courtyard in the meantime." "......Understood." And so, we stayed at the adventurer guild while waiting for the invitation and message from Duke Hamil, the client who pushed for the investigation. During that time, Teto and I took on the task of instructing the adventurers and engaging with them in mock battles. The adventurers who know about us were delighted to receive guidance after 20 years. Teto rolled them on the ground in the mock battles while I healed them. It reminded me of our whimsical adventurer days. And one month later "Now that''s a surprise. I didn''t expect you to come directly. It''s been a while, Prince Gyunton and Rollwalker-san." "It has been a long time-nanodesu!" The two individuals we met in the guild''s reception room smiled wryly looking at me and Teto. "I''m no longer a prince. Now, I''m Duke Hamil, the great-uncle of the king. You can call me Duke Gyunton." "I''m also no longer a secretary but the steward of the house, Rollwalker." As a person grew older, not only did their appearance change but also their position and role. From a youth to an elderly person, from a young diplomat to an old duke, even the secretary became the steward of the house. Nevertheless, it seemed that Rosswalker-san continued to fulfill the role of a mediator with the neighboring countries based on his diplomatic experience from his younger days. "Still though, I heard that you were missing, but it seems you''re indeed alive." "Indeed, huh? Looks like you believe we were alive." It was evident from how he had unnecessarily warned the investigation team not to anger me if they saw me. He must have been sure we were alive, I guess. "My hunch was telling me that someone as strong as you would not die so easily." "There must be other reasons, right?" "Of course. It was the magic contract we signed about the ?Empty Wilderness?. The fact that nothing abnormal happened to that contract was proof that the contract holder is still alive. I guessed that you''d hide until the ruckus died down and then suddenly reappear like before." He didn''t directly say it, but I felt a bit uncomfortable because he saw through my intention of hiding until I am forgotten, just like the other immortal sages and witches. "However, you were careless in your actions. There have been sightings of peculiar girls with similar characteristics to you in various places, such as the glass or tableware workshops in the southern region of the Lovile Kingdom, the art dealer shops in the port towns, and the tea-producing region in the Iska Kingdom." "Majou-sama. They''re all places Majou-sama went to." The person in front of me was a member of the royal family and a Duke with connections both domestically and internationally. He may have stumbled upon our information through his intelligence network. It irked me how he knew everything as he listed our range of activities with a smug look on his face and sullenly averted my gaze. Then, after drinking the tea prepared by Rollwalker and calming down, we returned to the main topic. "I''ve heard your story, but how much of it is true?" s?a??h th? N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Most of it is true." As I answered that, the nose of the tiger beastkin Duke Gyunton twitched and then he scowled in displeasure. "Good grief, you are still brazen with your straight-faced lie. He should be already in his 60s or 70s but it seemed like his ability to discern the truth through his sense of smell was still as sharp as ever. There was no point in hiding it, so I told him the truth I hid away from the others. Hearing what I said, both Duke Gyunton and Rollwalker made expressions as if wanting to throw away the responsibility of this matter. And while we were on it, I also told them about my unique skill ?Creation Magic? and that we were ?Apostles of the Goddess Liliel?. "This is the most absurd tale I have ever heard, but my senses didn''t catch any lie. My head hurts." "You''re not alone in this, Gyunton-sama. Though, it''s fortuitous that we have a friendly tie with Chise-sama if I''m being honest here." "Maybe so. I would like to ask you one thing, Chise. You aren''t planning to become a king, are you?" "Majou-sama, an Ou-sama, Majou-sama, Ou-sama...... Majou-Ou-sama...... Ummmm, it doesn''t match at all-nanodesu." Teto mumbled from the sideline after hearing our conversation. I replied to his question with a dubious gaze. "I have no intention of becoming one." "But you see, Chise, if you have both people and territory, and other nations also recognize it, then that place is undeniably a country. And the one who brings that country together will inevitably be called a King." Duke Gyunton said as if teaching an unruly kid. That being said, I never felt like I was a king. I was, in the end, just a whimsical witch, no more, no less. "Furthermore, the fact that you''re an apostle means you''re also the representative of the Goddess, which means youre someone recognized for your capability of leading the masses. You have enough weight to raise a dynasty." "Divine right of kings theory, is it? Certainly, I haven''t been called king by anyone but I might be a king in essence." As I smiled in self-deprecation, Duke Gyunton looked at me with worry. "I can vouch for you if you would like to become a noble of the Gard Beastkin Nation. Or maybe you will take the hand of the Iska Kingdom with your connection to Marchioness Lady Rebeel?" "Unfortunately, I am not going either way. I will have to deal with the respective responsibility and obligation that accompanied the noble title, after all." We may not be many, but whether it was me, Teto, Baretta, Dragon Grandpa, or even the demonic race members, each of us held considerable battle power. If we become the backing of any nation, it would destroy the power dynamic of the continent. I didn''t wish for that to happen, so I believed the ?Empty Wilderness? should assume neutrality as a whole. "Then I will inform the king that A-rank adventurer Chise is leading a new race and we have made contact with them. It should intimidate the surroundings from taking a haphazardous step than simply stating that mere adventurers established a settlement there." ''The Gard Beastkin Nation was founded by the beastkin tribe and other settlements, so having an identical anecdote with our rise as a nation, it might deter them from treating you badly'' so says Duke Gyunton while sighing. "Thank you. I appreciate it." "Well, one last thing Are you truly ?Immortal??" He must have heard the cause of the ruckus in the Lovile kingdom. The adventurers from the investigation team didn''t mention anything about it, so a gag order might have been passed down to prevent the news from spreading to the populace, but as someone close to the nation''s central power, he must have heard about it. "I''m immortal, but not unkillable. I think I would normally die if my neck was severed like everyone else." Hearing my words, Duke Gyunton made an expression as if he swallowed a bitter worm and made a deep sigh. We have been acquainted with each other for over 30 years and yet our appearance was exactly the same as when we first met. It must have given him some kind of hint. "Next time, I''ll be dispatching people for a different mission rather than an investigation." "Yeah, alright. I''ll be waiting." After our exchange, the meeting with Duke Gyunton was over. In this way, and under the reluctance of adventurers who we trained, we left the frontier town Vir after a month-long stay and returned to the ?Empty Wilderness?. Editor''s note: Lots of old faces. Ready for the long awaited reunion? Vol. 6 - Ch. 151 - Selenes Visit Our days were still the same as ever after returning to the ?Empty Wilderness?.Duke Gyunton did say he would dispatch an envoy team from the Gard Beastkin Nation but I guessed that there would be some delay with it. A lot of preparation was needed since he wouldn''t be able to decide on who to dispatch in a short time, and there was also the monster-infested region that they must pass through first. Then, as I waited for their next action, another visitor from another faction came to visit us. ?Master, some people have come from the southwest introducing themselves as part of the Margrave Reebel house.? "Margrave Reebel?" "It''s the family Selene married into-nanodesu." It was the noble house Selene had married into. The ?Empty Wilderness? was indeed a place very close to their territory, but to skip the investigation and directly send an envoy team wasn''t something I had expected. Though both Teto and I were surprised, under the guidance of Baretta, we arrived at the barrier''s boundary where the envoy of the Margrave Reebel House was waiting. Apparently, they were loitering around the barrier when the mythical beasts spotted them, and after hearing the report, Baretta then crossed the barrier to hear about their purpose. There, we saw a group of people, surrounded by knight-looking young boys, waiting. And when my gaze landed on the young boy''s face, I felt he had a strong resemblance to someone. ?Master, the person here has introduced himself as a knight of the Margrave Reebel House, and the leader of this envoy group.? "Nice to meet you, I''m" "''Wind Falcon'' Lyle-san?" Before I realized it, my mouth ran on its own seeing someone I totally didn''t expect, interrupting the young boy''s speech. The visage of this person resembled the Adventurer Lyle-san from the adventurer party ''Wind Falcon'' whom we had saved in the past. "Miss, why do you know my grandfather''s name? Even the name of his group''s party?" "Grandfather......?" Ah, yes. It happened more than 50 years ago, huh? And looking at him carefully once more, some features didn''t coincide with Lyle-san''s. "What''s wrong, Onii-sama?" "No, it''s just that the miss here seems to know our grandfather''s name." "Grandpa''s name?" She should be a member of the envoy team as well. A woman wearing a breastplate over white undergarments resembling that of a clergyman and sporting a ponytail called the man her brother. Although the color of the hair and eyes were different, that woman resembled Anna-san from the same party. "I guess so. If it''s now, it would not be strange for him to have grandkids." "Hmm, it should be alright to reintroduce myself? I''m Reiru Harrison, a knight of the Margrave Reebel House." "I''m the military healer, Sienna Harrison." "We read the report passed by the Gard Beastkin Nation, and after hearing that there are aboriginals living here, we have come here to greet you under the orders of Margrave House." The siblings Knight Reiru and Healer Sienna told us the purpose of their visit. I see, from the Gard Beastkin Nation meant Duke Gyunton was managing things. He should have explained the reason behind the abnormal phenomenon recently in that report. The Margrave must have had a good judgment ability, as he dispatched the envoys even before the Gard Beastkin Nation did. "So, can we ask when we can have a meeting with the representative?" ?The person in front of you is none other than our master, Witch Chise-sama.? "Whaaat!? This little girl!?" Sienna-san, who reflexively exclaimed in a loud voice, covered her mouth in surprise. A bitter smile appeared on my face at the familiar reaction. However, a part of the envoy standing behind suddenly became restless. "Please wait, Madam!" "It is not yet time for you to appear!" "We don''t know who the other party is!" Amidst the commotion, a woman jumped over the heads of the escorts using ?Body Strengthening? magic. The woman''s hair was a deep shade of green, visible even at night, and was wearing equestrian attire. She nimbly landed and bolted in our direction. "Okaa-saaaaaaaan, Teto-onee-chaaaaaaan!" The woman, who should be in her 50s age-wise but looked to be in her 20s due to her vast mana reserves, sprinted towards us with the agility of a young girl. Around her neck, she wore a necklace with a silver chain adorned with a mithril and unicorn ring as well as the guardian ring I had given her. As she embraced me and Teto without stopping her momentum, Baretta and the others watched on with astonishment. "I wanted to see you, Chise okaa-san, Teto onee-chan." "Really...... you surprised everyone." "Woaaah... Selene, you''ve grown so much! You''ve become so amazing-nanodesu!" Seelen''s act of hugging me, a young girl whose apparent age was a far cry from being a mother, and calling me mother put the surrounding in a state of confusion. "But Selene, you''re a Margravine, aren''t you? Were you allowed to come here?" "It''s fine! Soon, I''ll have my son inherit the title! Besides, I also discussed with Otou-sama and Onii-sama and came here to take the helm of the negotiation with Okaa-san!" ''Furthermore, I just wanted to meet Okaa-san and Onee-chan so I came,'' a troubled smile appeared on my lips when Selene asserted herself so resolutely. That being said, the Otou-sama and Onii-sama she spoke of, weren''t they the former king and the current king of the Iska Kingdom? This further put a wry smile on my face. "Ma, Madam! W-What''s your relationship with that person over there...?" When Reiru-san asked in trepidation, Selene responded with a gentle smile befitting a noble lady. "She is none other than my mother who raised me, and they are my masters in magic and martial arts. They are also the rightful owners of this land as recognized by the Iska Kingdom and the Gard Beastkin Nation. Any disrespect towards them will be understood as disrespect towards our household." Her figure as she authoritatively declared so displayed the demeanor of a distinguished noble. "Well, it''s not suitable to stand and talk here. Let me guide you to the mansion." ?Everyone, please follow me.? As I invited them in, the envoys of the Reebel Margrave house passed through the barrier. Then, we proceeded deeper into the forest and walked towards a mountain hut used as a resting place during hunting and gathering. "The forest here sure has expanded a lot since the old days, hasn''t it? And there''s also a tower now that wasn''t there before. When was it built, Okaa-san, Onee-chan?" "That tower just drifted here. So, we repaired it, and now it serves as a workshop for compounding and such." "I see." I looked at Selene with a smile who still couldn''t hide the happiness in her tone despite adequately changing her way of speaking to match her age. However, those around us were astonished by the transformation of the rumored wasteland into a forest and I even keenly felt their urge to make a rebuttal ''like hell towers just drift around!''. "Well then, let''s go through here." I guided them to the teleportation gate originally installed by the Mechanoids for reforestation purposes. "Ah, a ?Transfer Gate?. How nostalgic. Let''s go then." "Wait, Madam! It''s dangerous!" Without hesitation, Selene passed through the gate, and we followed suit, while the others chased after us leaving behind their horses and carts. "Welcome, Selene. This is my current home." It wasn''t a teleportation gate specifically for me but one that had been set up outside the mansion for the Mechanoids to use for frequenting other places. As a result, one could see the mansion in front of them upon passing through the gate, unexpectedly exposing themselves to our culture. There stood a mansion more impressive than that of a mediocre impoverished noble, accompanied by sophisticated maids wearing uniforms that exuded a sense of unity. Furthermore, they just experienced a magic device that allowed instant teleportation from the edge to the center of the ?Empty Wilderness?. Perhaps when they heard about a witch''s dwelling in an uncivilized land closed off in a barrier, they might have imagined a shack filled with suspicious potions and perverted items. Or maybe, as indigenous people lived here, they might have envisioned a primitive way of life with a lower cultural standard. However, what awaited them when the veil of mystery was lifted was a residence no different from that of any noble of their side attended to by servants. I guess this must have refreshed their worldview, as their attitudes turned from meeting mere aboriginals to facing a noble of another nation. Furthermore, I am also the benefactor of the Margravine whom they served and acknowledged by Selene''s stepbrother king and father who has already abdicated the throne. S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. They would be more unfortunate than fortunate if they were to show disrespect towards me. I could sense that they had seriously shifted their perception from their atmosphere and expression. "Well then, the knights will stay at the guest house over there. We''ll have concrete discussions here, so Seleine and her guards Reiru-san and Sienna-san follow us to the main building." "And Baretta will be there to serve delicious sweets~!" ?Master, Lady Selene requires a change of clothes. Please give us a moment.? "I did bring a dress just in case, so please take care of it." Caught in surprise, Selene was led away by the maids to change from her equestrian attire in a separate room. Seeing her accustomed to being dressed by maids showed that she truly had become a noble. As for me, I often received looks from the maids as if they wanted to take care of me, but I handled my own outfit change. I feel sorry for being the master who didnt accept being served upon, but that was something I couldn''t compromise on. "Well, Reiru-san, Sienna-san. How about we have a little chat until Selene returns?" When I turned to them and said so, the two of them strangely had expressions that seemed somewhat frightened. Give me a break, did I look like someone who would eat them or something? I just wanted to know what had happened to Lyle-san, Anna-san, and John-san from ?Wind Falcon? after we left...... T/N - Hi guys, hope you''re having fun. We are glad to announce that we have released another patreon tier(s) for this series where you can read further chapters than what the current tiers offer. You get to access 6 additional chapter for the Undying Ancient Dragon tier and 12 additional chapter for Goddess Apostle tier (6 chapter per tier in short). Vol. 6 - Ch. 152 - The time, place, and occasion can repair the severed bond I talked and drank tea with Reiru-san and Sienna-san while waiting for Selene.From their perspective, they suddenly became conversation partners with a noble from another country, so they looked constantly on their toes, worried if any of their actions were coming off as rude. "This tea is amazingly delicious! Also, try Baretta''s sweets too!" "T-Thank you. Oh wow, you''re right, it''s delicious." "The tea is made from Roselin tea leaves from your country. And the sweets are scones with jam made from local fruits." But their tension which was like a jumbled knot was unwound when they tried the tea and sweets and faced the cheerful aura of Teto. And when their tension came off, I asked them many things and got to know about Lyle-san and Anna-san''s situation. "So, Lyle-san and Anna-san have already passed away." "Yes. Even from our perspective, they were very close... or rather, they were completely under Grandma''s thumb." "We were saved by Lyle-san in the past." The person in question might have believed it was them who were saved, but they were the first people I had met in this otherworld. They guided me to the town of Daryll and taught us about money and basic common sense, which I was grateful for to this day. "I see, I didn''t know the connection." "Yes, that''s how it was. So, I reflexively thought you were him when I saw your nostalgic face." I said that and turned to look at Teto and Sienna-san who were excited about the snacks only to see them filling their scones with jam to the brim. Teto chose a bright red strawberry jam while Siena went with a dark purple prune jam. I felt a strange connection when I saw their choices of jam. "What kind of lives did your grandparents lead?" "My grandfather used to be an adventurer, but later accepted the invitation of the Margrave family to be a knight after marrying my grandmother to raise my father." Through that connection, Reiru-san and Sienna, their son and grandkids, served the House of Margrave Reebel. "My sister, Sienna, has a talent for healing magic, so she is under the direct tutelage of the Madam." "There are often injured people appearing in the Margrave House due to the demon-infested region and the territory bordering other nations nearby so I am striving hard to become an excellent healing magician." Sienna energetically answered, but there were remnants of the scone on her cheek from when she was eating though which made the scene rather endearing. "I see, so Selene is teaching you about healing magic, huh? I guess that makes me your grandmaster." "T, That''s!? I''m honored!" Siena wore a somewhat awkward and embarrassed expression, seemingly uncomfortable with being treated like a grandchild by someone who appeared younger than her. As we were having such a discussion "Both of you seem to be having fun. I''d like to join in too." " "M-Madam!" " With a smile on her face, Selene, who had changed into a dress, entered the room. As she gracefully took her seat, one of the maids on standby served her tea. Her movements were truly exquisite, reminding me of how much she has grown from the little girl she once was. S?a??h th? N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Well, l would like to hear how Selene''s doing." "Of course, Okaa-san. Let me tell you about my beloved husband and children." After Selene got married, she received the love of her husband, Margrave Reebel, and apparently had four children together. "They''re all so cute, but we were in a dilemma on how to raise them at first. My husband and I have been thinking of a solution together. We do know that we have to uphold the pride of a noble, but we also want them to have the freedom to live their lives. I wonder if Okaa-san and the others felt the same way?" "Yes, that''s true. Parenting dilemmas never seem to end." We nodded at her words and listened to her story. Though Selene seemed to have something more to say, she took a momentary pause before concluding her narrative, "Would you be willing to meet my husband and children if I bring them here someday?" "Of course. I''m looking forward to meeting your children." "We''ll welcome you with everyone and prepare delicious food for them!" In the past, I chose to part with Selene due to circumstances and our status, but now, the situation surrounding us was no longer the same and I was really glad to be able to meet and have a tea party with her like this again. After discussing our reunion and our current lives in a harmonious atmosphere, Selene then asked a question, accompanied by a short silence. "Do Okaa-san and Teto onee-chan have the intention of getting in touch with the outside world?" I calmly nodded at her question. "Well yeah, I don''t plan to shut ourselves in our own little world. Though whom I am going to interact with is a different question." I didn''t have time to entertain the people who came in to take advantage of the ?Empty Wilderness?. I wanted to pass the management hassle to someone and take out some time to go on another trip with Teto. "Among the people you would like to associate with, can you add our Margrave Reebel house?" Selene should have an understanding of this place as she was raised here. Many world trees were growing here. Enchanting a tool with magic was a piece of cake with my enormous mana capacity. And the number of medicine herbs I grew for compounding was also substantial. Even if there were other things she hasn''t ascertained yet, she should have been able to guess this world didn''t lack people who would want to come to this land for the items created through my ?Creation Magic?. By recommending her place, she would become the mediator introducing the people to each other and sorting out the greedy ones. By doing so, we could minimize interactions with troublesome people while maintaining a moderate level of engagement with the outside world. And the Margrave Reebel House, too, would be able to get priority for the items that could be obtained from this land by becoming the intermediary of the ?Empty Wilderness?, and would also be able to obtain a negotiation stake for dealing with other noble houses and nations. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. "Well, alright. The king must have judged Selene, who knows me, to be a better option to take the role of a mediator than relying on incompetent nobles. However, the position of the mediator will not be an eternal one." "Yes, I know. Even if everything went well under the watch of me and my husband, there''s no telling if our child or grandchild will do something untactful to Okaa-san. Please don''t hesitate to sever our relationship when that time comes." Along with her physical growth, I could also feel her mental growth as well for her to speak so bluntly. At the same time, I also realized the connection between me, who would probably continue to live for eternity, and the successive generations, both of which could never be everlasting ones. Just a bit, but this realization brought a sense of melancholy to me. Vol. 6 - Ch. 153 - Witch Firm We showed Selene and the others of the envoy team of the Margrave Reebel house around the ?Empty Wilderness?.We introduced them to the people residing here, the angel and Dragon-Demon race, and explained how their way of life was no different from normal people. "People of the demonic race have also been observed in the Iska Kingdom, they really are no different from other people when you look at them closely." Hearing Selene mumble so while gazing at the kids of the two races playing around, several members of the envoy team nodded in agreement. Maybe the reason behind their easy acceptance could be attributed to the adorable and sublime features that the angel race possessed or the Demon-Dragon race looking similar to demi-human dragonkin''s ?Dragon-ification? state. "They are lumped into one single race, the demonic race, but they come in different forms." Whether it was the devil-possessed people from the ?Evil Cult? that had once attacked Selene and mutated into evil demons or the werewolf we had defeated in the Gard Beastkin Nation for a request, both were extremely dangerous members of the demonic race that posed great harm to people. While those classified into demonic races usually possessed demi-human-like body traits with some slight differences, there were also some people from the demonic races who didn''t look any different from your average demi-human. In general, the subjugation targets were only those demons who have become insane after they were contaminated by miasma or polluted mana. However, there were also places where demonic races and monsters were lumped together. Racial discrimination was prominent there and they became targets of persecution. Specifically, the western region of this continent seemed to have designated a particular kind of demonic race as a target of subjugation. "Okaa-san, Teto-onee-chan. I''ll visit you again." "Sure, I''ll be waiting." "Let''s hang out again~" We saw Selene off as she was escorted out by her guards, knights, and adventurers and left for the Margrave Reebel territory in the Iska Kingdom. We concluded the negotiation and agreement regarding future trading with the envoys. Aside from them, we also welcomed the envoy team of the Gard Beastkin Nation who visited us the following year seeking the same kind of agreement as the Margrave Reebel house. From the Gard Beastkin Nation, the royal family''s second prince took on the role of the mediator and led the envoy team and their adviser was Duke Gyunton. At the same time, we received a diplomat from the Lovile Kingdom, adjacent to the Gard Beastkin Nation in the east. "This is the reparation arranged by our parliament for the misconduct done against Majou-dono. Please, accept them. And I would like to take this opportunity to deeply apologize for the foolish actions of our former king." It appeared that among the items brought by the Lovile Kingdom envoys, apart from the monetary compensation there were also artworks of tableware and glassware workshops, and paintings that I personally enjoyed purchasing. I shifted my gaze to Duke Gyunton to seek his help, perplexed at the actions of the Lovile Kingdom''s diplomat. "They have come here on my suggestion after hearing of your survival. What will you do?" "Even if you say that......" I was already feeling sorry for the diplomat who had his head deeply lowered in apology. "Sigh I didn''t care about that, to begin with. Let bygones be bygones." "Thank you very much for your generosity. We will be under your care from now on." Hearing the rapid change in tone of the diplomat, I couldn''t help but wonder if they have purposefully dispatched someone proficient in shedding crocodile tears to appear pitiful. "You''re too easy, Majou-sama~" "Haaa, I also think so, Teto." As Teto adorably showed her anger, I could only let out a deep sigh. That being said, a little bit of revenge should be permissible, I guess. "Of course, since our land isn''t directly connected with the Lovile Kingdom, we will continue to communicate and interact through the intermediary of the Gard Beastkin Nation." "Y, yes...... it would be our pleasure." The shoulders of the ''crocodile tear'' diplomat visibly slumped when I plainly informed them so. There was a saying that opportunity lay in a crisis, so they must have thought to get in direct touch with the ?Empty WIlderness? under the guise of an apology. I just told them that it wasn''t going to happen and asked them to go through the Gard Beastkin Nation instead. Maybe he expected this scenario, as Duke Gyunton''s shoulders were quivering in mockery. This incident could be said as the Gard Beastkin Nation getting an upper hand over the Lovile Kingdom regarding this matter. After sorting things out with the Lovile Kingdom''s side, I then turned to face the second prince of the Gard Beastkin Nation, Lionkin Reginton, however "So you''re the famous ?Flying Carpet? party whose praises are sung in our nation! I would really like to have a bout with you!" "Duke Gyunton......" "Well, sorry. His Highness Reginton is, you see, a martial arts fanatic." The ears of the tigerkin Duke Gyunton plopped down as if to express their apology. I wondered why such a person was selected as the representative of the envoy team when I realized maybe the second prince was just the representative in name to put the achievement under his belt while the actual negotiations would be handled by Duke Gyunton. "Then Teto accepts your challenge!" "Ohh, you must be the rumored exalted swordsman Teto-dono! Let''s have a bout!" Both wielded the weapon of their choice and sparred until they were satisfied. After ending their match, they shared drinks. He wasn''t on the level of Teto or Yahada, but he managed to hold his ground against the warriors of the Demon-Dragon race. He couldn''t battle for long due to his limited mana reserve, but the skills he showed using ?Beastification? and ?Body Hardening? put him on par with A-rank adventurers. "He''s amazing......." "Yeah, His Highness may look crude with his personality, but he has great battle instincts. It''s a pity that he falls a bit short on the mana department, being one of the royal beastkin members, but that gap shortened with his ability as a general." To begin with, the amount of mana often was a part of the marriage condition of nobles in any nation you go to, so there was a higher tendency for children born from noble or royal families to possess higher levels of magical power. However, the Gard Beastking Nation was an assembly of multiple beastkin races and tribes. In the past, they used to marry within the same tribe or race, but there has been a policy of inter-marriage positively asserted by the beastkin royal family. Apparently, that was why they were seeking marriage through lineage rather than focusing on mana capacity. By the way, in the case of beastkin races such as dog beastkin or cat beastkin, if they were born from parents of different races, the child tended to be of one of the two beastkin races of either the mother or the father. Prince Reginton was seemingly a child born of a Lion beastkin father as his feature suggested, and a wolf beastkin mother. Also, they occasionally introduced the blood of another beastkin who held different ancestry than the parents to continue the mixed-blood lineage. The important point here was that the tiger beastkin Duke Gyunton being a blood relative of Prince Reginton was due to such returning to ancestor practice. Prince Reginto formed a sense of friendship with the Dragon-Demon warriors after a bout and a drinking session "You, you''re quite skilled for yourself too! How about you serve me!" "I apologize. But I already have my benefactor Dragon Grandpa and Majou-sama to serve so I can''t go with the Prince." "I see, that''s a pity! Come to me anytime if you ever change your mind though!" s?a??h th? N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. He shrewdly attempted to scout a member of the Dragon-Demon race. On such note, the envoy team of the Gard Beastkin Nation left under the eyes of the residents who asked them to come visit at another time. Now that it was basically confirmed that we would be trading with two countries, there was something we must decide on. "The items we could only get through ?Creation Magic? can now be procured from trading. We need a department specialized in business." ?I have chosen individuals with high aptitudes for intellectual labor within the maid corps. Let''s establish a firm with those individuals.? Residents of the ?Empty Wilderness? have been living a self-sufficient lifestyle and mainly relied on bartering. But when the trade begins with the outside world, monetary transactions would become essential. To facilitate that, we considered establishing a trading firm that was closely associated with the government through which we could conduct trade. "Utilize the compensation from the Lovile Kingdom for the firm''s funding." ?Our side will select the articles to put up for trade.? "Yes, please, Baretta. Just to make sure to consider the potential influence of the items on the outside world. I think it would be better to choose items that wouldn''t leak much about our situation or restrict their quantity. Also, we have to list the items that must not be brought into the ?Empty Wilderness?. Ah, we should establish the firm''s policy as well." There were many things to consider from now on, but it was reassuring that I had Baretta and the others to whom I can delegate such judgments. The right person for the right job......but this would further increase the workload on the mechanoids, so I wondered if I should further add 50 service dolls. Or maybe I should look for people who could handle such tasks from the demon race residents? And that was how the Witch firm, under the direct management of the ?Empty Wilderness?, came into existence. In the future, when the world was overflowing with abundant mana, it would be nice to create a tenant shop for the kids who want to venture outside the ?Empty Wilderness?. I was really looking forward to the future that lay ahead. SIDE - Witch firm in the future Witch firm now had its branches reaching out to each nation and was engaged in various business ventures. Reflecting their founder''s ideology, they conducted trade steadily while introducing innovative products to the world. Furthermore, they contributed to society by selling goods at fair prices and providing relief to the weak against the unfair hoarding done by other firms when war or disaster occurred. Some nations strongly hope for their branch store to open in their place, for a chance to have a connection with the firm''s founder, the ?Creation Witch ?. However, it was impossible unless they established solid credibility. Also, when the firm judged that a nation couldn''t maintain a trustworthy relationship with them, the firm would promptly withdraw from the said nation. ?Master, here is this month''s dividend.? "Thank you, Baretta...... and this is another impressive amount, huh?" "Woah, there are so many numbers-nanodesu!" I, who had just been passing the days in leisure, just provided the initial funding and here I was receiving a part of the Witch firm''s dividends. Nevertheless, an impressive amount, enough to be called immense wealth, was noted down. "To be honest, receiving this much money every month makes me feel uneasy..." ?However this is the rightful claim of Master. Especially since the main products of the firm are the inventions of the Master.? The women around me wished for beauty products, so I created skincare and other cosmetics with my ?Compounding? skill. To start with, it was something I created to use for medical purposes to treat burns or scars, but these products quickly became a fad among wealthy ladies when they were put on sale, becoming a bestseller for over 200 years. After that, I also developed cosmetics at the request of women close to me, and they became the main product of the firm. Furthermore, all those products were extremely high in quality due to the mana-rich ingredients used in making them, which primarily came from the ?Empty Wilderness?... no, it should be called ?The Forest of the Creation Witch? now. Also, with the magic tools that I developed spreading worldwide, I accumulated a vast amount of fortune as the developer''s profit. "Maybe, it would have been better if they had never made it into the world." I had started all of this to spread our influence in each nation through the Witch firm by contributing to society in hopes of making it harder for others to find trouble with us, and yet, without realizing it, I have become one of the world''s richest people. To be honest, I don''t really need that much money. "This excessive amount of money is both burdensome and unnecessary." "Besides, Majou-sama also has ?Creation Magic?!" I could use ?Creation Magic? to obtain materials and tools for my research and hobbies. It may be insignificant compared to the dividends from the company, but I also received money from other sources. The only things I desired were books, antiques, delicious food, and going out for a food tour. So it was obvious I would feel unsettled receiving such a huge lump of money. "Then transfer a big gold coin to my account and proceed with the rest like usual." ?Certainly!? I only accepted one big gold coin each month, while most were used to pay for the maids or the maintenance of the mansion. The remaining amount was passed to the founding branch of the Witch firm, which donated the money to necessary causes. This included the management of orphanages, donations to the church, scholarships for students, research funds for research, medical bills of patients inflicted with incurable diseases, and the protection of mythical beasts to uplift the mana density and preservation of nature. No matter how strong I may become, the reach of my help alone would still be limited. However, 80% of this world''s problems could be solved with money. The money amassed under me was something I could never hope to spend completely, so while it may not be sufficient to save all the people in need, I believed I could extend my hand to more people compared to what I could do alone through the help of the Witch firm. They must be cliched words, but I wanted everyone to experience a happy life. With that wish in mind, I invested the firm''s funds into the future of the world. Vol. 6 - Ch. 154 - Leisure days The trade with the Iska Kingdom and the Gard Beastkin Nation had begun, however, we lacked a highway that connected us to both countries.Aside from that, there was also the monster-infested region that they would need to cross to conduct trade so we settled on dispatching people from our place to the Darryl town of the Iska Kingdom and Vir town of the Gard Beastkin Nation once a month from spring to autumn. "There shouldn''t be any problems, with the mobility of the Griffons and Pegasuses. Furthermore, Angels, Dragon-Demons and Mechanoids also need to be familiar with the outside world." "But isn''t it dangerous?" ?And if we are the ones visiting the other side, it may seem like we''re being too submissive......? Teto and Baretta''s worries weren''t unfounded. But then, there would be too many risks for the trade party of the other side since there was this monster-infested area they had to cross as well. "I believe both of you might have already noticed this, but the strength of the monsters in those regions seems to be on the rise." "The mana stone of the defeated monsters now tastes better than before." ?Certainly, the monsters that were on D-rank on average have risen to C-rank.? "It''s just my hunch, but I think it''s due to the recovery of the earth veins." The mana density underground was still the same as ever. However, the influence of reviving the earth veins was spreading to the surface, revitalizing the monster inhabitants in the area and pushing them to evolution. Both nations have been putting in the effort to clear the monster-infested region and creating a stopover to increase the frequency of trade a bit more. The encounter rate with monsters was already increasing and we were expecting the monsters to increase in strength as the restoration of the ?Empty Wilderness? advanced further. I am also not sure if this was happening due to the revival of the earth veins, but the places that were cleared out of monsters were now covered with vegetation as if to fill in the opened gap, making it difficult for ordinary settlers to make significant progress. ?Understood. We will make adjustments to minimize the symptoms.? "Yes, please. It would leave a bad taste if anyone included in the trade gets killed in a monster attack." "And everyone is carrying a scale of Dragon Grandpa, so it''s fine!" Apparently, the lingering scent of mana in the pendant that members of the angel and Dragon-Demon races were wearing, which was made from the discarded scales of Dragon Grandpa, had properties of warding off monsters. And thus, the surroundings of the ?Empty WIlderness? were gradually making strides. But my days remained the same as usual. Growing seasonal crops, enjoying the changes in the forest, looking over the growth of the mythical beasts, and receiving the blessings of the forests. "Ohh! Dragon Grandpa is flying again!" "I wonder where he is heading this time." I looked up at the sky and saw the silhouette of Dragon Grandpa passing by, leaving for someplace again. With the frequent flight of Dragon Grandpa, it has become common news that a dragon was living in this land, serving as a deterrent. If anything, it really made me envious of how he could go out to so many places on a whim, but seeing how Baretta and the others looked happy with just me in the mansion, maybe it wasn''t that bad or so I thought. Then there was also the case of the mythical beasts who would come to play with me acting all spoiled seeing that I was constantly staying in the ?Empty Wilderness?. "Here, the ball. Now go fetch it!" "Let''s go!" ? ? ?Woof-Woof, Howwwl....? ? ? Today, two of the fairy dogs, the Cu Sith, and a Fenrir came over to me to play catch. They chased the ball that I would throw in an arc together with Teto. The Cu sith were made up of various dog breeds and were very adorable. The little ones that had come to play today were retriever-like, slightly on the same wavelength as Teto and beagle in spirit, with their fur a mix of white, black, and brown as they wagged their tails happily. On other days, there would be small mythical beasts like Cat Sith, Al-Miraj, or Ratatosk gathering around me, who I then accidentally feed. The appearance of a Cat Sith''s soft paw, an Al-Miraj cutely twitching its nose and nudging it against me, and the Ratatoskr with their cheek pouch filled with nuts were akin to a refreshing medicine, washing away the tiredness of the day and soothing the spirit. Speaking of mythical beasts, they also go through molting during seasonal change, and when I brush their fur, it fell off in fluffy clumps. Then I would cleanly wash those clumps and preserve them by turning them into felt fabric. I also started to give more time to the farms which I had left in the care of the Mechanoids and clay golems, now that I was staying in the ?Empty Wilderness? most of the time. "Majou-sama! The tomatoes and watermelons look delicious-nanodesu! Let''s eat them after cooling them!" "Hmm, good idea. Let''s bring them to the others after cooling them in spring water." We created an arbor using earth magic around one of the numerous nearby water bodies that had formed during a crustal shift. By soaking the vegetables in the cool spring water, they became wonderfully chilled and delicious. In the evening, Teto and I decided to cook food that day. The Mechanoids in charge of cooking were looking at us with a slightly forlorn look, but it was something I must do as I didn''t want my cooking skills to deteriorate. Our days passed engaging in activities like that. "Majou-sama, aren''t we going on another trip? Teto wants to go and eat magic stones!" "Well, let''s see. Should we check out the nation further east of the Gard Beastkin Nation, or should we explore the small nations west of the ?Empty Wilderness?? Or maybe even the northern Mubad Empire?" "We can go anywhere by riding on Dragon Grandpa''s back!" "In that case, we can go anywhere, even outside of this continent!" We discussed our next travel destination. That being said, we didn''t get the chance to leave for the long term as we were devoid of any goal or motivation and we instead continued with our usual activities, like going out on day trips to sell medicines, or visiting bookstores and workshops occasionally using teleportation magic. We also accompanied the trade caravan and had the chance to meet Selene''s children and Margrave Reebel, her husband, as well as Duke Gyunton''s family. Sometimes, we also tested if the trade could occur without any mishap in our absence. The items traded with the two nations were The horns or antlers shed by elk-type mythical beasts like unicorns and deers. Gemstones that came out of a Carbuncle''s head Handicraft made by angels and Dragon-Demons using the shed fur of mythical beasts. Cheese made from the milk of the cow-like mythical beast, Gauren Golden fleece from the mythical beast Barometz Medicinal herbs processed from fallen branches and leaves of the World Tree Materials from monsters defeated from the areas near the ?Empty Wilderness?. We were especially careful of the mythical beast materials since a part of them clashed with similar products sold by the great forest of the elves in the southeast of the continent, so we restricted the amount we were selling to avoid their value from dropping. In exchange for the rare items, we purchased salt, metals like iron, life tools, artworks, liquor, or livestock like chicken, goose, and pig. We also bought mana stones for the demon races to eat. Aside from giving a part of the profit to the demonic race members who participate in such trade exchanges, I also donated a part of the money I amassed to the five goddess churches of both nations. s?a??h th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. And I might be digressing here, but since the Demon-Dragon races members used to live on the metal-scarce floating island, they carefully stocked up their money based on traditional values, and nowadays, there was this fad among the youngsters where they were creating necklaces of coins by drilling holes in silver coins and making accessories out of them to showcase their possession of precious metals. Vol. 6 - Ch. 155 - A certain day in the Empty Wilderness - Side Teto *Chapter might look like its in 3rd person, but its from Tetos perspective due to the peculiar speech pattern of Teto.Teto''s morning began with Majou-sama. "Good Morning, Teto." "Fuhehe, Majou-sama, good morning-nanodesu." Teto would pull Majou-sama in her arms in an embracing gesture and slept on the bed, and when Teto woke up, she found Majou-sama gently looking at Teto from her arms. Then we ate the food cooked by Baretta and the others together, and our day started from there. "What have you planned for today, Teto?" "What will Majou-sama do?" "Hmm, I am thinking of compounding in the research tower." ''There are still combinations and allotments that I have yet to try,'' so said Majou-sama. Majou-sama kept thinking about complicated stuff. Teto didn''t know a lot of stuff, but Teto was best at weighing things. Majou-sama always praised Teto when she helped out with such stuff. Teto felt happy just by recalling those moments. "Majou-sama! Teto will help out too!" "Huh? The materials for this time are a bit unique, so there''s nothing for Teto to help out with. I''m sorry." When Teto was slightly depressed when she couldn''t help out, Majou-sama would exclaim ''I just remembered'' and then arrange work for her. "Can you take the potions I made yesterday and deliver them to each village? It''s about time for the old potion to get changed, so it would be better to replenish them." ''Can you help out in delivering potions?'' After hearing Majou-sama''s words, Teto looked up and nodded her head. "Teto will do her best!" "Then, please take them." Teto put the potions she received into the magic bag, and, under the eyes of Majou-sama, Baretta, and the other maids, left for the village where Dragon Grandpa lived using ?Transfer Gate?. "Good morning, nanodesu!" "Oh, Teto-sama! Why have you come?" "Following Majou-sama''s orders, Teto has come to deliver potions!" A kid from the Angel race greeted Teto when she passed through the ?Transfer Gate? to the village where Dragon Grandpa was. "Thank you for your hard work, Teto-sama. Then please follow me to the storehouse." "Thank you-nanodesu!" Teto was guided by the angel race kid and visited the house of the dragon chief-san. "Oh, if it isn''t Teto-dono, to what do I owe the favor for your visit? Majou-sama is not together with you?" "I''m here for Majou-sama''s errand." When Teto cheerfully replied, Chief-san smiled gently and listened to Teto''s reason. Chief-san received the potions and served Teto tea and dried sweet potatoes. The dried sweet potatoes that were served by the dragon chief-san were sweet and chewy, they were very tasty. It seemed like they used the sweet potatoes that Majou-sama had distributed before. They were so tasty that Teto ended up eating all of them, and then Teto realized she also ate Majou-sama''s portion, making her a bit depressed. "It seems like Teto-sama fancies them, so let me pack you some souvenirs to take back." "Thank you very much!" After accepting the souvenirs, the dried sweet potatoes, Teto headed for the hunter''s village next. However, seeing that the weather was nice and there was no need to hurry up, Teto didn''t use the ?Transfer Gate? and instead walked towards her destination. "Hello, nanodesu!" When Teto passed through the forest, mythical beasts from around came to greet Teto. "Do you want to compete? Or maybe you want to have a test of strength?" Teto often raced in the forest with the Horse-san mythical beasts. S?a?ch* Th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. With Cow-san mythical beasts, Teto had a strength contest with them, a straight head-on collision. Majou-sama, who saw that last contest before, said something like ''Teto is like Kintarou, though the partner is a cow'' or ''It''s like sumo-wrestling''. Majou-sama has read mountains of books, so she knew many things that Teto didn''t know. Majou-sama was amazing. Whenever Teto tried to read difficult books, she would get worn out soon after. But Teto liked the books that Majou-sama read out loud. In this manner, Teto strolled into the forest with the mythical beast-sans, delivered the potion to the farming town, and reached her final destination, the hunters village. "Hmm? If it isn''t Teto? What about the Witch? She is not together with you?" "Teto is on a mission today-nanodesu!" Shael of the angel race called out to Teto. Teto didn''t like her before since she was harsh to Majou-sama, but she was like a soft marshmallow now. In Majou-sama''s words, Shael has rounded down. But it was strange, she didn''t look fat so how did she round down? "Are you free to have another bout with the dragon warriors and me later? Having a strong person like Teto really makes me burn with rivalry." "Yes~, Teto understands. Here are the potions!" Then, once Teto finished delivering the potions to the village chief-san of the village, she trained with Shael and the others. Teto liked moving her body, so having a chance to exchange blows with them was really fun. The angel race children could slightly float or move faster with their wings, allowing them to perform interesting movements like instantly closing the distance or distancing themselves. "Mmm, my sword can''t reach if you fly in the sky~" "This is our advantage after all! You can also try flying in the sky! Come on!" Shael said such mean things, but Teto still won in the mock battles. However, Teto was still envious of them being able to fly in the sky. "Next, I would like to have a contest with me." "I''m coming!" The dragon people had great strength and endurance, so the fight could go on for a long time. They also used their tails to attack, which occasionally surprised Teto. "Breathing heavily Haa, sure enough, you''re strong! How did you become so strong, Teto!?" Exhausted, Shael collapsed on the ground as she repeatedly gasped for air. Maybe the other dragon people had the same thought in their minds, as they looked at Teto with admiration. That was why "Sleep plenty and eat plenty! Don''t be picky with things!" When Teto proudly declared so, the others directed their gazes at me as if to ask, ''Was that all?'' That was what Majou-sama said, and Majou-sama was never wrong! In actuality, Teto has become strong by eating lots and lots of magic stones, "Speaking of which, it''s going to be lunchtime soon, aren''t you going to eat?" "Ah, Teto will have lunch with Majou-sama! Then Teto is going back!" Just like that, Teto was about to run back to the mansion where Majou-sama was when the maid-san who was guarding this village''s ?Transfer Gate? stopped Teto and instead asked her to use the ?Transfer Gate?. ?Welcome back, Teto-sama.? ?I''m back-nanodesu! I''m hungry!? Teto said her greeting and was about to head toward the dining room but the maids-san in front blocked the path. ?We cannot allow Teto-sama to appear before the cleanliness-loving Master in this state.? "Ehh~, Teto will have Majou-sama clean her~." ?Before that, please change your clothes and take a bath here.? Certainly, Teto has gotten dirt and mud all over her after training with everyone and racing with the mythical beast-sans in the forest. So under the encirclement of the three maid-sans, Teto was led to the bath directly. Teto could easily shake them off but the enthusiasm of the maid-sans scared Teto, so Teto behaved quietly until they washed and cleaned her up. ?By the way, which dress would Teto-sama like to wear?? "Eh? Just the usual~" ?They have just been sent to the laundry, so there is also this set of clothes available.? The dress maid-sans dressed Teto in was a frilly western-type outfit which she wasn''t used to. "Mmm, it is hard to kick in this dress. Teto''s pants will be visible if she kicks in this dress and then Majou-sama will be mad at Teto." ?Teto-sama, you mustn''t perform a kick in that appearance. Please behave more ladylike.? Maids-san taught all sorts of things to Teto who was confused about wearing a new dress. ?Teto-sama, wouldn''t you like to see Master in an adorable appearance?? "Teto would like to!" ?But you see, Master always refuses to wear clothes prepared by us obstinately. But if Teto-sama, who stands beside our Master, takes the initiative to wear cute clothes, Master shouldn''t be able to refuse as well.? "Really?" ?Yes. We have also prepared matching outfits to go with Teto-sama. If Teto-sama wears them, Master should have less resistance to wearing these clothes.? "That''s nice!" But hmm, Teto feels like she''s being cajoled, but it was really an amazing thing! Then Teto remembered something. "Teto also has clothes she wants to wear!" "A request for clothes from Teto-sama? Please tell us for future reference." "Teto talked with Majou-sama before. The maid dress everyone is wearing is cute, Teto also wants to try wearing them!" As soon as Teto said her request, the maid-san in front immediately fell to their knees. ?Kuh, to think the naive and adorable Teto-sama wants to wear the same clothes as us...... So precious.? ?Furthermore, Master has agreed to wear maid clothes. This, this might be a divine chance to see Master, Teto-sama, and Baretta-sama in maid dresses standing side by side....... Endure, I must endure for now.? ?I apologize for showing you such an unsightly appearance. Teto-sama, lunch is ready.? Teto didn''t get what happened, but when Teto moved to the dining room under the guidance of maid-san, Majou-sama praised Teto''s dress. Today, not only did Teto properly complete the potion delivery mission, she even had Majou-sama try the dried sweet potatoes as a dessert it was a day filled with a lot of happiness. Vol. 6 - Ch. 156 - A certain day in the Empty Wilderness - Side Baretta That day, after Teto-sama left to fulfill the Master''s errand, I accompanied the Master to the research tower."It''s really been a while since it''s just the two of us, huh?" ?Indeed. A bit of it might be due to the increase in people.? S?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "What about you, Baretta, how are you doing recently? Are you enjoying yourself?" Master asked in a cheery tone while facing away from me because of her compounding task. I then began to speak about the events that happened around me. Unlike our usual administrative-like talk during my reports, which happens quite a lot, it was a discussion about extremely subjective content. ?Actually, there have been changes in the statuses of us Mechanoids.? "Huh? In the status? Did you also obtain new skills?" While looking at the Master who turned back to look at me while stopping whatever she was doing for the moment, I began to speak about my race. ?Yes. The name of my race has been changed from ''Mechanoid'' to ''Mechanoid Origin''. And the race of the first 20 dolls Master had created has changed to Mechanoid - High End.? Especially with me at the top, the responsibility for the various regions of the ?Empty Wilderness? has been handed over to those 20 sophisticated models turned Mechanoids. Keeping an eye on the mana generation output of the ?Empty Wilderness? and interacting with the residents were under the ?Domestic Affairs Branch?. Those in charge of managing the mansion were the ?Cleaning Branch?. Those in charge of managing the meals for Master and the others were handled by the ?Cooking Branch?. Those in charge of farms, fruit trees, crop development, and gardens were the ?Agriculture Department?. Those in charge of livestock and fishes, and looking after mythical beasts were the ?Creature Department?. The ones in charge of exchanging goods with the outside world were the ?Commerce Department?. Those in charge of settling threats from outside and inside the wilderness through might were the ?Security Department?. Those in charge of managing and sorting the purchased books, artworks, and the made-up tools area were handled by the ?Household Department?. Then there was a group of versatile maids who temporarily assisted other departments with their tasks called the ?Maid Department?. A total of 19 high-ends were assigned to each of these 10 departments, and with ten subordinates under each of them, they were all carrying out their duties diligently every day. In addition, it has also been confirmed that the maid Ai who accompanied Yuishia-sama, the Master''s disciple, has also become a high-end. Initially, each of us took turns performing the tasks we were capable of. However, the newly provided service dolls by the Master had been assigned vertical responsibilities based on their aptitude and individuality during the process of becoming mechanoids. "I see. I didn''t notice at all......" ?I judged that the Master didn''t need to be bothered with such an insignificant matter, so I didn''t report it." "It would have been better if you had told me. It''s a joyous matter, no? I''ll look for a present for Baretta." Apparently, done with her compounding work, Master looked back at me while tidying up the tools with magic. My eyes widened upon hearing her words. ?As a servant, it is not my place to receive anything from the Master.? "I would be happy if Baretta also showed a bit of her desire." ?......It''s difficult. Something that I want......? I am happy and content just seeing Master and Teto-sama living their lives happily day after day. Neither Master, nor Teto-sama liked wearing dresses that were too frilly, but they do sometimes wear functional yet girlish outfits, which was really a sight for sore eyes. But, if the Master showed eagerness to grant my request...... ?Umm......there are two... requests I have.? "If it''s something I am capable of fulfilling, just ask anything." ''It might take time, but it can more or less be done with ?Creation Magic?.'' Listening to the Master say so with a delighted expression, I spelled my request, trying to keep my calm as much as possible. ?I would like to receive mana while you pat my head, just like Teto-sama.? "While patting your head? Is that all you want?" Master adorably tilted her head, an expression of puzzlement on her face, as she beckoned to me. Since there was a height difference between me and the Master whose body stopped growing at the age of 12, I squatted down to her eye level and she then caressed my head. "Thank you for always working hard for us. But no overworking, alright? You need to rest occasionally." She kindly praised me for my daily work and also showed her worry for me. Master''s gentle and calm mana permeated into my body and replenished the mana of my core. After staying in this position for a while and continuing to receive my Master''s care, I conveyed ''It''s enough'' in a faint voice and stood up. ?Thank you very much, Master. I have been recharged with Master''s manaChisenium.? "You occasionally say some strange lines that make it hard to understand if you''re joking or serious." After taking in Master''s soothing mana, Chisenium, in large amounts, I felt my motivation has been renewed. But since the Master has said I must not push myself, I had to rearrange my day-off plan. And the other request was ?I also want a weapon like Teto-sama''s magic sword to protect Master.? "Weapon? But aren''t you a bare-fisted fighter?" I was training with Teto-sama and similar Mechanoids in bare-handed close combat and magic. Hence, I was content with just cladding my fists with mana, but now ?I would like a weapon like a gauntlet to cover my hands. I cannot satisfactorily serve and protect the Master without a weapon in my hands.? It was preferable to have a weapon where I could just use both my hands freely and could also last long in combat. Hearing my request, Master raised her voice in hesitation. "A weapon of that sort is almost always a defensive armament. There is one armament, ?Earth Hand?, that I got but sold later on. What do you think about remodeling it?" "I will leave the matter to the Master if it''s something Master is going to make." "Alright. ?Creation? Earth Hand!" Master invoked her ?Creation Magic? and produced a gauntlet. It was an armament that was effective in reducing the weight sensation of an object. However, Master just didn''t stop there. "Let''s also use this, I just made it as a test." "Master, this is" "I''ve been creating it with my leftover mana, though I can only create 10 grams of it at a time." The thing Master showed was a bluish magic metal, Adamantine. This magic metal, which was said to be the world''s hardest metal, had excellent mana resistance superiority and was difficult to process. And that metal was manipulated by the Master like clay with her earth magic, and then, she replaced all the metal portions of the gauntlet with Adamantine. As a result "Fuu, it''s been a while since I created anything interesting." ?I think you overdid it, Master.? ?Earth Hand Armament? A magic tool remodeled from a gauntlet soaked in earth attributes mana. While wearing this gauntlet, the user wouldn''t feel the weight of anything they touch. In addition, it was also capable of manipulating its weight, and adamantine could absorb a certain amount of impact and release it. (T/N - Vibranium, is that you?) It was shaped into an armament possessing the qualities like ?Weightlessness?, ?Mass Manipulation?, ?Shock Absorption?, and ?Shock Release?. But the noteworthy part of this adamantine magic tool was that it was nearly indestructible, pushing it over the level of a national treasure. ?Master, are you really going to give this absurd weapon to me?? "This is yours, Baretta. But I''m sorry, you won''t be able to find many chances to use it normally since It''s a bit chunky." ?Don''t say such a thing, Master. I will use them with care.? And on the night of that day, I, who received the ?Earth Hand Armament?, came to the untouched barren land of the ?Empty Wilderness? with the gauntlets equipped on my hands. It was a place used for magic training, group training, or as the ground for mock battles, where one could go as wild as they wanted. Standing in such a place, I channeled my mana in the gauntlet. ?Haaaaaaa!?? The moment my fist connected with the ground, the ground exploded. ?Such might with just a light strike......? A crater was formed when I tried to punch with the Gauntlet, which almost felt weightless in my hand. It seemed like ?Shock Absorption? allowed even the shock from one''s own strikes to be absorbed by the adamantine, which could then be released as an attack. Furthermore, thanks to the extraordinary shock absorption capacity of the adamantine, the strain on my hands was almost insignificant. The gauntlet also served as highly functional armament, which allowed me to block incoming attacks while accumulating the shock, which, when counterattacking, could turn into one deadly blow. ?In addition, I can use ?Weight Manipulation? to increase the weight of my fists or lighten the weight of the opponent and toss them around. I can also constantly absorb the shocks generated from all sorts of attacks, and let them all out at the opponent. It''s really terrifying.? If it was just about its functionality as a weapon, it surpassed the items of the ancient magic civilization. Of course, it was difficult to make a direct comparison since the ancient magical civilization focused on versatility, mass production, and usability, but this gauntlet fitted my hand perfectly. "With this level, it might be possible to eradicate all the threats against my Master.? I removed the adamantine gauntlet from my hands and returned to the mansion. In the future, the names of the two aids of Chise, the master of the ?Empty Wilderness?, would echo around the world. One was Teto, the protector who always stood in front of the ?Creation Witch?. And another was Baretta, the proxy of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? in the absence of the ?Creation Witch?. And with this event as the prelude, the trademark gauntlet of Baretta was born. Vol. 6 - Ch. 157 - Lets go out for another journey 10 years had passed since the trade with the Iska kingdom and the Gard Beastkin Nation started.Starting from spring to autumn, our neighboring demonic race would go out riding mythical beasts like Griffons and Pegasuses and bring back the rare items. As the trade began to be acknowledged by the surroundings, we gradually expanded the scope of our trading due to the demand from both nations in recent years. Well, that was the update about the changes in the ?Empty Wilderness?, while there were no particular changes in our daily lives. And today, we were sowing the seeds of the autumn season vegetables on the farm behind our mansion. ?Master, another intruder has been mentioned in today''s report as well.? As the news about our trading with both nations became widespread, there also began to appear people who passed through the monster-infested region, aiming for the ?Empty Wilderness?. "Some were martial artists and warriors who came here to hone their skills after seeing the strength of the dragon warriors, then there were merchants who came to directly buy rare materials, and last were the kidnappers, poachers, and bandits who came here following their greed for the rare demonic race members and mythical beasts." "Teto also caught them before!" It seemed like they were trying to break through the undeveloped monster region with a small number of people. Recently, the monsters in the area had grown stronger due to the increase in the mana density of the ?Empty Wilderness? and the revitalization of the earth veins, hence the monster region wasn''t something that could be traversed with half-baked strength. As a result, these people either got lost in the monster region or were attacked by monsters. Aside from them, there was also the Mubad Empire in the north from where the rumors spread out, and their soldiers, disguised as adventurers, had been often spotted in the area. "Though I really don''t like the sound of many people dying in the monster region." A place with many deaths, especially with corpses of those who died with lingering regrets that were easily transformed into undead, becomes a hotspot for miasma to accumulate and be the reason behind the appearance of an unforeseen monster. That was why as soon as any illegal intruder was spotted in the region, they were captured and deported to the town of either nation or moved to the border of the monster-infested region. "Majou-sama, aren''t you going to judge the captured people by yourself?" "Hmm? It''s troublesome to judge them. Besides, we have no set rules to judge them by either. So it is less burdensome to push them to those who can do it." Well, something like a law has been set up in the ?Empty Wilderness? as well. However, the selection criteria depended upon the judgment of Dragon Grandpa or the chiefs of the angel and Dragon-Demon races who once lived on the ?Floating Island?. In the floating island where an individual''s assets were limited, they didn''t have the concept of compensation, so punishments usually began with a sermon and ramped up from there and what might be a crime in the outside world might not be a crime there. Therefore, they were currently working with Beretta and the others to establish laws and rules. Incidentally, the most severe punishment among the two races was the ''removal of the magic stone''. It was quite a bloody execution involving the extraction of the magic stone located near the heart which was then passed to the victim. However, the magic stone was an essential organ for the demonic races and, during funerals, the leftover magic stone from the cremation was divided among the relatives and ingested, allowing them to inherit a part of the deceased''s power. So, magic stones were considered one of the few forms of personal wealth on the Floating Island. It prompted me to think that maybe ''inheriting the magic stone'' might be one of the reasons behind the discrimination where demonic race members were seen as a bloodthirsty race. Well, leaving that aside "The bigger headache is the people who managed to pass through the monster-infested region." ?Indeed. They have not committed any crime. In fact, they are showing a friendly attitude.? "They are all kind-hearted people-nanodesu~. Teto had fun fighting mock battles with them the other day." After saying that, a smile appeared on Teto''s lips as she recalled that time while sowing vegetable seeds with me. The development of the monster-infested region was facing some obstacles as well due to the crazy growth speed of the plants in that region under the effects of the mana density increase. Furthermore, the strength of Liliel and other goddesses'' great barrier was dropping with the passing of the years, though people still couldn''t enter unless we invited them in and even if they hid away their ill-will, the barrier would still push them away. In such a situation, the travelers began setting up tents outside the barrier, and the angel and dragon-demon races started interacting with them outside the barrier. "It seems like everyone is engaging with the outside world at a faster pace than I anticipated." ?We aren''t entertaining their request of meeting with the Master, but training with the martial artists and warriors of the outside world, or listening to the stories of the intellectuals magicians has become a great pastime for the residents.? I planned to take a more slow-paced approach when it came to interacting with the outside world but personal exchanges had already started within a mere 10 years. "For now, Liliel''s barrier keeps any malicious person or dangerous item from entering inside, but that''s not going to last forever. So we have to keep our guard up when the time the barrier disappears completely comes, and we also have to keep an eye out for swindlers and smugglers to prevent the outflow of valuable goods." The members of both races were simple people due to being isolated on the floating island for so long. I couldn''t just let them get deceived by greedy fellows, and above all if they do get deceived, it might also anger Dragon Grandpa, who greatly cherished the people of both races like his own children, which might devolve into a dangerous predicament. "However it''s fortunate that only a few individuals with B-rank or higher strength have gathered at this stage." The stronger individuals were aware that the damage caused by conflicts among themselves would be significant, so they tended to avoid unnecessary problems. Of course, not all strong individuals had straightforward personalities. Some were dangerous, though the barrier denied them entry, allowing only relatively peaceful visitors from the outside. "Well, let''s just keep an eye on them for the time being." With that said, we spent our day sowing the vegetable seeds, watering them, and then eating the snacks prepared by the maids. And the next day, I had people from the trade caravan pass a certain item to the madam of the Margrave Reebel house, Selene, and Duke Gyunton to discuss the thieves and poachers. "Hello Hello, mic testing, mic testing. Can you hear me?" "Can you hear us?" The things I passed to the two were crystal-shaped communication magic tools. Communication devices that played back stored videos had existed for a long time, but real-time communication technology has been challenging, often resulting in distorted audio due to interference. However, the magic tools created through ?Creation Magic? possessed far better performance. These crystal magic tools were enchanted with light and wind magic to project the videos onto another crystal tool as an image as well as space magic to eliminate any time lag and deliver a clearer video. Teto and I were standing together in front of such a communication magic tool, waiting to connect with the others. ?Mic test? What the heck is that incantation? Mic test, mic test. Your voice is coming out fine. Nevertheless, sending such a high-performance communication device so casually...... aren''t you being generous?? ?Mic test, mic test......well, it''s typical of Chise okaa-san.? The communication magic tool projected the image of Duke Gyunton, who bore signs of further aging over the past 10 years and the ever-youthful-looking Selene. My ''Mic test'' phrasing was apparently incomprehensible to an otherworlder, as Duke Gyunton and Selene mistook it as some sort of incantation, and seeing them mimic me made me laugh. But seeing Duke Gyunton look at me with a strange look, I corrected my expression and then talked about today''s agenda, the intruders. "Can''t anything be done about the recent increase of thieves and poachers? Also, there aren''t that many people who can traverse the monster region for now, but if a road was ever built for a large convoy to pass through, it would increase the number of travelers as well." "But, Teto is also having fun fighting with the adventurers, it''s really a dilemma!" The land under our jurisdiction was at best the region encompassing the ?Empty WIlderness? within the confinements of the great barrier, while no one owned the monster-infested region stretching outside the wilderness. To begin with, the only people entering the monster-infested region were either adventurers and martial artists aiming for the ?Empty Wilderness?, uninvited guests like thieves and poachers, or adventurers, hunters, and woodcutters from the local area. I really want to do something about the thieves and poachers, but not at the expense of limiting the innocent and I also want to keep the exchange with the visitors as it was. Hearing my wish, Selene''s brows furrowed in a troubled expression. ?We''re also keeping an eye on the boundary of the forest, but it''s quite hard to capture them.? "It seems like it''s not just from the Iska Kingdom and the Gard beastkin Nation, even people from the Mubad Empire in the north are coming here." ?We''re also exercising caution on our side, but we can''t split too much manpower for this, unfortunately.? Since there were also adventurers, hunters, and woodcutters entering the region, it was hard to distinguish the thieves and poachers from them. ? Furthermore, we''re getting short-handed because you''re not killing them. Those scoundrels, knowing that you won''t kill, deliberately target the time when you are about to deliver the prisoners to capture your people.? "This is the first time I''m hearing about this." I turned to look at Baretta who was standing there on the sideline, and she too, was tilting her head in puzzlement. I am assuming the angel and Dragon-Demon race members who were in charge of transporting captured people had not reported this matter. ?Well, the thieves lost to just one of your people though.? ?People from Chise okaa-san''s side are just that strong after all. The knights from our house are also trying their skills against them, which is becoming a good source of motivation.? s?a??h th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "I see, thank you for informing us." Their plan to target the members of the two races might have been thwarted effortlessly this time, but such situations may not remain constant. "Something must be done about them......" ?Can''t Chise okaa-san just surround the place with a wall using your power?? "It will destroy nature if I do that." ?In that case, why don''t you consult with the people who have long-standing feuds with thieves and poachers?? Just as I was wracking my brain, Duke Gyunton suggests. "People who have a long-standing feud with thieves and poachers?" "Who?" ?The elves of the Great Forest. The elves from there have been in constant competition with the thieves and kidnappers to protect their world trees and mythical beasts. I can''t say this will surely resolve your worry, but it might become a good reference.? ''I see.'' I was impressed by that idea, but the problem was that I didn''t have any connection with the elves of the Great Forest. ?I had few chances to meet with the elves of the Great Forest when I was working as a diplomat. I could try to facilitate a meeting. Hopefully, I still have some influence.? "Thank you. Still though, elves of the Great Forest, huh? It sounds fun." I am very much curious about the Great Forest formed around the world tree which was apparently more than 10,000 years old. "Can I ask you to arrange a meeting then?" ?Let me prepare a letter of introduction to the liaison of the Great Forest, and I''ll send it to them at a later date.? Through the good office of Duke Gyunton, I could finally see some hope in dealing with the thieves. Afterwards, we continued to talk about the events in the surrounding region, but a part of me felt excited and began to ponder about the preparation needed for this next journey that I was going to have after a long time. Three months later, I received word from Duke Gyunton that he had scheduled a meeting with the elves of the Great Forest and delivered the letter of introduction. And with that, I set off for another long-awaited journey with Teto. Vol. 6 - Ch. 158 - Great Forest Guide ?Master, have a safe trip.?On the day we planned to leave for the Great Forest of the Elves, Baretta performed a bow alongside the other mechanoid maids. "You don''t need to see us off with such fanfare, really. We''re just going out for a while to learn about how to deal with the thieves." "We''ll bring souvenirs~" Teto and I waved our hands in farewell, and under the gazes of Baretta and the others, I released my ?Teleportation Magic?. The destination was a town in the southeast of the Gard Beastkin Nation. In the past, we used to fly over the Gard Beastkin Nation while completing requests, so I had already memorized the teleportation points. And thus, I teleported away with Teto. "......Ah, ?Teleportation Magic? sure takes a lot of mana, I''m tired." I sat down on the plains, which was the teleportation destination, as Teto peered into my face with a worried look. "Are you alright, Majou-sama?" "I''ll be fine with a bit of rest." This teleportation cost me 300,000 units of mana to teleport here with Teto. I had consumed the same amount of mana with the one-way teleportation from the ?Empty Wilderness? to the capital city of the Iska Kingdom before, so I guess the distance I had teleported to must be the same given the mana consumed just now. However, I only managed to do that by using the mana stored in the ?Mana Crystal? last time, but today, I did it at the expense of my mana only. I guess this could be called personal growth, or so I thought. "Majou-sama, you can use Teto as support." "Thank you, I will be relying on you a bit then." Teto circled her arm behind my back and pulled me into her embrace, as I was tired from the instant consumption of mana, and stared at the scenery with a vacant look. Once the tiredness was mostly gone, I stood up. "You don''t need to rest anymore, Majou-sama?" s?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "No, I am fine. Anyway, let''s head out to meet with the elves of the Great Forest." The elves of the Great Forest were often mentioned as an uncivilized race, however, there was a full-fledged kingdom built with them around as the center. Their country, led by the superior species of elves called High-Elves who were serving as the royal family, was apparently somewhere in this great forest. Though that being said, they didn''t build their nation by cutting the trees and clearing the land and since the elves themselves were quite isolated, their true state was surrounded by mystery. And so, we were now heading to a shop pointed out by Duke Gyunton where we would be meeting the elf who would guide us to their place. "It should be here, I guess." "It doesn''t look like a shop." Perhaps it was remodeled after an old inn, it was a building with multiple rooms, without the banner hanging. Apparently, it was built to serve as a safe, resting place for the elves who were working outside of their nation, as there were only elves inside it seemed. "Teto is already excited to see the Great Forest!" "Indeed. Let''s quickly request for the guide." As soon as we entered the building, the smell of fine-quality lumber, medicine, and herbs deeply pervading the interior assailed our noses. Maybe someone did compounding here. And by the entrance of the building, a tanned silver-haired beauty wearing male attire was waiting. The woman, whose peculiarity reminded me of a dark elf, seemed to have noticed us as she flashed a welcoming smile. "Nice to see you, ?Creation Witch? Chise-sama. I''m Altair, you can consider me as a diplomat of the elven nation of sorts. We, the Eldar forest nation, welcome you." "I''m Teto, partner of Majou Chise. And likewise, nice to meet you." Just how much do they know about me? I returned the handshake with a strained smile while thinking about it. Then, when the dark elf woman, Altair, guided us to the reception room, I swiftly passed to her the letter of introduction I received from Duke Gyunton. "Then I''ll check the contents." With those words, she opened the letter and nodded to herself a few times as she read. "I have confirmed that there''s no discrepancy with the information we have." "Excuse me, what do you mean by the information you have?" When I asked gingerly, Altair-san spoke with a wry smile. "We received the news from Duke Gyunton, or to be more precise, the Gard Beastkin Nation, how they wanted to introduce Chise-sama. Hence, I''m here to welcome you." I sensed some kind of implication from Altair-san''s words who flashed a vague smile. In this world where the speed at which news traveled was quite slow, I teleported here immediately after receiving the word, and typically the other party wouldn''t have received the information in advance. However, the elves of the Great Forest had already deployed Altair-san to greet us even before we arrived here. "As expected of the ?Flying Carpet?, I have always admired your conduct as adventurers for a long time. A swift decision maker, indeed, you really headed out as soon as you received word, like the agile wind." So complimented Altair-san, in an attempt to put up a smokescreen, but it was obvious they had already investigated us and made preparations even before Duke Gyunton told them about us. Furthermore, Altair-san called me ?Creation Witch? earlier during her greeting. ?Creation Magic?, there were only a handful of people who knew about this peculiar magic of mine. When I tried to ask how they obtained the information or if they learned of it from someone, Altair-san replied with a vague smile still on her face. "It''s something we got from a few of our sources. How much do you know about us, dark elves?" "As far as I know, if the origin of the elves can be traced back to the light, wind, and water spirits, then the origin of the dark elves is dark, fire, and earth spirits." The elves and dark elves of this world weren''t in conflict unlike in fiction, they just seemed to have different attributes based on their origin spirit. Other than that, they lived in harmony together. Though it looked like there was some kind of rivalry due to the difference in skin color in small-scale elven settlements, that rivalry was non-existent in the Great Forest of the Elves it seemed. I may be digressing here but it seemed like the appearance of dwarves, whose origin could be traced back to fire, earth, and dark spirits just like dark elves, was such that they could adapt to mountains and caves. "That''s right. And we, dark elves, are highly skilled in manipulating spirit magic, especially when it comes to information." After saying that, a lizard-like spirit appeared from the shadow beneath her, holding a letter in its mouth. "It should be shadow movement, I guess. It''s quite convenient." Since they borrowed the power of dark spirits who can traverse space using the shadows as a medium, it was said to be much more efficient than a human''s teleportation magic. "Lizard-san is really cute~" The dark spirit even had enough intelligence to get on Teto''s hand when she reached out to it. And given the fact that I could see its appearance even without circulating mana in my eyes meant it was an intermediate-level spirit that could materialize itself. "Is this an intermediate-level skill?" "Yes, it is. It''s with me since it was a lower-grade spirit. It''s been 150 years, I think." Spiritual existences like spirits had their own statuses and classes. It has been said that newborn spirits didn''t have any ego and just lived on instinct. From there, as time passed and they absorbed more mana, they could develop the ability to physically materialize, and that was when they were called intermediate-class spirits. Furthermore, there were also higher-grade spirits that had strong influences and were revered as local spirit deities. There were also great spirits and spirit kings said to exist above them, however, those existences were more like mythical entities. "We borrow the power of spirits like this to collect information, parse through them, and discern the true identity of the target. I have also looked through the information on your activities as well as the rumors about you two. However, we have another reason. We received an oracle about Chise-sama from our priestess, the apostle of Heaven Goddess Leriel.? "I learned something new. It''s no wonder you know that much." It seemed like my information had been passed down by Leriel, whom we have yet to meet, through the intermediation of Lariel. So I won''t say it was cheating or cowardice. Even I learned about the things I want to know from Liliel and the others in the dream oracle mixed in the casual chats occasionally. "Of course, we are aware that Chise-sama is the apostle of Liliel-sama and a reincarnated individual who descended into this world bearing a divine mission." I could only chuckle bitterly in extreme confusion when she glorified my apostle status to that level. Teto, who was sitting beside me and had the dark spirit lizard perched on her palm, wore a smile as if saying ''I know, Majou-sama is amazing''. "Her Majesty also has a great interest in you two, and wanted to invite you to our elven nation someday, so Duke Gyunton''s request was just the perfect chance. After discussing your schedule and the purpose of your visit in detail, I will personally guide you to the Eldar Forest Kingdom." "Then we''ll be counting on you." "Thank you-nanodesu!" As the conversation progressed smoothly, I asked Altair-san to teach me about how to deal with my problem, or more like the problem of the ?Empty Wilderness?, on how to deal with thieves and poachers. "?Empty Wilderness? is currently receiving the blessing of the Goddess Liliel through the barrier, however even that is bound to disappear with time. I would like to strengthen our countermeasures against intruders before then." "Understood. Normally, it isn''t something we can disclose to anyone, but I would like to discuss it with Her Majesty the Queen and decide then. Until then, I suggest you stay in the Eldar Forest Kingdom." Well, I knew we wouldn''t get the information right away so we borrowed a room in the branch office of the elves that day, and temporarily stayed there. It seemed like Altair-san will be guiding us to their forest kingdom tomorrow. With the time still a bit before nighttime, Teto and I went out for a stroll in the town and enjoyed the transformation of the town we had only once visited decades before. Editor''s note: Oh no! The grandmaster assassin got gender-bent :P Vol. 6 - Ch. 159 - Great Forest of the Elves ~Traversing from the outer layer to the middle layer~ After staying for a night, Teto and I got on the carriage arranged by Altair-san and headed for the Great Forest of Elves."It feels nostalgic to ride on a carriage after a long while." "Because Majou-sama uses a wand or the flying carpet for most of our travels!" I had always kept carriages at arm''s length since they needed maintenance and management, unlike casual transportation methods like bikes and motorcycles or the equivalent wand and carpet. "This might feel slow for the two of you from ?Flying Carpet?, but I beseech you to be patient." Altair-san, who was with us in the carriage, spoke with an apologetic tone as I passed my time staring at the scenery from the window. "You''re mistaken, We mostly traveled by foot before we devised transportation methods like a flying wand or a magic carpet, so this is a fresh feeling instead." "There were lots of people when Teto rode a carriage for the first time with Majou-sama~" "Kyaa!? T, Teto, at least say something before you lie on my lap." Gazing at Teto who put her face on my lap in front of Altair-san, I scolded her in a helpless tone. Altair-san chuckled with a pleasant smile seeing the exchange between Teto and me. "I was wondering what kind of people you were when I heard you were an immortal witch and an apostle from the priestess, but that''s a surprisingly cute reaction......" I averted my gaze from Altair-san, who said ''I''m sorry'' but continued to smile, to the outside of the carriage''s window and hid my eyes by shifting my triangular hat. Teto, who could probably see my face from my lap, murmured ''Majou-sama is embarrassed''. "Is my behavior so strange?" When I mumbled so in a slightly pouty tone, Altair-san stopped smiling and looked at me with a serious expression. "Those who seek an audience with Her Highness the Queen usually have some hidden ulterior motives, so it''s really been a while since I''ve guided a person with as gentle a temperament as you." People who usually wanted to meet the Queen who was immortal, possessed vast wealth and influence, and was even a rare high-elf among elves usually had some kind of motive like, people who wanted to acquire the magic of the high elves who possessed abundant mana, people who sought to lift the veil of concealment covering the Great Forest of Elves, people who want to get their hands on a rare high-elf existence as a slave, and people who wanted to get the land, resources, and mythical beasts of the Great Forest along with the elves living in it. People harboring such desires would want to meet the high-elf Queen. "My goal isn''t the queen of high elves, but how the Great Forest manages to counter intruders." "That may be so...... but if I may say, Chise-sama is in the same position as Her Majesty the Queen." "Probably. Probably so." The current scenario of the Great Forest of Elves might be, in a sense, one of the future possibilities of the ?Empty Wilderness?. Interacting with the outside world with limited windows, brushing off any outside interference, and living while defending the forest. Indeed, you can say our situations were kind of similar, but "The ?Empty Wilderness? is currently in charge of generating mana for the world, but I also think it might not be a problem to cut the forest down once that role is finished and the world is filled with mana." "Why do you think so?" I spoke out my reasoning to the surprised Altair-san. "I''m not talking about clearing the whole forest. Just a bit. The way we are doing things might look like we''re some sort of pro-environmentalist, but I am not doing this to deny the development of humans and culture." "Majou-sama always looks happy when reading a book!" Just as Teto said, I liked books, and books and printed texts were absolutely indispensable for culture promotion. Besides, I believed culture and nature could coexist in harmony. S?a??h th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I wasn''t someone who destroyed nature heedlessly, but some of the forests of the ?Empty Wilderness? would eventually be cleared, and I hoped that people who could coexist with nature would be able to thrive on the cleared land. "Teto thinks it would be nice if mythical beast-sans can live anywhere they like." "Yeah. It would be nice if their living habitat can be expanded to the outside world, not just in the confines of the ?Empty WIlderness?." I agreed with Teto''s statement. Right now, the attempt at poaching was happening due to the rarity and low population of the mythical beasts, but if their numbers were to increase, and they spread out to the whole continent and became a common sight, then maybe the people trying to poach them would decrease and it wouldn''t be a pipe dream to see mythical beasts coexisting with people, just like the Dragon-Demon race members riding on Griffons and Pegasuses, or my disciple Yuishia taking Cat Siths with her on her journey. Of course, there might be mythical beasts who would pass away due to various factors like illness, accidental death, or being killed by people and monsters when their living space increased. Though I also thought that this was probably a necessary risk to propagate the mythical beasts'' population. "I had the impression that Chise-sama was a realistic person, but you''re unexpectedly a romanticist." "I mean, don''t you think living together happily or the mythical beasts naturally mingling with the townsfolk would be lovely scenery?" Hearing my words, Altair-san directed a gentle gaze at me as if she was looking at a child. Well, from the elves'' perspective, I might still be a child, but in the long life of an immortal, which was fraught with painful memories most of the time, a life without dreams and aspirations might as well be a colorless life. Amidst our chitter-chatter with Altair-san, the carriage seemed to have reached the entrance of the Great Forest. "We will have to get off the carriage from here, after we reach the first settlement, to get to the next settlement. Will you be alright?" "We are used to walking." "It''s easy with?Body Hardening?-nanodesu!" We, who got off the carriage, examined the elven settlement. There were only elves and dark elves living in this settlement in the forest, though it looked like a normal settlement. However, to keep the trees enhanced by the mana of world tree from encroaching on the settlement, metal stakes had been nailed at the borders of the land. And when Altair-san also got off the carriage, I could see a familiar reaction from the elves of this settlement to her. "It''s the same reaction everyone has with Majou-sama." "Could it be that Altair-san has a high status in this elven kingdom?" "Well, I am like the handmaid of Her Majesty the Queen." After saying that, we moved to greet the settlement chief after parking the carriage in the village. This seemed to be the gateway to the Elven Kingdom, and we were going to traverse through the forest to reach the capital city where the Queen resided. "As long as there''s permission from the elves, even adventurers can come here. This is the path to the next settlement." As we walked through the animal trail in the forest under the guidance of Altair-san, I relished the sensations of the forest with my skin. "The forest is well-maintained, isn''t it?" The pruning was well done as the sunlight was properly falling into the forest and the erected trees were equally magnificent. The occasional sighting of animals darting through the foliage brought a sense of tranquillity, and breathing in the cool air gave one an invigorating feeling. "Thanks to the efforts of the people, the forest around the settlement has been carefully maintained. However, once you move away from the animal trail, you''ll find yourself in the untouched primeval forest that stretches beyond." It seemed like that primeval forest had transformed into a monster habitat with all sorts of monsters residing there, making it highly dangerous. However, the safe animal trail we were currently walking on was under the care of the elves, so intruders usually tried to break through the primeval forest where they faced the attacks of the monsters. "I see...... By turning almost all the areas around the kingdom a habitat for monsters, you''re limiting the places that could be raided." "If there are few places to guard, then it can be managed by just a few people!" It seemed that the Elven Kingdom was formed by connecting the Great Forests, which served as the habitat of monsters, like dots on a map. "In case of entry points, one can enter from the nations facing the great forest the Gard Beastkin Nation, the Lovile Kingdom, and the Sanfield Empire that lay beyond the Gard Beastkin Nation in the south." Speaking of which, there was an old continent map in the magic index of the church, but I hadn''t seen the name of the Sanfield Empire in the map of the old era. "What kind of country is the Sanfield Empire? I know a bit about it from the books and literature but that''s all......" "The Sanfield Empire facing the southern sea is a land of magnanimous disposition, a melting pot of various races that welcome anyone from humans to demi-humans to demonic races." It seemed to possess the continent''s foremost dungeon, had developed land and sea routes, had a state-managed coliseum where gladiators could be seen fighting day and night, and the citizens who came to watch it." "It sounds like an interesting place. I would like to visit it one day." "Teto also wants to experience being a guradiator-nanodesu? That!" Altair-san''s story, as someone who acted as a bridge between the outside world and the elven kingdom, was quite interesting. She talked about the kinds of battles in the coliseum, who was the current favorite fighter, and many more. My impression of her was that she was a serious person, but seeing how easily she got caught up in the discussion and began to talk about the topic passionately made me understand a bit about what kind of person she was. "I''m sorry, I bored you with my talks." "No, they were rather interesting. I''m an amateur, and I know I would be lost among the many new things so your stories are rather helpful." "Teto is also getting more and more interested!" "......Thank you." The dark brown skin of the dark elf seemed to have been tinged with a slight red flush, but we just continued the casual conversation. And after a few hours of walking through the forest, we reached a campsite situated along the trail connecting the different forest settlements. Vol. 6 - Ch. 160 - The Great Forest of Elves - From the middle layer to the deep layer~ As we traversed through the Great Forest with Altair-san, the mythical beasts residing inside occasionally appeared in front of us, seeking my caress.The forest trail from the second village to the third village, which was also called the middle layer, was home to all sorts of mythical beasts. The mythical beasts here seemed to have sensed my existence as I possessed a vast amount of mana, and just like the mythical beasts in the ?Empty Wilderness?, they came to me because of it. I transferred mana to them while caressing their chins or napes. "What adorable kids. But we need to go, so forgive me, okay?" "You can''t-nanodesu. Teto hopes you all stop your attempts to take Majou-sama." Teto persuaded the mythical beasts who had my robe in their mouths as they tried to pull me into their territory for my mana. "Chise-sama, please be careful. You may lose your sense of direction since obstruction magic has been casted on this area, and it would be awful if you were to be lost like this." I didn''t actually mind the mythical beasts who were pulling and guiding me to the depths of the forest, but when I heard Altair-san and imagined how I would be stranded in this unfamiliar land, I hurriedly returned to Altair-san''s side. Then as we walked through the forest facing such situations, Altair-san explained the kinds of obstruction magic to us. For example, a magic that used fog as its medium to confuse one''s sense of direction has been casted on each part of the forest. Or how fascination magic has been enchanted onto the things around like stones or totem poles which would naturally attract your gaze and pull you away from the territory of the mythical beasts. They also monitored the area with the help of spirits. "You have me in awe that you''re able to keep this up on such a large scale." "It''s amazing you can protect such a big forest." "You can say it''s the magic Im most proud of... but well, even such magic requires lots of mana and it''s difficult to encompass the whole forest." Hence why they couldn''t completely block the stream of intruders entering the forest. There were the rare poachers or kidnappers who still slipped through, and so there was no end to the dirty scoundrels who seek mythical beast materials and elven slaves to strike it rich overnight. In this way, we walked close together to avoid getting lost accidentally. In the depths of the Great Forest, we stumbled upon rivers, fallen trees, protrusions of land, boulders, and many more that blocked our way. We also walked through the untrodden path. While thinking if we were really on the right path internally, we continued with our unhurried pace while crossing those obstacles with flight magic. And after what seemed like about a week, we reached the village in the deep end of the forest. "It finally feels like a fantastical scene of an elven settlement." s?a??h th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The mana of the world tree in the elven village in the depths of the forest was quite potent, and since it was impossible to completely clear the land, the dwellings of the villagers had been made by transforming the big trees, creating a hollow space-like cave inside. "This is the same reaction most first-timers give." I channeled my mana into my eyes and saw the spirits fluttering here and there, turning the world into a glittering place. Doors or small circular windows were attached to the big straight trees which gave them all an impression of comfy tree houses. With the sound of flowing water echoing from somewhere, the branches of the tree houses swaying under the whims of the pleasant wind, and the light trickling down from the gap of the trees, it was nothing short of a fantastical scene. Furthermore, I could also sense that the mana density here was relatively higher, perhaps because it was a region closer to the world tree. "You can say this place is equivalent to what you humans call a town. People here more or less gather the fallen trees and leaves and then transfer them outside the town. However, no matter how much danger the path to the world tree is fraught with, there''s never a lack of poachers or kidnappers trying to pass through." After saying that, Altair-san looked up at the world tree that was so tall one might even think it could reach the heavens, peeking through the gaps between its branches. "We''re going to rest here tonight, and tomorrow, we''ll head to the capital city of the Eldar Forest Kingdom." Reigning in my excitement about the kingdom of elves we were going to visit tomorrow when they had kept themselves from interacting with the outside world for over 2000 years, I spent the night enjoying the unique tree houses of the elves. Then, the following day "An even stronger obstruction magic has been casted on the path we''re going to tread from here, and a little far is the monster land, so please be careful to not lose your way." "Alright. But I can see the world tree from here, so does obstruction magic even serve any purpose here?" I understood we were going to travel through a dangerous path after hearing about the obstruction magic and monster land. But from the immediately visible world tree that acted as a landmark, I tilted my head wondering if someone could even get lost with it as a guide. "Your question is understandable...... But you see, the world tree Chise-sama can see from here, can you say you''re looking at the real world tree?" I was confused when Altair-san asked me so, and then my eyes went wide, realizing I didn''t have any means to discern the truth. "The spirits here, whose numbers here are on another level compared to the middle layer, have set up multiple types of obstruction magic to protect the world tree. For example, what if the light spirits slightly distorted the visible scenery to the other direction, or the dark spirits concealed the appearance of the world tree" "They will not be able to reach it, right?" Aside from that, there were also water spirits who could cover the forest with dense mist, making you lose sight of distant landmarks, and earth spirits that could disturb the mana, thus rendering magic like ?Earth Sonar? obsolete. Perhaps, even detection means like ?Mana Sense? would suffer lower accuracy. I was deeply amazed at the terrifying power of the elves who had turned nature''s strength into their ally. "Well then, let''s resume our journey." Feeling the need to get my act together, I tightened my grasp over the wand in my hand and ventured into the depths of the great forest with Teto. "This is quite a harsh environment." "Are you alright, Majou-sama?" Heavy fog greeted us as soon as we entered the great forest, and quickly chased after Altair-san walking in front of me and Teto. Whether it was the hindrance of my mana sense, or the poor visibility, neither of them was something I had experienced before. Despite being accustomed to mountain walking, our pace naturally slowed down, and we became quieter, almost silent. Chasing after the back of Altair-san walking in front of me single-mindedly, I turned around to look at Teto behind me. "Are you alright, Teto? Are you keeping up? ......Teto!? Altair-san, Teto isn''t with us..." Seeing that Teto was nowhere to be seen behind me, I turned to look ahead and called out to Altair-san. However, even she had vanished from sight. "Hu...Ah......" I was perplexed for a moment, unable to understand what just happened after seeing someone who should have been there was now missing. I was sure they were with me, in fact, I was even getting a reaction from those two with ?Mana Sense? despite the lower accuracy, but realizing it might be a feint from the spirits'' obstruction, I was left astounded. Immediately after that, there was a reaction in my mana sense, and I had just erected a barrier reflexively when the sound of something colliding against it prompted me to kick the ground and escape into the sky with flight magic. "?Multi Barrier?! A monster attack!? And at this timing?Wind Pressure?!" I generated strong winds to clear off the heavy fog from the surroundings and looked at the identity of the thing that collided with my barrier. It was a tiger-type monster possessing a body over 10 meters in size with sharp, long fangs and claws, it was a Saber Tiger. Generally, it was a B-rank monster but since it had been living in this mana-dense region thanks to the world tree, it was two times bigger than normal and my estimated guess was it has reached A-rank. In an unfamiliar place with limited knowledge, I would inevitably be at a disadvantage in combat. "What an unpleasant situation, seriously!" But disadvantages aside, my mana and rich experience as an adventurer had also made me mature compared to the past when my opponents were the Five-Headed Hydra or the Deathscyth Mantis. "I''m going to do it! Haaaaa! ?Wind Cutter?!" I fired a wind blade at it. Perhaps it was my habit working again to cleanly finish the monster and to keep the damage to the surroundings as low as possible, but the Saber Tiger easily evaded it. However, I managed to pin down the Saber Tiger by barraging it with a series of overwhelming rapid-fire attacks fueled with my substantial mana, and I was able to inflict a wound on its leg. My wind blades were filled with ample amounts of mana to take down a monster of B-rank level, but I understood it wasn''t going to help out the next moment, so readjusted the mana infused in the spell and unleashed another barrage of wind blades upon the enemy. The Saber Tiger tried to evade and counterattack a couple of times, but I seized the moment when its movements were slowed due to its wounded leg, so my series of wind blades struck its torso and cleaved it in two. "Usually, it''s Teto who keeps them engaged so my mana consumption is unexpectedly huge. The question is what to do now. Should I search for Teto and Altair-san, or would it be better to not move now knowing I am stranded......" Just as I was staring at the corpse of the Saber Tiger absentmindedly, I quickly turned around after noticing killing intent again and saw another Saber Tiger exuding a murderous aura. Furthermore, it appeared there were five of them. But things didn''t stop there as even more monsters were drawn to the scent of blood from the corpse of the Saber Tiger, and in a state of excitement, the situation was just an inch away from turning into an explosive fight. "......Separated from Teto and Altair-san and attacked by monsters, what is this damned incomprehensible situation?! What emergency state have I caught myself in?!" As if to vent out my irritation, I cursed loudly while standing in the dead center of the monsters'' turf war and distanced myself from that place by escaping into the sky. Without a clear sense of direction, I darted through the forest between the gaps in the trees and used ?Clean? magic to wash off the smell. And when I caught my breath, I was completely clueless about where I was or how to go back. I searched for a spring nearby for the time being, erected a barrier there, and decided to wait for Teto and Altair-san to come and find me. Vol. 6 - Ch. 161 - A closed spring Side - Dark Elf Guide Altair"Majou-sama~, Majou-sama~" "Chise-sama! If you can hear us! Please reply!" While feeling pain in my chest as I heard Teto-sama''s voice, which seemed like she could burst into tears at any moment, I bitterly reflected on my own mistake. Just as I was guiding the ''Immortal Witch'' Chise-sama and Teto-sama to finally welcome them to our Eldar Forest Kingdom after the long journey, Chise-sama went missing. What was more, it happened when she was walking between me and Teto-sama. She just suddenly disappeared into the mist. We called out for Chise-sama in an attempt to find her without diverging from the path to the Eldar Forest Kingdom, but there was no reply, and with the spirits hindering us, we couldn''t detect her either. "Teto almost forgot! Majou-sama has a ?Transfer Gate?! Teto also has one that''s connected to Majou-sama!" After saying that, Teto-sama took out the other pair of the ?Transfer Gate? from her magic bag. According to the information Her Highness the Queen, a high elf, has obtained, Chise-sama, who could use ?Creation Magic?, could create magic tools that had been lost for over 2000 years. It seemed like the ?Transfer Gate? was one such magic tool that she had given to Teto-sama. "With this, Teto can connect to where Majou-sama ishuh?" The rectangular, door-shaped magic tool however didn''t connect to the different space as Teto-sama just passed through it. "I am very much ashamed to say this, but Goddess Leriel''s power has a strong influence in the center of this great forest to protect the capital city of the Eldar Forest Kingdom and the world tree, so magic that connects different spaces is off-limits." Leriel-sama wasn''t just the wind goddess but was also the one who governed over time and space, hence any space-type magic which involved teleporting or information transmission from inside to outside or vice-versa was obstructed. We were able to protect the great forest thanks to these blessings, however, elves weren''t an exception as we also couldn''t bypass these restrictions. The only exceptions were a handful of people like the knights recognized by the Priestess or Her Majesty the Queen. It''s due to this fact that we were unable to meet up with Chise-sama right now. "Majou-sama~, Majou-sama~!" I held Teto-sama''s hand as she looked like she was going to burst into tears at any time while calling out for Chise-sama and looking around for her aimlessly, and executed the best plan I could think of in the meantime. "Teto-sama! It would be more unfortunate if you also went in to search! I am sure that''s not something Chise-sama would want! Therefore, let''s head to the capital city as quickly as possible and issue a search request to the elven knights to safely find Chise-sama!" The elven knights were carrying equipment that bore the blessing of the Priestess, the apostle of Leriel-sama, so they should be able to efficiently search the forest without being hindered by any restrictions or spirits. "Ugh, Majou-sama, Majou-sama~" S?a?ch* Th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I quickly grabbed the hand of Teto-sama who sulked like a child, summoned a dark spirit, and let it take us to the direction of the capital of the Eldar Forest Nation through the consecutive use of ?Shadow Transfer?. The only silver lining amidst all this was that I was holding the amulet blessed by the Priestess so I could use ?Shadow Transfer? without any hindrance. However, the maximum distance I could travel with a single use was only about one kilometer. Though, it was still safer and faster than running through the uneven forest with ?Body Strengthening?. The simultaneous movement of two people was an indispensable skill to be able to carry important people to a safe shelter when the time called for it. However, this was the first time I used ?Shadow Transfer? to this extent, and I felt my mana rapidly depleting. However, this wasn''t the time to care about such matters. I kept using ?Shadow Transfer?, channeling my mana to the dark spirit while drinking high-quality mana potions that elves use. I was forced to take a break midway due to the depletion of my mana, however, thanks to the materialization of an intermediate-level earth spirit that for some reason collaborated with Teto-sama, we were able to advance straight towards the Eldar Forest Kingdom''s capital without losing our way while being carried on Teto-sama''s back. When my mana recovered, I used ?Shadow Transfer?, and while I rested or slept, Teto-sama carried me and raced through the depths of the Great Forest for three days and three nights in this way. Side - Chise "Camping, huh? I wonder when was the last time I did it?" When I was active as the ?Flying Carpet?, who was known for swift action and fast travel, I rarely had to camp because I could travel from town to town in less than a day. And when I learned to create ?Transfer Gates?, I just returned to our mansion in the ?Empty Wilderness? so it has been ages since I camped like this. "Fuu, my teleportation magic is ineffective, and I cant use the transfer gate or communication magic tool to connect with Teto or Baretta. This should be due to the influence of this place." As I fled from the monsters, I reached the ridge of a spring. Afterwards, I tried using the ?Transfer Gate? and my communication magic tool to get in touch with Teto and Baretta, but neither of them worked, and so here I was, sitting by the spring, hugging my knees and waiting to be rescued. "Only I was lost despite being sandwiched between Altair-san and Teto. It sounds like a deliberate plot from someone." Supposing I was following someone, then even the person following behind me, Teto, should have been lost together. However, not just Teto, even Altair-san was nowhere to be seen, so I guess I was taken away by some kind of supernatural power...... "Hmm, well I can''t say for sure if I was caught up in a supernatural power. I guess it would be better to search the area a little more." Now that I was done securing a temporary safe zone, I started investigating the area around spring. I wasn''t sure if it was a good idea to damage the trees of the Great Forest, so I placed the mana crystal from my magic bag on the ground. "One step, two steps, three steps......ten steps I think this distance should be enough." The ?Mana Crystal? in which I had stocked up plenty of mana so far as I had been using it as a mana sub-tank could be used as a marker when placed on the ground with the mana working as an indicator of sorts. Then, as I explored straight to the east from the spring while detecting the ?Mana Crystal? at regular intervals, I realized something. "Err, hmm? This place is" That something was that after I started walking for a bit, I came back to the spring from earlier right after I exited the forest but from the opposite side. Even the ?Mana Crystal? I had placed as a mark was there on the ground. "Could it be, I''m stuck in a loop?" When this realization dawned upon me, I tried to explore the north of the spring but came out on the south of it. I tried various methods of walking to check but it seemed like this place was a closed space that looped. "I''m in a pinch. I guess I''m now trapped in a locked space." ''If the ground didn''t yield any results, then how about the sky?'' Acting on this thought, I flew into the sky with flight magic but I was hindered by an invisible barrier and couldn''t fly past a certain altitude. "Teleportation magic is off limits as well, and there doesn''t seem to be any other way to leave this place, which means I am trapped here for good, huh......?" My thoughts drifted to Teto, who in her concern for me might have caused trouble for the guide Altair-san, making me restless. "For now, let''s see if the sky restriction can be destroyed." My action may damage the great forest so I turned my magic to the barrier-like wall in the sky and launched my magic there, rather than on the ground. "?Wind Cutter?." I pointed my wand towards the sky and chanted the spell. It was the same magic I had used to defeat the Saber Tiger earlier, and yet the mana dispersed before the spell had finished forming. "!? ?Wind Cutter? ?Wind Cutter? ?Wind Cutter?!" I imagined the same magic multiple times and tried to invoke it and yet it failed to activate each time, leaving only empty echoes. "Haaa, calm down. I was able to use ?Fly? just a moment ago. ?Light?." I tried to use the magic that created a sphere of light and it worked without a hitch. "So does it mean the only magic I can''t use here are teleportation and communication magic to leave from here, and offensive magic meant to destroy the space......?" Feeling exhausted from having my magic constantly obstructed, I sat down by the spring, hugging my knees. "In my current situation, the only thing I can do is to wait for Teto and the others to find and rescue me......" Having given up, I was suddenly assailed by intense drowsiness. I let the sleepiness take me and laid down on the grassy bank of the spring, the serene sound of the forest filling my ears. I was wearing a robe enchanted with cold protection, so I didn''t feel cold at all. In fact, the warm sunlight, the refreshing breeze, the sound of flowing water, and the rustling leaves created a soothing natural melody that lulled me to sleep. In a daze, I wondered when was the last time I slept without Teto being by my side while hugging my wand as if to replace her absence and letting go of my consciousness. At that moment, I felt like I heard delighted laughter like that of children nearby. Editor''s note: Any guesses on what happened? My money''s on fairies pranking her. It''s actually quite obvious now that I think about it :P T/N - And here I thought it''s the goddess guidance to resolve another mystery Vol. 6 - Ch. 162 - The Swapped Child of a Fairy "Ho there, young ''un. Wake up, awaken from your slumber.""Hn, Hng......" s?a??h th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Stirred awake, I turned to look up at the preparator with drowsy eyes. "......Who are you?" "That is my line. I came here under the call of the spirits. You, why are you here? How did you get here?" "Why? How did I?......" It was daytime when I was lulled into sleep by irresistible drowsiness but when confirming my surroundings, the glow of the daytime had been replaced by the veil of the night. Perhaps because I overslept, I felt languid and my mind was a bit lacking in clarity. "I was walking in the forest when I realized I was lost and arrived here. Then, seeing no way out, I felt sleepy... fell asleep...... and then" "Sigh, Young ''un. You have likely been kidnapped by fairies. And it appears your mana has been almost completely sucked by them." ''Well, of course you wouldn''t want to wake up, and couldn''t think straight,'' that person further mumbled. Fairies...... I remembered a kind of spirit called that. I recalled the details with my foggy mind. There were many types of spirits, ''spirit'' generally referred to the type that modeled themselves after creatures like the one employed by Altair-san (a lizard spirit), and then there was ''fairy'', referring to those who took their appearance after humans. "So I was indeed kidnapped, huh?" "That''s right. Fairies closer to reaching the rank of intermediate spirits must have kidnapped you to absorb your mana to promote themselves quickly. I think it is called ''changeling'' in human habitats." ''And looking at you, are you a child of a magician family?'' That person further muttered looking at my robe and the triangular hat on the ground. "But I didn''t see any fairies when I was investigating the surroundings......" "Indeed, it''s nothing strange for a child magician to see the bodies of spirits. If I am not wrong, one can peer at the unseeable by gathering mana into the eyes. However, if the other side doesn''t want to be seen, they can also hide themselves. Especially for the spirits that govern nature, it''s very easy." ''Plausible for sure,'' I nodded at the words that sounded like a lecture to a young kid and broke into a smile. Also, I noticed when that person pointed out the absorption of my mana, it had only decreased to around 10,000 units. However, I didn''t feel the usual symptoms of low mana like nausea so I assumed that they stopped before it hit rock bottom. Perhaps because of that, it had also caused the barrier I had erected around me and the ?Body Strengthening? magic to come off, and realizing that I was pushed into such a defenseless state made me depressed. No matter whether I was one of the few A-ran adventurers and had a vast amount of mana at my disposal, it didn''t cancel out the fact that my body was that of a 12-year-old girl. When I raised my lethargic body and looked up, I could faintly discern the outline of a woman''s face. Dense flowing hair reminiscent of gold, blue eyes, skin as radiating as snow, an indigo-blue nightgown cascading over her alluring body, and finally, her captivating bare legs showing their presence from the slits of the nightgown. It was an appearance unsuitable for the forest, however, she was so beautiful that it even shocked me, a member of the same gender, and pushed me out of my lethargic state. "Elf......" "Hnn? Yeah, I''m an elf. Is it odd?" "No, I didn''t mean that......" I mean, her pointed ears were the obvious proof of her being an elf, however, the picturesque beauty this woman in front of me held was incomparable to the elves I was acquainted with. "Well, let''s put things about me aside, tell me, child, what should be done about the ones who kidnapped you?" Snap After asking that, the elven woman snapped closed the folding fan in her hand, and, following that action, a faint glow emerged from within the darkness of the night. They were fairies, taken prisoner by the wind. "They''re the fairies that willfully captured you and drained your mana. Though that has promoted them to intermediate-level spirits, as their neighbor, I must enact a punishment. However, the one suffering is you, so how shall they be punished?" There was a saying that the anger of a beauty was like an enchanting blossom, but just the mere sight of the elven woman''s lip bending into a sadistic smile brought the captured fairies to the brink of tears, frightening them. "Even if you ask that, I don''t feel I had suffered that much, so maybe something like a warning would suffice. That being said, there''s one thing I want to say." My thoughts gradually cleared up as the mana used by the elven woman to capture the fairies aided in my recovery. Furthermore, I also am used to sharing my mana with Teto, the mythical beasts from the ?Empty Wilderness?, my magic tools, and many others to replenish their mana, so I didn''t consider it that big of a deal. "That''s why, I hope you don''t punish them too severely. For the sake of my mental health as well......" "You''re one precocious child to know difficult words like mental health. If the victim herself asked to reduce the punishment, so be it, I will punish them lightly." The elven woman pouted as if my answer wasn''t interesting to her, exhaled a sigh, and then decided on their punishment, taking just a few moments to consider it. "O'' Fairies. Hand over the spirit stone as compensation for draining this child''s mana. This is your punishment." The spirits, to whom the elven woman pointed her folding fan and passed down her verdict, clasped their hands in front of their chests with reluctant looks, condensed their power, and produced a gem. "This is...... neither a mana stone nor a mana crystal. But I can feel an incredible amount of mana from it." The gem was tiny, but my senses told me it shouldn''t be inferior to a mana stone of a B-rank monster. And those gems, one of each of the 6 attributes, were passed to me. "You foolish fairies! How much mana have you drained from this child?!" The elven woman, upon witnessing this, emanated mana from her body, flickering like flames of anger. "Just how many days have passed since you kidnaped this child from the outside world!? How many days have you held her captive in this place!? I did find all your promotions suspicious, but to think you''d even drain the mana that was supposed to be acquired ahead of time!? How dare you commit such an outrage against an innocent child, who is not even an intruder of the forest!" Seeing the enraged elven woman releasing her mana in a fit of rage, I hurriedly stopped her. "Stop! Stop! I am alright so stop!" As I told her that I didn''t feel any discomfort or strangeness, the elven woman directed her apologetic gaze at me. "You don''t feel anything? You see, a spirit stone is a special mana stone created by spirits that possess tens of times the mana density of ordinary mana stones." So in short, the elven woman was worried about how much mana had been drained from me to produce such a special mana stone. "This whole 20 million units is the amount of mana drained from you. I don''t know your original mana capacity but if that much is drained, it''s normal for the vessel to break, destroying any hope of being able to use magic ever again!" Various physical conditions occurred when one fell into a manaless state. And further using magic forcefully in that state and pushing out mana may result in reduced lifespan due to insufficient magic power, damaging the internal mana pathways and rendering one unable to use magic again, and may even pose a life-threatening risk. However, I had never stopped eating the ?Mysterious Nut? in these tens of years since the trade began and had expanded my mana reserve to a total of 700,000 units. Aside from that, the mana drained from me was only around one month''s worth of mana considering my mana recovery speed. "So, this means I have been sleeping here for a long time?" "That''s the gist, apparently......" I looked at the fairies who slowly nodded their heads. But thinking about how they might have tended to my food and bodily needs made me so embarrassed I felt the urge to go home right there. "But rest assured! This place is under the influence of Goddess Leriel-sama''s power. The passage of time inside and outside is different, so it shouldn''t have been that long in the outside world." Now this was surprising, could this be like a hyperbolic time chamber? (T/N - Yup, DB reference. Both source words are the same without any censorship, so keeping it as such. Lit. Spirit and Time Room) It was a perfect training place for an immortal like me, but thinking about how such a prank against ordinary people may result in shortening their lifespan brought a headache to me. "Sure enough, you''re not well! I must punish them severely in that case!" "No, please wait. I was just surprised to realize I slept for so long, that''s all. You can feel my mana, right? It''s recovering without any problems. Besides, the fairies seem to be careful as well as they apparently stopped before I fell into a manaless state." ''Isn''t that right?'' When I asked the captured fairies, they all vigorously nodded their heads in response. "But still, the amount of magical power they absorbed from a human mage and the magical power they used to create these spirit stones seems to be mismatched......" "I remember I placed a ?Mana Crystal? around to serve as the landmark when I was investigating the area so the extra mana could have been obtained from there. It might also be because I had been stockpiling my accumulated magic power until now!" It seemed like she was mistaking me for an ordinary child magician, and I feel like she would find it incredulous if I told her my mana reserve was higher than 700,000 units to clear the misunderstanding, so I fabricated a convenient excuse. ''Is that so?'' Although the elven woman didn''t look convinced, she still nodded in the end. "Very well. You fairies, you are free for now but there will be no second time." After saying that, the elven woman released the fairies and they immediately left the place as if running away. "Well then, child. How about you stay tonight at my place?" "......I will be taking up on your offer then. I want to meet with Teto...... the girl who was with me." "Umu! Just leave it to me! Then, follow me!" In the pitch-black night, I stood up and took the hand of the mysterious and breathtaking elf beauty. Together, we jumped into a large shadow summoned by her and what unfurled on the other side was a sight different from spring. It was a chalk-white townscape, illuminated by the light spirits even as the night covered the sky. Crystal clear water was flowing in the water channels and, in the distance, I could see structures tens of times larger than the tree houses I had seen in the elf village. Further away, beyond these buildings, stood a chalk-white castle, complementing the townscape. "Welcome to our country, the Eldar Forest Kingdom, child. I might need to leave your side for a while since some important people are scheduled to arrive, but I swear to treat you with the utmost respect and return you to the care of your lost companions afterwards." It seemed like in a strange turn of events, I had reached my destination, and just like that, with the elf woman pulling my hand, I walked through the streets of the town. Editor''s note: So I was right in that it really was fairies but it was apparently more serious than a prank. Though I find it hard to believe a bunch of low-level fairies (remember they evolved to intermediate through Chise''s mana) could kidnap someone as experienced and powerful as Chise so easily and make her their power bank. T/N - A beautiful elf and sadistic, doesn''t it kind of sound ho--- Ahem Indeed hard to believe, but the reason is explained in next chapter. Vol. 6 - Ch. 163.1 - Eldar Forest Kingdom As I was walking towards a large building in the town while being led by the elven woman, I quickly returned to my senses after my attention was stolen by the splendor of the town and asked her."The teleportation from earlier was ?Shadow Transfer?? So this is the elven nation? How was I made to sleep for so long by the fairies? And what is the fundamental difference between the spirit stone I received earlier and a mana stone?" There were so many unknown things that I couldn''t help but want to know about and when I asked all of them in one breath, the elven lady looked at me with an amused smile. "Umm? This child sure has a great thirst to know about the unknown. You''re a great child, great child." After saying that, she lifted my witch hat and roughly patted my head. "H, Hey!" I reached out and took back the hat, holding onto the brim to protect my hair from being messed up. Seemingly finding my reaction amusing, the elven woman laughed heartily. "Don''t be mad. This place is the true capital of the elves......" "Really? But, the sky is......" Both the water and air were clean, and sunlight was also pouring down. However when one shifted their gaze to look above their head, what spread there wasn''t the familiar boundless sky but a ceiling, indicating we were somewhere indoors. "You''re quite an intelligent child. It was indeed shadow transfer, and it''s really one of the best ways to teleport people." Altair-san had mentioned that her shadow transfer could only transport letters or small items at best. However, the elven woman before me displayed teleportation magic that effortlessly transported even people by utilizing the power of the dark spirit when she wasn''t even a dark elf. It was evident that she held a position of great importance within the Eldar Forest Kingdom. "We cannot reveal our precise location, but rest assured, we reside under the grace of the Heaven Goddess Leriel-sama, whom we worship. The secluded springs you encountered were sacred places created by the Goddess-sama in various places of the Great Forest for the spirits to find solace in and rest." "I see. Goddess Leriel''s power, huh? The fairies must have used it." Furthermore, considering it was Goddess Leriel who governed not only the wind but also space and time, something like creating looped or closed subspaces, such as the spring, was well within her abilities. "Correct. And as for how you were made to fall asleep for so long, it was through the magic of the fairies." Their magic? But I''m sure I had put up a robust barrier by pouring in quite an amount of mana In addition to the barrier magic I had put up, the conventional mind magic should not have been effective against me due to the vast mana I possessed. It would have been another matter if I was running out of mana, but they were able to bypass my defenses so effortlessly when I should have been closer to my top condition when I reached the spring. "You indeed have an impressive amount of mana for a human, but you should not look down on spirits as well. You may see us, the elves, using spirit magic but spirits are at best our neighbor whose power we are borrowing, not beings we rule. After all, even if they''re lower-class spirits close to intermediate-class, they''re still the reincarnations of nature. They''re not something people can oppose without any preparation." She further elaborated that resisting spirits within their territory was nearly impossible, given how their mana permeated the surroundings. "Even if it''s just fairies from lower-class spirits who can not materialize, they can make use of the sound of the water, the rustling of trees, the gentle sunlight, and the floral scent carried by the wind in their territory as catalysts and can toy with people however they want." It really makes one wonder how strong these intermediate-class fairies were. S?a?ch* Th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Dragon Grandpa has roughly 3 million mana. The Archdemon that was once summoned in the past had 100,000 units of mana although its summoning was imperfect. Let''s suppose the almost intermediate-class fairies capable of materialization possessed mana between the range of 100,000-200,000 units and there were 6 of them, they may have easily surpassed my mana by adding up each other''s mana. "Besides, barrier magic only blocks physical attacks, it is ineffective against light or sound. On the other hand, defensive magic reacts to malice, ill-will, and hostility but is rather slow when it comes to goodwill." "That was goodwill? Making me lose sight of my friend, forcibly putting me to sleep and even draining a large amount of my mana? I wonder if you can really say that....." Their action caused my barrier magic and body-strengthening magic to come off, it was a situation where one wrong step would have put me in jeopardy. Normally, I would have been angry in such a situation, but the sudden turn of events slowed down my thinking, and since the elven woman in front of me got angry on my behalf, it rather stopped me from getting angry myself. Thinking back about the situation, it was really dangerous. "This is just my speculation, but I think those fairies had taken a liking to your mana and invited you to that spring." "Invited me into the spring......" "I think they didn''t have any intention to put you in danger and should have protected you as you slept. However, lulling you into a healing sleep was purely an act of goodwill." According to her, fairies usually provided a space to heal the tiredness of the people they had taken a liking to, and mostly even took care of various things for them. In return, they took a bit of their mana as compensation, but in my case, they had apparently taken a liking to the quality of my mana and they got a bit... careless. Recalling the situation, I might have indeed been tired from walking in the forest for so many days. However, when she explained the situation to me again, apart from whether I should get mad at them or not, it made me realize once more how spirits and fairies were fundamentally different beings. "I''ve been asleep in a different dimension for a whole month due to their goodwill...... Thank you for waking me up." "Hmm, you understand now? Next, the spirit stones. Well, they''re basically no different from mana stones." "Let''s say, what will happen if they''re used to make magic tools?" The thing I mainly wanted to know about was their difference in scenarios where a mana stone was used. For example, magic letters could be engraved on mana stones and they could be given various effects with enchanting magic afterwards. Or other cases, you could crush them into tiny bits to mix them into a magic potion or during the production of a magic weapon. "Spirit stones can only reach a certain size, and their rank is determined by their density. However, the effect they provide, if you replace them with the gems in ordinary jewelry like accessories and rings and imbue them with even the simplest enchantment, is tremendous." As an example, if you compare a mana stone and a spirit stone of the same size, a mana stone would have E-rank equivalent mana while a spirit stone would have at least B-rank or higher mana. So not only did the small size of the spirit stone provide extraordinary wearable comfort, but their effect was also amazing. "Their drawbacks are they don''t exist in large sizes, so they aren''t suitable for complex or large-scale magic tools...:" As an example, the mana stone used in the manipulation mana tool to control the earth veins of the ?Empty Wilderness? was the large-size mana stone we got from the large insect-type monster, Mother, whom we presumed to be an S-rank. So when a spirit stone possessed an equal amount of mana to a mana stone, it would have enough mana to exhibit the same type of effect as that mana stone, but its small size would also make it harder to fully engrave the complex magic characters or inscriptions required. This was where the difference between spirit stones and mana stones became apparent. "That being said, an S-rank class monster rarely appears once every century or so. It''s highly unlikely one will appear during your lifetime, child, so just take this information with a grain of salt." "A, ahahaha, you''re right......" I replied with dry laughter...... and decided to be silent about our encounter with one such creature and that we defeated it. Thinking about the new material, the spirit stone, I had obtained this time inwardly delighted me as I followed after the elven woman who was leading me down a path. The place we headed to was a towering huge building or not. Rather, it was the white chalk castle visible behind it. "We''re at our destination, come over here." "Excuse me...... can we really enter here? Are you perhaps one of the nobles in the castle?" Being able to capture fairies, and having a contract with a dark spirit that could carry people meant that she must be quite a renowned magician... I mean, spirit user. I expected her to have the same status as a Court Sorcerer working for the elven nation. And when I further followed after her, the people in the castle respectfully bowed their heads. "Welcome back, Erneah-sama." Editor''s note: Still call bs on the fairies kidnapping her easily while this elf (who I assume is the elf queen) can manhandle them easily enough. Vol. 6 - Ch. 163.2 - Eldar Forest Kingdom "It''s already so late tonight. Everyone, take a rest early and prepare for tomorrow''s work."''There is no need for a stiff greeting, really,'' she said while waving the folding fan in her hand. And judging from the wry smiles on the faces of the castle servants as they complied with her order, I guessed that the elven lady, Erneah-sama, probably interacted with all the servants in a similar easygoing manner. S?a?ch* Th? ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Umu. Alright, this way, you can use this place for tonight." "Thank you for the hospitality......" When I entered the guest room I was led to, its splendor shocked me. The room was several times bigger than my room in our mansion, and one glance was enough to tell me that the furniture and the other items were obviously of high value. While I was shocked at the sight of the room, Erneah-san, the person who guided me here, lazily sat on the sofa and fetched a wine glass and a liquor bottle from the shadow she summoned with a gesture of her finger. "Haaa A drink after finishing my rounds in the forest is the best." "Err...... I am really grateful for your protection, but are you sure you have to stay here with me?" "Well of course, I can''t leave a child to sleep in such a big room alone as a guardian. Fortunately, the bed is wide enough for both of us to sleep in easily." Certainly, it sounded reasonable if she put it that way, but...... "I assume Erneah-san is one of the great figures in this castle. So, wouldn''t it be more appropriate to leave this matter to the servants from earlier?" "Erneah-san...... It has a nostalgic ring to it......" I stared at Erneah-san''s appearance with a narrow gaze as she seemingly had taken a liking to the way I called her as could be seen from her repeatedly muttering it joyfully while drinking. Though she coughed and rectified her appearance when she noticed my gaze. "Ahem...... well there is some truth to your words, child. But I was simply curious about you." "It''s my pleasure to receive your praise, but I am not at an age to be called a child, just so you know." "Hmm-hmm. No matter the age, young''uns will always try to act all mature. But for me, you are an adorable child in my eyes no matter your age." After hearing her say that as she beckoned me, I sat down on the adjacent sofa. I was slightly befuddled receiving the type of treatment that differed from Teto''s, as she patted my head and treated me like I was some sort of cute kid. Then I realized I haven''t eaten dinner. "I''m hungry." "Hmm? Ah, how careless of me. Let me prepare dinner for you, child." "No need to take the trouble. I am properly carrying food with me." I said that as I fetched a small box from my magic box. The box, which was named ''lunch box'', was equipped with a similar time-stop mechanism used in the storehouse of the ?Empty Wilderness?, so it allowed me to preserve freshly cooked meals. "You, that''s a magic tool, isn''t it?" "You can tell?" "Well, yeah. I have seen many magic tools due to my position, but a magic tool that specializes only in keeping food fresh is something new...... From which dungeon did you get it?" "......Who knows? I just purchased it so I don''t know the origin. I am just using it since it''s convenient. Want to eat together?" I averted my eyes and took out food enough for two people from the lunch box. I had initially prepared it for my trip with Teto, but since she wasn''t by my side, I decided to entertain Erneah-san. "It has been made by a maid at my place." This time''s lunch box menu was curry rice and salad as a side. "Hmm, it looks quite delicious from the smell...... But is this rice covered in brown, thick gravy? How nostalgic..." "Nostalgic? Have you tried it before?" Initially, I used to make our portion with ?Creation Magic? in the ?Empty Wilderness?, but as the demand for rice increased with the increase in the population of the residents there, we were now cultivating rice, although small in quantities, with the seeds I created. "Yeah. The gravy wasn''t thick like this, but I have eaten rice with thin spicy soup poured over them. It was said to be a trial product, and the rice in your food seems to be of a different variety as well." "I think the rice you saw before was a long-grain variety. This one is a short-grain variety, sticky and firm." "I see...... I guess it would be impolite to reject your kindness, so I shall have it as well." Erneah-san gingerly reached out her hand for the curry rice. Once she had a taste of the complex flavor of the spices, the sweetness of the caramelized onions, and the richness of the meat that enveloped her taste buds, all her trepidations went out the window as she began to eat with relish. As much as I wanted to say that I was an adult, the spiciness was kept mild catering to my childish palate which was also just the right level for a beginner curry eater like Erneah-san to eat. She ate gracefully, occasionally taking a bite of the salad or sipping on the alcohol, savoring each bite. After how she had been treating me like a child, I felt like I had gotten back at her slightly as I ate the curry, courtesy of Baretta and the maids. "Hmm, it was delicious. It was much more delicious than what I had in the past." "It was nothing special." Once we were finished eating, I cleared the dishes. I had just entered the bathroom that was in the room and was about to cleanse myself when Erneah-san also joined in, unabashedly revealing her beautiful physique before me. "W, Why the hell are you coming in!?" "There was no way I could let a child take a bath by herself, you know? Besides, we''re both of the same gender, so it''s not like there''s any need to be embarrassed." "I am not so young that I can''t even take a bath alone! And we might be the same gender, but this is still surprising......" "Just chill and take it easy." I glared at Erneah-san who, despite my reluctance, didn''t leave the bathroom and started to clean herself. Fortunately, the bathroom was big enough to accommodate two people with plenty of space in between. In the middle of my bath, my gaze caught a glimpse of Erneah-san''s well-shaped, ample breasts and as I subconsciously compared them to my underdeveloped chest which had stopped growing, a melancholic feeling welled up inside me. "Child. You''ll grow a chest like mine someday. There is hope." "Y, Yeah......" I responded with a dull nod to Ernearh-san''s encouragement, but deep down, I felt a pang of guilt for not being able to tell her that as an immortal my chest would not grow any larger. Afterwards, it was time for sleep but since I was made to sleep for a long time by the fairies, sleepiness didn''t come easily to me. On the other hand, Erneah-san, who drank, took no time in falling asleep on the bed. I stared at the night scenery of the Eldar Forest Kingdom as my thoughts drifted towards our trip. Reaching here should have been our goal, but I ended up here in such a roundabout way, it honestly didn''t sit well with me. "......Teto, I wonder what she''s doing now." Honestly, there was a lot to digest, like the fairies kidnapping me and putting me to sleep in a subspace while absorbing my mana for a month. But everything was so surreal to me that I didn''t feel any anger inside me. Although I was worried about Teto and how she must have passed the time in my absence, there was nothing I could do at that moment, unfortunately. I laid down on the sofa and drifted to sleep, the wide sofa with a soft sinking feeling was enough for my petite body. T/N: Quite an interesting she is, the elven woman, no? Vol. 6 - Ch. 164 - High Elf Queen I was enjoying a sweet sleep while curled up on the soft sofa when I heard the sound of flurried footsteps coming from outside the room. I listened in on them while barely conscious."Erneah-sama! Why in the world are you in this guest room!? Please rest in your room if you''re going to sleep!" "Don''t be so rigid. After all, guests rarely come to this isolated elven kingdom from the outside world. There are so many rooms that can be used even if they do come. But more importantly, you look quite tired, and this child here is even crying, what''s the matter?" At the vaguely familiar voice, I turned my focus to the source of that voice with my sleep consciousness. It seemed like Erneah-san was talking in front of the door. I also heard a girl''s sobbing voice blended with their discussion from outside the opened door. I sat up from the sofa while rubbing my eyes. "Something big has happened! Creation Witch-sama has gone missing while we were on our way here!" "What did you say!?" "She disappeared three days ago! Spirits sneakily created an illusion of her and kidnapped her quietly! We''ve requested a search from the castle''s knight order!" "What a travesty against an important guest...... I will help in the search with the spirits!" Feeling relatively well and with my magical power restored halfway, I grab my wand and walk towards the door. "What''s wrong, Erneah-san?" "Ah, child, did you wake up? It seems like someone has gone missing in the forest, so I might need to take over this matter. You should wait here in this room for a while." I turned to look at the speaker outside the door with whom Erneah-san was speaking, and our eyes met. " "......Ah" " They were Altia-san, whose eyes went wide in surprise, and Teto, who was crying while repeatedly mumbling ''Majou-sama~, Majou-sama~''. "Good morning, Teto, Altia-san." "M, Majou-sama~!" Teto tackled my waist while still crying, causing me to plop down on the floor of the guest room from the momentum. It seemed like she had been crying all this time, as her face had become dry and cracked due to losing the water that composed her body. ''How long has she been crying until she found me?'' I felt a pang of guilt in the fact that I was sleeping soundly on the sofa while they were rushing here worried about me. "Calm down, Teto. Drink to replenish your water." "Teto''s glad you''re fine! Teto''s glad that you''re safe, Majou-sama!" I couldn''t pinpoint the reason but, aside from Teto who was exuding an air of relief finding me safe, Altair-san was giving Erneah-san a stern look. "Although I don''t want to entertain this idea but the one who abducted Chise-sama was Erneah-sama herself!?" "That''s a misunderstanding, alright? I merely protected the child who was captured by fairies and brought her here! I would never do such a thing!" As Erneah-san shifted her gaze to me in search of help, I explained the situation to Altair-san. Like how I was unknowingly kidnapped by fairies, who forced me to sleep in their closed space and absorbed my mana. And that the flow of the time in that space was different, as only three days had passed in the real world. Then Erneah-san appeared, rebuked the fairies that had been promoted to intermediate class for taking my mana, and even looked after me and brought me here. "Erneah-sama didn''t do anything rude to you, did she?" "No, she has taken great care of me. It''s just, I have been treated as a child due to how I look." I answered Altair-san while calming down Teto who had been crying nonstop and making her drink the water I took out from the magic bag. "I apologize on behalf of Erneah-sama who treated someone of your esteemed position so casually......" "I guess an apology is due, but I didn''t know her real identity so it was kind of inevitable. Besides, the root cause of all this is the fairies who abducted her due to their greed. However, I heard that Creation Witch-dono is over 70 years old, I never heard someone saying she had become immortal with a childish figure." "The appearance of the ?Flying Carpet? Chise-sama is quite famous." "I''ve been living for over 2000 years you know, so I don''t bother remembering such trivial details. To begin with, one can generally grasp someone''s character upon meeting them." ''Besides, since the spirits allowed her to come this far, there shouldn''t be any problems......'' In contrast to Erneah-san who said so while waving her hand casually, Altair-san had a frustrated look on her face. In a way, Altair-san seemed like someone who regularly had to endure hardship. "Anyway, let me introduce myself to you, child-- I mean, the leader of the ?Empty Wilderness?. I am the queen of the Eldar Forest Kingdom, Erneah. And she is" "I am Altair, serving as Her Majesty Erneah-sama''s assistant" I had kind of guessed it already, but she was indeed the queen of the elves, huh? Furthermore, Altair-san seemed to have a higher position than I had initially assumed. "Likewise, I am Witch Chise. I came from the ?Empty Wilderness?." "......Thank you for finding Majou-sama. I am Teto-nanodesu." As Teto and I bowed our heads, Erneah-san nodded with satisfaction. "Umu. Chise and Teto, those are good names. It would be rude to call you child after hearing your name, but it also feels awkward to call you Chise-dono...... Besides, we''ll have a long-standing friendship as fellow immortals. Is it alright if I call you Chise?" "I don''t mind, Your Majesty Erneah." When I said so, she adorably pouted as if sulking. s?a??h th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "You may address me without honorifics....... That being said, it might be difficult given your personality. So just add -san, that''s fine as well." "Is that fine?" "No problem. I am not fond of formalities. And I have a soft spot for cute people." "......Ahem, Your Majesty." Altair-san cleared her throat and murmured in a low voice as Elnea-san reached out to pat our heads after saying her piece. Perhaps she didn''t like being called ''Your Majesty'' as Erneah-san wrinkled her face in disgust while withdrawing her hand. "Geez, you used to be so cute when you were just a child. Where did I go wrong that you grew up to be such a boorish adult?" "Kuh, it''s embarrassing to talk about my childhood so please stop talking about it!" Facing Erneah-san who faked her tears, Altair-san''s face turned red and her voice became rough. After having a look at Altair-san''s expression which we didnt get to see during our journey, I felt like I had gotten a glimpse of her relationship with Erneah-san. "Anyway, you two can continue to use this room. We will have the discussions later when preparations are done." After saying all that, the Elf Queen left the room leaving behind Teto who still clung onto me tightly. "Majou-sama, Teto hopes you don''t disappear anymore." "I will not. But more importantly, I''m glad that you''re safe." "Um, Teto did her best." Hearing their side of the story, they ran continuously for three days and nights to come all the way here. "Teto really wanted to find Majou-sama right away. But Teto thought about what Majou-sama would have done in that case, and so I came here first." "Yes, you did your best. You made an intelligent decision." Receiving my praise, Teto finally broke her crying expression as a smile bloomed on her face, and we went to sleep while she clung to me. Considering how Teto might have gotten lost as well, I couldn''t help but praise Teto for choosing a reliable method this time and also felt grateful to Altair-san for keeping Teto with her. If it weren''t for Erneah-san, I might not have been able to reunite with Teto so early in the morning. I was feeling grateful as Teto slept while holding onto me. I gently combed her hair and waited for her to wake up. Editor''s note: Halfway through the chapter, Translator suddenly corrected Altair''s name to Altia. I kept it Altair instead since a) it''s been so many chapters since this lady appeared and I''m too lazy to backtrack just to edit her name and b) I find the image of the grandmaster assassin being reincarnated into a dark elf diplomat and confidant really funny ???? T/N: Ugh, side effect of playing too much atelier game, it get mixed in between. Don''t ask me which one though. Also, scroll up a bit up to see the announcement in notes. Vol. 6 - Ch. 165 - A meeting between authorities We took a one-day break for Teto to recuperate as she had lost plenty of water due to her nonstop crying, before continuing our meeting with Erneah-san."Hmm, so you have come." At the meeting place, aside from Erneah-san and Altair-san, there was also a pale-skinned elf woman whose eyes were shut close. Though she wasn''t sleeping as she was properly facing us and her long ears subtly twitching. "Thank you for setting the meeting. This is a gift we prepared from there . I took out the gift we had prepared for the elven queen from my magic bag. They were seeds of a world tree I had created with , fail-safe accessories used when riding on flying mythical beasts, the scales that Dragon Grandpa shed, and many more...... These were the items I prepared after discussing with Baretta and Dragon Grandpa and concluding that we shouldn''t focus on quantity. I had chosen them mainly to show the things we had in our place. Seeing the gifts, Altair-san''s eyes went wide with surprise and the face of the other elven woman also showed astonishment. Only Erneah-san was------ "Oh~, I appreciate your effort. I''ll drink it tonight with my evening meal." Instead of being impressed by these things, she seemed more delighted with the barrel of alcohol that has been aged for 50 years as she tapped it. At her reaction, Altair-san broke out of her reverie and cleared her throat. "We''ll cherish and make good use of these gifts." "Feel free to use them however you like. Also, if multiple world trees grow properly, you can harvest the seeds again. So do your best to take care of them." "Their flowers are beautiful~" Upon hearing our words, Altair-san''s eyes widened in surprise for the second time today. "Err...... World trees can increase in number......? Erneah-san, is that true?" "Yeah, indeed. However, world trees can''t pollinate on their own as that requires multiple world trees. That''s why it was referred to as the sole world tree, it couldn''t increase its number on its own." When Erneah-san stated that fact, both Altair-san and the elf woman looked shocked. I guess they had forgotten about it due to the fixed notion of the ''sole'' world tree over the years. For instance, if the world tree was the kind of tree unable to bear fruits, then the mythical beast Ratatosk wouldn''t have formed the habit of burying its fruits or nuts underground as winter food. Well, it was another matter that the majority of the Ratatosk completely forgot about the fruits they hide for the winter, allowing the seeds of the world tree to sprout after winter. "In that case, we can further develop the Great Forest." "Hmm, but is this acceptable for you? The seeds of the world tree are something we elves desperately seek. And giving them as a gift would be akin to giving up on your interest." Facing the question Erneah-san posed with an amusing expression in an attempt to test us out, I answered. "I don''t particularly care about them. In case I died and all the world trees from the were to be cut down, as long as Elves who have been continuing to protect the Great Forest for ages grow them, this will at least mean that the world tree species will survive." If I, the wielder of , died and all the young world trees were to be lost, the World Tree in the Elven Great Forest would return to being the only one. This went against the wish of Liliel to fill the world with mana. In that case, I believed the correct path was to not care about self-interest and raise world trees together with the elves. "A firm conviction indeed, as to be expected from a goddess'' apostle." The pale-skinned elven woman put her hands together in front of her chest with a reverent expression at my response. "Fumu...... if I receive them casually, it would raise questions about my honor." "Erneah-sama, then....." Altair-san explained our reason for visiting Erneah-san who adopted a pondering look as she fiddled with her closed folding fan. "Sounds good. We will cooperate with you in your wish to secure the boundaries of the . Ah, but it might be difficult for you to accept our country''s defense magic all at once, so I think it would be better to adopt them little by little." After becoming acquainted with High Elf Queen and obtaining her approval to learn of their technique related to their forest''s defenses, this outing could be considered a success already. "Thank you. To be honest, I had considered the possibility of our request being refused. But now, we can deal with intruders more efficiently." "That''s good. And there is one more gift. Rorona." "Yes, Erneah-sama." The elf woman who had been mostly silent up until now stood up and made a slow bow. "I am Rorona, an elf priestess and the apostle of Heaven Goddess Leriel-sama. " "I am Chise, Liliel''s apostle. It''s my pleasure to meet you." "And Teto is the protector of Majou-sama!" Then, when I extended my hand for a handshake, Rorona-san also reached her hand out, but she only caught air instead of grasping my hand even after multiple attempts. "H. Huh? That''s strange. I can''t feel Chise-sama''s magic, so I can''t shake her hand." "I see. I usually keep my mana suppressed so you wouldn''t be able to sense it." After saying that, I slightly released my mana. Rorona-san, too, seemed to have clearly grasped the outline of my mana this time as she firmly returned my handshake. "Rorona-san is unable to see with her eyes?" "Yes. I was born blind but I can sense magic power and spirits, so it doesn''t bother me much." Rorona-san smiled as she said that, and next, she shook hands with Teto. "As a token of gratitude for the seeds of the world tree, I will give you a talisman that has received the blessing of Leriel." "A talisman with Leriel''s blessing? What''s that?" Rorona-san took out two wooden talismans wrapped in red cloth and placed them side by side. Made from fragments of the World Tree and engraved with magical inscriptions, they were a type of magic tool. "In this Eldar Forest Kingdom protected by Leriel, the use of teleportation-related magic and magic tools is prohibited. However, the ones holding these talismans blessed by Rorona, an apostle of Leriel, are exempted from these restrictions." ''Furthermore, by adding in your mana, it can only be used by you,'' she further explained. It was kind of like a guild card, Teto and I received one each as that thought crossed my mind. Then, when we channeled our mana into them, they changed color and became as hard as metal despite retaining their wooden weight. "Congratulation. You can now freely travel between the Eldar Forest Kingdom and the . Shall we install a in this castle as well?" I could somehow guess the thoughts of Erneah-san who grinned and laughed cheerfully. "Once we set up a , are you planning to use it to visit the to hang out?" S~?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Ah, it seems like I was exposed." Erneah-san should be able to travel between both places as she must also be holding one such Leriel-blessed talisman. "Erneah-sama, we cannot allow you to go outside of the forest alone." "Why, I often take walks alone at night, so why does it matter now?" "Even so! In fact, can you not go out alone for a walk please!" Looking at the scene of Altair-san rebuking Erneah-san who casually brushed it off, Rorona-san listened with an amused smile. "What''s the harm? It has been a while since a Reincarnator from another world came to our world, so I might be able to listen to interesting stories. Besides, Chise is also immortal, so isn''t having a good relationship with her important?" "Ohh, speaking of them, I didn''t search for traces of past Reincarnators, but they really seem to exist, huh?" At my murmuring, Rorona, Leriel''s apostle, explained. "The goddess-sama sends the reincarnated individuals to this world in a way that ensures that there are never multiple individuals at the same time." In a world where lifespans could be extended through magic, most of the Reincarnators probably passed away without attaining immortality. In that case, I wondered if there were people who lived for 100 or 200 years. Some might have even reached 300 years depending on their inherent talent. Nevertheless, I guess I was the only Reincarnator alive right now. "Don''t be so down. The descendants of that guy from Chise''s hometown have been continuing to carry that bloodline." "I see." "In the past, there used to be a foolish country with a deep-rooted human supremacism and slavery ideology in the neighborhood of the Great Forest that tried to lay its hands on us multiple times. That Reincarnator demolished that country and built the Sanfield Empire over it, becoming its King." Apparently, when Takaya Sunfield ------ Hinohara Takaya-san, the founding Emperor of Sunfield Empire, surpassed the rank of A-rank and reached S-rank, he took down the slavery-preaching royal family and became the king of the new country. Afterward, he spent the rest of his lifetime with his wives who were former slaves, and had many children with them. (T/N - Changing Sanfield>Sunfield. Sunfield name is derived from the name ''Hi-no-hara'' which can mean the field/plains of the sun.) "By the way, while claiming something like ''Harem is a man''s romance!'', he had wives from all six races: human, beastkin, elf, dwarf, dragonkin, and demonic......" "Well, no comment from me." Though harem was unacceptable for me as a woman, I could understand it as a man''s dream. However, it was probably because it was a country where the King himself welcomed the brides from different races that the country could advance in coexistence with different races. "In his later years, when he lost his wives one after another, and even his elven wife also passed away in the end, he ceased the rejuvenation of his body due to his mana and peacefully passed away at the age of 150." "...... I see." Even if people can live up to 300 years with magic power if they have no meaning or purpose in life, their spirits would weaken and they would die. And from Erneah-san''s appearance as if she was talking about her old friend, it seemed like their friendship couldn''t become the reason for him to live on. "Well, enough with glum talk, let''s not dwell on the past. You can install the in a corner of this castle, so you can come here at any time and visit." "In that case, let''s set it up right away." For now, we decided to set up the and set the user permission to Erneah-san, Altia-san, and Rorona-san. With this, even if other people were holding the blessed talisman, the ''s mechanism would reject the unauthorized person. "Good. Just contact us when you have plans to visit. And feel free to consult with me at any time if you have any problems regarding how to deal with the intruders of the . With that, Teto and I received permission to set up the in a corner of the castle. Now, we can return to the anytime. Vol. 6 - Ch. 166 - Mud-ball Cocoon The meeting proceeded favorably, and we decided on the details of the trade items and their distribution volume.Furthermore, I also confirmed that a part of the materials we had been putting in circulation that couldn''t be consumed by the population of the ?Empty Wilderness? posed no significant impact on the Eldar Forest Kingdom. Aside from those, we also decided on a policy to promote breeding through matchmaking among the mythical beasts as well as a relocation plan for the mythical beasts that were absent in each of our places. We also received the books and crafts of the Eldar Forest Kingdom as a token of gratitude for the ?World Tree Seeds?. "These are picture books, technical books, magic books, and academic books of my country. Well, I can''t pass you our latest research so these are all books with outdated knowledge. Feel free to take them with you." "Are you sure!?" My voice involuntarily raised at her words and I quickly picked up a book to read. Although the magic books of the elves were different from the magic books that humans used since they mostly focused on how to use spirit magic, if one managed to successfully establish communication with the spirits according to this book then it would open the door for humans to use spirit magic as well. There were also technical books on crafting accessories made from processed spirit stones and various mana potion recipes using materials found in the Elven Great Forest. All of them were invaluable treasures that couldn''t be obtained in ordinary countries, and here they were placed in front of me like a mountain. "Are you really sure!?" "Of course, these are the only things I can think of that you would like, so all that matters is you like them." "Thank you!" "Majou-sama looks like she''s really happy." I was so excited that I immediately forgot about the situation and began to skim through the books right there. The book was slightly too heavy and big for my size so I read it while putting it on my lap. Then, noticing that Erneah-san and the other two were looking at my excited appearance with a smile, I closed the book I was reading feeling slightly embarrassed, and softly cleared my throat. "ahem...... I''ll read it carefully later." "Fufufu, It seems like they were just the right gift for you. We have a few more things to do so we''ll take our leave. You should take a rest." ''If necessary, you could also bring your servants and visit the town,'' Erneah-san left after leaving these words behind. She was quite an easygoing individual, but I guessed the position of the High Elf Queen was not just for show. Anyway, the meeting with the Eldar Forest Kingdom was over with this, and we returned to the room we used yesterday where I continued to read my book. "Majou-sama~, is this book so fun?" "Yeah, it''s fun and interesting. I''m glad that I''m able to read about the things I didn''t know about." S?a??h th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Sitting on the sofa, I was currently reading a book about magic tool manufacturing and enchantment on mana stones. The stuff written in this book was much more advanced than the typical books in circulation, but, given my mana capacity, I should be able to do experiments and learn a lot. As I was reading it, the word ''spirit stone'' suddenly popped up in it, reminding me of it. So, I turned to look at Teto who was staring at me with a joyful look. "It almost slipped from my mind, here, Teto. I was planning to give it to you." "What are you giving, Majou-sama?" I took out the small spirit stone from the magic bag and showed it to Teto. "It''s a special mana stone that I received from the spirits as an apology. Do you want it, Teto?" "Teto wants!" After saying that, Teto lightly tossed the earth attribute spirit stone in the air, opened her mouth wide, and swallowed it. Gulp But the moment Teto swallowed it down, her eyes widened in astonishment, and her body arced backward as if she received an intense shock. "!? Teto!" Although it was a special type of mana stone, I thought of them as just simple mana stones with exceptional density, so I didn''t expect such an intense reaction from Teto. Flustered, I quickly reached out my hands towards her. Teto curled her body, hugging her legs to her chest, a part of her legs had reverted to being mud from where the mud gushed out which covered the space around her body, and soon, a huge mud-ball-like object emerged in the center of the room. "......What is this?" Inside the beautifully polished mud ball, I could feel something akin to Teto''s mana pulse. I couldn''t tell what exactly had occurred but it was clear something strange had happened to her. Destroying the mud ball and saving Teto might cause even more complications so I refrained from doing it and felt myself at my wit''s end. The ones I can rely on this time were either Baretta, Dragon Grandpa or the High Elf Queen Erneah-san. "Anyone! Teto! Teto is......" I hurriedly requested the nearby elf servant to contact Erneah-san and the others, but they were in the middle of their work so they shouldn''t be able to come here immediately either. As I waited for others to arrive, feeling helpless, I erected a solid barrier around the room to firmly protect Teto as it was the only thing in my mind, and sat inside, hugging my legs to my chest. Then two hours later, Erneah-san and the others returned after finishing their work. "Chise. I heard something strange happened to Teto...... This is......" "Erneah-san, I had given the spirit stone to Teto thinking it was just a rare mana stone, but she turned into this state after eating it!" Feeling lost at Teto''s absence and that it would have been better if only I hadn''t given the spirit stone to her, I was almost on the verge of tearing up. Hearing the situation, Erneah-san answered with a serious expression. "I believe she is going through reconstruction of her body." "Body reconstruction?" According to her, Teto''s mana stone, the golem core, has been strengthened so far by taking other mana stones, but due to eating a spirit stone that held different properties, her body was being remodeled to be optimized for it. I hadn''t personally seen the evolution of the golem demonic race, but I have heard that demonic races often showed substantial changes in appearance or abilities when triggered by something. Just like how Baretta, a mechanoid, had evolved into the Mechanoid Origin as the one managing all the maids back at the residence, or how the initially created mechanoids had also undergone evolution which enhanced their abilities and became High End. "This is kind of like a pupa stage. We can only watch over her." "So Teto''s not in danger, right?" "From what I have heard from Leriel, she was a golem who had taken in a spirit who lost her ego. I guess that spirit stone must have been quite compatible with her. I don''t think it will be harmful." "That''s a relief......" My knees gave in and I sat on the spot in relief, however, Erneah-san''s expression didn''t look very bright. "She must have ingested a great amount of mana stones until now, I assume. So It''s hard to tell how long it will take for her body to evolve." It might take a day, a week, a month, a year, or even a century. But "Time doesn''t matter. I will wait for Teto to wake up. Fortunately, I am known as the Immortal Witch." When I answered with a smile, Erneah-san''s expression finally broke into a smile. "In that case, feel free to use this room. We can''t have anything unfortunate happen to Teto who is so important to you, after all." "Thank you...... For now, I will install the ?Transfer Gate? in this room." "Likewise, I am also happy to have an interesting friend nearby." I was surprised and distressed at the changes Teto went through that began without any warning. Nevertheless, I decided to wait for the day she would emerge from the cocoon of mud. Vol. 6 - Ch. 167 - The crisis of the Western continent ?Is that so......? It was indeed abrupt.?"Yeah, I''ll occasionally come back here, but I want to stay by Teto''s side as much as possible, so......" ?It''s our duty as maids to respond to the Master''s wish. Please be at ease and stay by Teto-sama''s side.? I went to the ?Empty WIlderness? for a while through the ?Transfer Gate?, explained Teto''s situation and the result of my meeting with the Eldar Forest Nation side to the others, and then went right back to the guest room in the Eldar Forest Kingdom. "Good morning, Teto. ?Charge?." I didn''t know what I should do in this situation, but feeling the pulse of Teto''s mana emanating from the mud cocoon and pouring my mana into it, the pulse quickened as if she was delighted. I took it as a sign that mana exchange at least wouldn''t be harmful to Teto. Afterwards, I would read the books I received from the Eldar Forest Kingdom and prepare the countermeasures against the intruders of the ?Empty Wilderness? while waiting for Teto to awaken. I then passed the measures I learned from Erneah-san to Baretta, and after some adjustments, we put them to work. "Leaving it to Baretta and the others is the best and most efficient way." With their exceptional operational ability, I could say with surety that they would lay down foolproof countermeasures against intruders. Furthermore, mechanoids also loved making tools, so they''d be happy to make the required tools as long as I sent them the blueprint and the required materials. Aside from them, Erneah-san would take me on a tour of the capital city, the villages, and the forest in her free time from her political duties, stating that staying holed up all the time was not good for one''s mental health. I also occasionally talked with Selene or Prince Gyunton through the communication tools, though for now I mostly stay in the Eldar Forest Kingdom. The days turned into a year, and on one such day, I was passing my time in the company of Erneah-san, Altair-san, and Rorona-san "It would be nice if Teto-sama wakes up soon." "Yeah. It has been a year since the evolution began......" I asked Baretta and the other mechanoids how they evolved to high-ranking species of their kind, but they mostly happened when they were asleep, and none of them seemed to have exhibited such a clear sign of evolution. As I was looking at the mud cocoon waiting for Teto to safely come out of it as it was the only thing I could do, the blind elf Rorona-san''s eyes snapped open abruptly even though she shouldn''t be able to do so and she underwent a sudden transformation. ?Damn them! They have the guts to do that in my territory!? "Rorona-san!?" The usually serene and smiling Rorona-san suddenly said a harsh statement and turned her face toward the northwest direction, as if looking at somewhere far away. Even the way she normally referred to herself in first-person had changed and her voice sounded doubled that for a moment I thought I was having an auditory hallucination. (T/N: Usual Japanese language problem. Rorona used boku which is used by boys instead of girls ''atashi''.) "Hmm. Judging from her situation, could it be Goddess Leriel?" "Leriel...... are you referring to an oracle?" "Yes, Rorona''s oracle is performed through housing the consciousness of a goddess in her body, who then uses her body as a medium to speak through her." An oracle could sometimes manifest as visions of the Goddess, hearing her voice, or in this case, possessing and speaking through someone. Alternatively, oracles could also be given in other ways depending on the receiver''s condition, such as encounters in dreams like mine. Because Rorona-san was blind, she didn''t have the strength to resolve the oracle herself even if she could receive them. Therefore, receiving the oracle through Rorona-san, the ones who act were the capable elves like Erneah-san. ?High Elf Queen and the apostle of Liliel onee-sama. I would like you to lend me your power.? "What happened for you to appear so suddenly? Anyway, let''s hear the reason first." Facing the flustered Leriel in possession of Rorona-san as she raised her voice, Erneah-san first tried to calm her down. ?The human bunch in the west has forcefully triggered a dungeon stampede as their strategy to weaken the other nations! Soon, there will be hundreds of thousands of monsters overflowing from the dungeon!? "Are they even sane to trigger a dungeon stampede?" In this world, there were some unspeakable acts dubbed as ''forbidden tactics'' that must not be used under any circumstances. One of them was triggering a dungeon stampede. Normally, dungeons were formed on the surface of the earth veins to gradually disperse the mana emitting from underground onto the surface by transforming it into dungeon materials and mana stone. However, situations like the accumulation of the mana from the earth veins could cause the phenomenon called stampede, producing large numbers of monsters and forcefully spreading the mana. "Good grief, this is utterly foolish. There''s no way humans can control tens or hundreds of thousands of monsters." ?Apparently, they intended to invade the other nation in the guise of subjugating the stampede too large for the other side, however, the table has been turned on them and now the monsters are overflowing beyond their expectations and are spreading everywhere.? Altair promptly acted and took out a map of the continent''s northwest on which Leriel, holding a pen, marked the movements of the monsters. ?This dungeon town was used to deliberately trigger the stampede. Not only have some monsters returned to the wild after freeing themselves from the dungeon''s power, others attack people during the stampede.? The place where the stampede occurred was a free city, a location where the borders of the two nations on the continent''s west side and the Mubad Empire in the north intersected. A struggle had been ongoing revolving around that land. And now, monsters were overflowing from the dungeon in the Free City spreading to various places. S?a??h the ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "The western countries in that area have been fighting with each other over that territory for a long time, and the monsters have reached" -The Durge Principality, the enemy nation in the west and also the preparator behind this stampede; -The Palma theocracy, centered around the five goddess'' church as their state religion with the pope at the top, in the southwest; -The Mubad Empire in the north; -And while ravaging the Christa Kingdom to the east, they were also heading toward the border of the Iska kingdom, the center of the continent. Altair-san gasped when Leriel pointed out the routes the monsters were going to take through her oracle. In the meanwhile, a doubt about the stampede suddenly came to my mind. "How in the world does one even trigger a stampede in the first place? A dungeon stampede was a phenomenon that occurred due to the saturation of mana. So if one wanted to cause a stampede, they would have to introduce a large amount of mana from somewhere. ?This is the vexing part, they sacrificed humans inside the dungeon to produce the mana.? Sacrificial rites weren''t that efficient. The amount of mana one person could generate in their whole life could be calculated based on their amount of magic power multiplied by the number of days of their lifespan. When sacrificing, it was possible to gain vast amounts of mana in a short time frame by forcefully squeezing out the sacrificed people''s mana and shortening their lifespan, but it was far less than the amount of mana that could have originally been obtained from that person. According to Leriel, they secretly carried a large number of people into the dungeon and then sacrificed them for their nefarious plan. "However the cause and effect isn''t just limited to that. Under the influence of the resentful cries of the sacrificed and their mana, the dungeon takes away even the soul of those humans drifting in space-time unable to reincarnate and turn them into monsters.? "......The soul of a human unable to reincarnate?" I reflexively tilted my head in puzzlement at the foreign terminology. It seemed like even Erneah-san and Altair-san felt an unease premonition at Leriel''s words as they implored her with their gaze to explain what exactly transpired there in detail. ?I think I should have dropped a tower at the place of Onee-sama''s apostle, right? A ''Space-time Flotsam''.? "Ah, yeah...... It was the building that had been swallowed into the space-time gap during the mana experiment 2000 years ago if I''m not wrong?" ?That''s right. But you should know that what it swallowed wasn''t just the building, noh?? "I see...... So those are the souls of the people who drifted away from this world." Facing Erneah-sama who also understood the gist, Leriel nodded in affirmation. I have heard that the Netherworld Goddess Loriel fell into slumber due to the large number of deaths of people who couldn''t adapt to the low-mana environment caused by the recklessness of the magic civilization 2000 years ago. However, at the same time, I was also told that another reason was due to the sudden disappearance of souls which were swallowed by the space-time gap. ?The subspace of the dungeon and the outside world are like neighboring places for me who control space and time. Their sacrifice this time inspired the large number of souls who still had lingering attachment to flow into the dungeon and merged with the mana, transforming into undead monsters.? Originally, the dungeons served as a training ground for the people to raise their level and also to deal with the accumulated mana of the earth veins. Leriel, in possession of Rorona-san, made a regretful expression as she failed in stopping them from disturbing that equilibrium in time. "So, how much time do we have?" ?What''s done is done, but we only have two weeks left. According to my prediction, the powerful monsters that will emerge from the dungeon will strike the east first. I need your power in defeating them.? In a dungeon, the closer to the upper strata the monsters were, the weaker they are, and vice versa. So, people could have the time to escape to some extent, but it was a stampede that occurred without any prior warning. Furthermore, a glance at the situation drawn on the map was enough to explain that the living space for people was in decline and the land was turning into a demon-infested region. "So, Chise, what will you do?" "I......" I glanced at Teto''s mud cocoon. I didn''t want to leave Teto alone for long, but I also couldn''t sit calmly after knowing countless lives of innocent people were in danger. "Fine. I''ll immediately head to the ?Empty Wilderness? and begin to prepare the countermeasures." "A desperate time it is, huh......? I can''t send people to the Eldar Forest Kingdom, but we will be sending mana potions as relief supplies. And, I will also join Chise on the frontline." ?Much appreciated...... I''m really glad I could rely on you.? Leriel''s presence vanished as she smiled after saying that. Erneah-san and I supported the body of Rorona-san who slumped down as if strength had left her body. "Let''s start with our preparations, Chise." "Yea, I''ll head to the scene right away." "You fool...... This is a war with monsters. We need to be prepared to confront them. For now, the fort and town soldiers can deal with the monsters that have come out from the shallow floors of the dungeon. Our main dish is the monsters from the deepest layers! We need to gather our spirits and prepare until then!" Receiving the harsh scolding of Erneah-san, I recalled the stampede in the dungeon city Apanemis. And also the admonishing senior A-rank adventurer Alscae-san who told me to think more carefully about the importance of waiting and the allocation of strength. "......Thank you. I will not rush away." "That being said, Chise. You must have made a choice looking at Teto''s cocoon earlier, noh? If you need to choose, then try to grab the best of both sides until the very limit! You should also think about marching toward the battlefield with Teto!" "Fufu...... What are you even saying, is this your way of encouraging me?" I reflexively chuckled at the words of Erneah-san. Erneah-san too, flashed a grin at my reaction. "It''s just my hunch...... If it''s her, she will surely make it in time. After all, she is your protector. I doubt she can bear watching you leaving for the battlefield without your protector by your side." If it was Teto, certainly it was possible, I thought. Then, I spent the next two weeks in a flurry. Vol. 6 - Ch. 168 - Each sides preparation before the crisis SIDE: Baretta?It seems like everyone has finished packing relief supplies, huh?? The members of the Angel and Dragon-Demon races were lined up in front of me along with the Pegasuses and Griffons. They packed the relief supplies in the magic bag Master created through ?Creation Magic? and, with their weapons in their hands, they were all set to go. "Ah, isn''t this the same as when we go out for trade? Alright, while we are at it, we''ll kick some monster butts if we chance upon them!" "Hey, Shael. I know it''s a moment of crisis, but don''t forget we can''t fight for too long outside. So don''t try to stretch things out." "I, I know!" After receiving Master''s instructions, around 200 members with considerable might had gathered here, and leading them were Shael of the Angel race and Yahada of the Dragon-Demon race. However, while demonic race members boasted heightened physical abilities and were holders of some unique skills, they fell short on mana recovery speed. Due to their intense mana consumption, they were unable to fight for a long duration in a low-mana environment like the outside world, so I made sure they got a proper rest before leaving. But, that still wasn''t enough to eliminate all worries. ?You must absolutely make sure to not do anything that may sadden Master later.? "I know! Well then, we''re off! I''ll surely protect everyone!" The Angel race members as well as the Dragon-Demon race members riding on Griffons or Pegasuses left under the watchful eyes of their brethren. ?Attendant-dono, are you worried?? As I watched them leaving, the Elder Dragon asked me through telepathic communication. I silently shook my head. ?......I''m not worried. As long as the Master is there and they don''t die, the worst can be easily warded off.? Even if they lose their limbs, as long as they were alive, the Master''s power would heal them to their original state. Furthermore, there was also Yahada among the people who left, who was known for his cautious personality, so he would make sure to restrain everyone well. ?Preparations are all done. So we just have to set up the best possible stage for the Master and the others to act, then they''ll handle the rest.? The main event in this crisis was the time when monsters from the deepest layer started appearing outside as predicted by the Goddess. Our role was to remove as many hindrances as we could so that Master could act freely when that time came. However ?If possible, I also wanted to go and put an end to everything, so as not to trouble Master......? ?In that case, I will go in your place, Attendant-dono.? With that said, the Elder Dragon stretched his neck towards the sky and unfurled his wings. ?Well, I might not be able to exterminate the monsters overflowing from the dungeon ''til the last one, but I can scout them, cull their numbers, and protect the people at least. This should lessen the burden on the young''uns as well.? ?Thank you, and please take care.? ?Umu. I will return at once before Majou-dono comes back.? With a magic bag containing a ?Transfer Gate? fastened to his arm by a leather bag, the Elder Dragon takes off after saying that. I also returned to the mansion to do my share of the work in this ?Empty Wilderness? when ?We have a problem, Baretta-sama!? ?What''s wrong?? One of the maids, who had evolved into a High-End species and was under my direct command, hurriedly reported. ?All the clay golems in the premises of the ?Empty Wilderness? have started marching toward the west in unison all of a sudden!? ?What!?? All the clay golems within the ?Empty Wilderness? were made for farming, manufacturing, and surveillance and were essentially something Master...... I mean, something Teto-sama, who was currently undergoing evolution, created used her golem core and mud that came from her body, so they were sort of part family as well. ?Did they say anything about when they will return?? ?They aren''t listening to anything we have to say! However, I didn''t see any sign of them running away, and they seem to be moving under a clear will!? ?Is this perhaps the effect of Teto-sama''s evolution......? Similar to how I became a Mechanoid Origin and took the position of leading my fellow demonic race members, maybe Teto-sama''s evolution caused a chain reaction and affected the golems who were connected to her. ?Those golems are the followers of Teto-sama. For now, assign some people to watch over them while I will report the matter to Master.? Though an irregularity like the changes in the behavior of the clay golem occurred, overall, we, the ones left behind here, continued to do what we must. SIDE: Selene Countless refugees could be seen crowding at the entrance of the fortress on the border that connected to Margrave Reebel''s territory. And mixed with these refugees was a woman using healing magic to heal them. "This is really unprecedented. Who would have expected such a disaster to strike......" It all started a month ago. A stampede occurred in the dungeon city to the west. That dungeon city in the center of the three nations was constantly embroiled in strife by those three nations who claimed ownership over its land. The stampede that occurred in that dungeon city was of a scale never seen before. It swallowed the city in its wake and the roads were occupied by the monsters, causing many people to flee from the city. The monsters that continue to flood out of the dungeon attacked the villages, further increasing the number of refugees, and made the big towns their nest. The people who couldn''t enter the towns anymore also became refugees and ended up here. "Madam, the distribution of the rations to the refugees has been completed. Please take a rest. "I will, thank you. This sure was tiring. The refugees were brought into the Iska Kingdom for protection and we provided them with food, healing, and simple bedding. These people fled with little to no belongings and managed to escape here either on foot or by carriage and were in a state of exhaustion, but once they recovered their spirit and stamina, there was a high chance for most of them to fall into banditry. My husband was leading the knights of the Margrave Reebel house to keep an eye on such people and was maintaining public order with great difficulty. Just as I was taking a rest in one of the fort''s rooms, one of the knights from the Margrave Reebel house arrived with a report. "Seleneril-sama, we have received a reply to the report sent to the royal castle. His Highness the King will send reinforcement and supplies as soon as possible." "That''s a relief. I knew we could rely on Onii-sama." "Also, the adventurers from the various guilds have been gathering here in response to the request we made. Among them, Alsace-sama and Refrya-sama of the A-rank party ?Sword of the Dawn?, who specialized against dungeon stampedes from the Dungeon City Apnanemis, have just arrived." After hearing that, I finally let down some of my tense feelings. The A-rank party ?Sword of the Dawn? was called the dungeon specialist for their achievement of reaching the deepest floor of the dungeon in the dungeon city, conquering and clearing many of the dungeons, and suppressing the stampede in the dungeon city. The other members had already retired due to marrying or turning old, so only two of the original esteemed party were currently still active. "It''s reassuring to have two A-rank adventurers. But......" Refrya-san, who I had seen in the past when Chise okaa-san was taking the A-rank promotion exam, was an elven woman which was a long-lived species, so I could understand how she was currently active as an adventurer even now. However, I believe the other person, the human Alsace-san, should be quite old already so I couldn''t help but be worried about him. ''If only Chise okaa-san was here......'' I couldn''t help but murmur. After leaving on a trip to the Great Forest of the Elves a year ago, she has yet to come back. Okaa-san seemed to be coming back once in a while using the ?Transfer Gate?, but apparently she was doing something important in the Great Forest of the Elves, so I rarely got in touch with her. And ever since the stampede had also reached this kingdom, I was busy here in this fort while the communication magic tool was left behind in my room in the mansion so I had no means to contact her either. But as such a melancholic feeling washed over me, I quickly got ahold of myself. I couldn''t rely on Chise okaa-san for everything. "I will quickly go and meet them. This kingdom isnt free from the crisis either." Not long after I requested the commanding knight, the aforementioned two from the ?Sword of the Dawn? adventurer party along with a young swordsman arrived. "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Margravine of the Reebel House. I am Alsace. We''ll be under your care today." "I am Refrya. Nice to meet you." "This person here is the B-rank adventurer Tonny, the successor to the ?Sword of the Dawn?. He will be with us for this time''s operation." Alsace-san''s face was full of wrinkles that showed his age, but his body felt more youthful and vigorous than his age would suggest due to his diligent mana training. The elf Refrya-san also gave quite a reliable impression, more than what I had seen in the past when she was taking the A-rank promotion exam. "I am sorry to rush things so suddenly when you have just arrived here, but I would like you to subjugate the monsters that are creeping up on us. And within what you can do, please help out the people that are coming toward this fort as well." "Very well. I will follow the orders of the knights. However, please be aware that I am unable to battle for a long time due to this old body of mine compared to the past." "Yes, of course. Then, please." I was hoping that after meeting the heroic figure of the two adventures and feeling their presence, this would raise the morale of the adventurers that would be coming after them and bolster the defense of the fort. Just as I was thinking that another knight rushed into the room. "Madam, we have a grave problem! A dragon has appeared from the eastern mountain range!" "The eastern mountain range....... could it be, the ?Empty Wilderness?!?" Editor''s note: Some more old faces from volumes ago appeared. And dang, Alsace can still fight? He must be somewhere around 70 or 80 already, right? S?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Vol. 6 - Ch. 169 - Each SIdes Preparation - Another Side (1) SIDE - Elder Dragon?I received help from Leriel-sama before and I also want to ease the burden on Majou-dono so I''ll scout the area while taking out the monsters.? Majou-dono received an oracle from Goddess Leriel-sama informing her of the impending crisis in the form of a large-scale stampede that occurred in a dungeon in the west. To repay the benevolence of the Heaven Goddess Lerial-sama, who used her power to lift the floating island, I was flying toward the west when a fort that stood as the frontline to stop the invasion of monsters came into my view. ?I guess I should place a ?Transfer Gate? in front of this fort......? I landed at an empty place from where the fort, where many refugees could be seen gathering, was visible and lined up 5 ?Transfer Gates?. Attendant-dono had already optimized them and restricted them to a one-way transfer to prevent any mishap from happening like accidentally returning to the ?Empty Wilderness?. Just as I was neatly setting them up, knight-looking people approached where I was from the direction of the fort while riding on horses. ?Hmm, it will be bothersome to deal with humans...... I should just focus on culling the numbers of monsters.? Thinking that, I unfurled my wings to get away from the place when the winds carrying words poured into my ears. "Wait! We''re not here to fight!" I weakened the flapping of my wings at that voice and turned my head to look back at the human group. An elven young girl was among them. Though the elven girl was brave enough to raise her voice, tension ran among the humans. Well, it wasn''t like bows and arrows would be able to do anything to me even if they mistook me for a monster and this looked like just the right chance to give them a heads up about the ?Transfer Gates?. So, I looked at the humans and said, ?I am the Ancient Dragon of Verdigris. An old dragon that had lived since ancient times.? " " "It, It talked!? His voice!" " " A shock ran through the human group who received a telepathic message from me other than the elf and one human who looked particularly strong as they looked straight up at me. "I am Refrya! An Adventurer!" ?Then, Adventurer Refrya-dono. I have come out in this time of crisis at the request of my sworn friend and also for the favor I owe to the goddess! My goal is but one, to thin out the monsters!? "In that case, wouldn''t it be perfect for you to cooperate with us?" Cooperation, huh?...... It was another matter if they were as strong as Majou-dono or her Protector-dono, but aside from them, matching my pace with humans would reduce my efficiency. ?The only thing I seek from you is to guide the refugees and protect the people who will appear from these ?Transfer Gates?.? When I pointed at the ?Transfer Gates? I had placed on the plain before, some of the knights showed a knowing expression seemingly aware of what they were. I assumed they must be the knights who visited the ?Empty WIlderness? with Majou-dono''s stepdaughter. As I prepared to take flight once again, an old swordsman raised his voice this time. "Have you thought about the unrest you''ll cause among the people if you alone tried to guide them?" ?Ugh......? A groan slipped out when the old swordsman standing beside the elven young girl pointed out the flaw in my plan. After spending a long time in the company of my young''uns who adored me as their grandfather, I had completely forgotten about the impact that I had on ordinary people. "It would sound more convincing if I and some other knights came along with you, noh?" ?......So you want me to take you along with me?? "To be frank, yes!" To be not afraid of me, an ancient dragon, this old swordsman sure has guts of steel. ?Very well, then just ride on back. I shall allow up to five people to come with me.? "Much appreciated!" After a talk, the old swordsman Alsace who sported a bright, pure smile like a child, his pale-faced disciple, and three other knights rode on my back and this time, I uninterruptedly flew towards the west while looking at the situation down below. ?I see. Small villages couldn''t put up resistance against the overwhelming force. However, there are still some people left behind.? "Verdigris Ancient Dragon-sama, can you see the situation?" ?It''s just ?Mana Sense?. Those who have taken in refugees in big towns should be able to cope. We''ll focus on rescuing the stranded people.? Then, we found the people who couldn''t escape to a safe place hidden in the villages or caves in small forests and sent them to the fort through the ?Transfer Gates?. Occasionally, we also culled the monsters'' numbers to aid a besieged city struggling against the horde. "We''re going down now! We''ll explain the situation to the townspeople!" ?In that case, I''ll take care of the monsters outside the town.? I found the proposal of the man named Alsace to be agreeable and dropped them off outside of the town''s rampart walls. Their duty was to explain and reassure them about the situation, while my duty was to take care of the monsters. I also landed down. ?Oh, monsters. This is something I must do......? I murmured this one phrase with telepathic communication and flapped my wings while channeling mana in them, which brought forth a tempest on the ground. The monsters on the plains were blown away into the air as if being swung around in a spiral, and when they fell back to the ground, only their lifeless bodies were left behind piling up on each other. Well, I couldn''t blow away the forest just to clear the monsters else I would be putting the cart before the horse. So I focused on thinning their numbers in the open areas. And as a final touch, the tempest I raised would leave my scent to linger on the surroundings. This would make other monsters avoid this place for a while. The people of the town would finally be able to take a breath of relief. ?Oh, humans. The food shouldn''t have been sufficient to last long while holding the siege. Feel free to use the bodies of the monsters to fill your bellies. Alsace, let''s go.? "Understood. We soared into the sky after I was done with my work down there, and resumed my advance towards the west to search for any other people in a pinch. We found humans traveling on the roads, and members of the demonic races leading hidden lives in the forest whom we evacuated using the ?Transfer Gates?. For the towns that were holding their own against the monsters, I would kill the monsters in the surrounding area and leave my scent, providing them a temporary respite. As we repeated the same procedure again and again, I noticed something odd. ?Alsace. Why are there more demonic beings among the people who are left behind?? Aside from those who couldnt fend for themselves, those hiding in the forest or left behind in the villages were mostly demonic beings. Alsace displayed a bitter expression when I asked. "Discrimination against members of demonic races is rampant in the western part of the continent." ?Why is there discrimination against them?? "A long time ago, a nation had fallen in the land of the west due to a summoned Archdemon. Furthermore, this didnt just end there." The Archdemon named himself Demon King, called out many other devils, and treated humans as slaves. ''As a result, a lot of humans with demonic blood, devil kind, were born until the Archdemon was defeated'' Alsace explained. "That''s why members of the demonic race are strongly persecuted here in the western region. Consequently, that''s why they lead secluded lives in small villages or around the national borders, unable to enter any of the large towns." ?It''s a harsh world......? Furthermore, demonic races liked to live in mana-dense regions. However, such places were overrun by the monsters from the stampede since this was also their preferred habitat, so they were most likely driven off from their homes. As we got closer to the place where this disaster occurred while helping out such people, the number of safe towns and surviving people began to decrease. The majority of the area had turned into the territories of monsters. "This is awful......" ?The monsters must have had a conflict with each other after they escaped the control of the dungeon, and are now building their strength.? As the monsters released from the dungeon fought and killed others all this time, some of them had already evolved into advanced species. Although their numbers might decrease when they reached the eastern fort, they would undoubtedly become a formidable threat to compensate for the loss of numbers. While in the dungeon where it all began "What... the hell is this......?" ?What a profound miasma? Aside from the sacrificial mana, the resentment of the people who had been swallowed in the space-time gap due to the recklessness of the ancient magic civilization was also drawn in, so miasma was still flowing out of the dungeon. ?The impact of the stampede has brought about the downfall of a nation...... What a tragedy.? After the towns and fields had been razed, and ground contaminated by the miasma, it would be difficult to rebuild the nation here once again. Furthermore, the monsters overflowing from the dungeon were spreading everywhere. I didn''t have that much of an interest in knowing how much the territory suitable for humans to live in would be reduced, but it was hard to imagine just how far the damage from this stampede would resound. Just as we were staring down at the source of the stampede, changes started to occur. ?Hmm, the dungeon is collapsing...... No, it seems like monsters are crawling out of the sub-space.? A group of collective vengeful spirits, Fear Geists, poured out of the spatial rift like gas. Following them were countless human bones that overflowed from the sub-space. ?......I have never seen anything like this in my life.? "Monsters of this rank are impossible for us. We aren''t their match......" Countless skeletons, created through the power of the dungeon, appeared and after them, a bony colossus, as if someone had glued together countless bones, was formed. Even I couldn''t say for sure if I would be able to win against them in a one-on-one fight. We would simply be overwhelmed by the skeleton horde that resembled an ants'' swarm if we let ourselves be dragged into the ground. With each step they took, miasma spread in the surroundings and created a haven for monsters, as they marched towards the east. After witnessing this scene, we returned to the eastern fort to bring back this information while taking out monsters that we chanced upon on our way. S?a??h the N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Vol. 6 - Ch. 169.1 - Each SIdes Preparation - Another Side (2) SIDE: ShaelWe carried supplies to the fort under Maou''s order, and then we helped out in its defense. Dragon Grandpa had already visited this place two days before our arrival, installed the ?Transfer Gates? arranged by Majou at the plains, and then left to scout the situation along with people from the fort. Afterwards, we busied ourselves with protecting the people who Dragon Grandpa saved and had appeared from the ?Transfer Gates? while exterminating any monsters that approached the fort. "Seriously, one after another...... When will all this end, I wonder?" "Well, it''s an unprecedented stampede. We can''t let down our guards yet." "Hmph. Don''t make light of me, you Elf." Joining me in my patrol as I flew in the sky and defeated any monster I spotted with wind magic was an elven girl with semi-translucent wings akin to a Cat Sith''s growing out of her back which she made with magic. "I have a name alright, Refrya." "Hmph. Doesn''t matter to me. More importantly, take down the monsters." "I know" It must be that spirit magic I had heard about, I guess. Just by sharing a bit of her mana, a wind arrow appeared on the bow of the elven girl, which then rained down on the monsters below. A single attack blessed by the power of the spirits something akin to the wands witches used to amplify their magic decimated the monsters. ''She was strong,'' were my instinctive thoughts. After flying for about an hour, the two of us defeated the monsters that appeared on the plains. After that, an adventurer team appeared from the fort, dragging a cart to retrieve the corpses of the monsters. We left the rest of the matters for them to handle and returned to rest in the fort. "How was it? I have been training myself quite a bit, you know?" "Who cares...... I''m going to the fort to recharge. I can''t stay active in this place for too long." I honestly felt that the elven woman in front of me was stronger than me, but I kept my frustration hidden and flew back towards the fort so as not to make it obvious. The elven woman, fluttering her fairy wings, followed closely behind me as we headed past the fort and towards the tents where Yahada and the others were. During that time ?Ah, Angel-sama. Angel-sama hasn''t abandoned us.? ?The goddess has sent an Angel-sama.? ?Thank you, thank you......? s?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The refugees who had escaped from their country offered their prayers. It was anything but pleasant for me. They must have expected this blind worship from people, that was why our ancestor, the apostle of the goddess, must have led a reclusive life, hidden from the world. I was once again made to face reality. Anyway, more than 50,000 people who couldn''t take refuge in the big towns had sought shelter here. In the perimeter of such refugee camps were our camp, the knights'' camp, and the adventurers'' camp. There was a clear distance between our tents and the refugee camps. "Oi, Yahada, you''re here?" "Yeah. Are you done with exterminating the monsters? Also, hello there, Refrya-dono. There''s not much to offer in the name of hospitality, but feel free to rest here." "Thank you, and sorry for the intrusion." The elven woman who followed me naturally made herself comfortable in our tent. What the hell was up with this woman.....? I was about to give her an apprehensive look when Yahada came to report about today''s situation. "You have managed to deal with them, but the monsters are increasing in number with each passing day." "It''s already been ten days since we arrived here. This is nearly the time predicted in the oracle of the goddess so it would not be strange for the strong monsters to make their presence known at any time, but we have also amassed sufficient battle power so it shouldn''t be easy for monsters as well." Among the people who had taken refuge, aside from the adventurers, people who were capable of fighting had volunteered to be soldiers and were moving in groups to deal with the monsters from the stampede. Furthermore, our beloved and respected Dragon Grandpa was also thinning out the monsters, and it was about time for him to return as well. "But the question is if Majou-dono will be able to make it in time." Yahada murmured with concern. I guess a part of him must have felt it would be safer with Majou and her Protector. "It''s better if those two don''t come. In fact, we should go all out and take out any need for their assistance!" "You''re right. I do have the feeling of relying on them, but originally it should have been us protecting them. It seems like my battle intent has dulled down." Just then, there was a commotion outside, and following that, a member of the angel race came over to report. "Yahada-san, Shael-san! Dragon Grandpa is back!" "Oh!" We left the tent to check out the situation and saw Dragon Grandpa dropping the people who had tagged along with him off, retrieving the ?Transfer Gate? that was used for rescuing people, and then flying back in the direction of the ?Empty Wilderness?. He must have gone to pick up Majou and her Protector and should be back soon. The people who looked at the flying figure of Dragon Grandpa from their tents revered him like us. ?That Dragon-sama brought us all the way here.? ?I would have died from attacks of the monsters if Dragon-sama hadn''t helped me.? ?Even those of us who were abandoned and left behind were picked up by him.? Hearing the voices praising the revered Ancient Dragon, I couldn''t help but puff my chest in pride as if they were praising me. "Alsace should have returned as well. Let''s go and get the details of the situation in the west from him." "I know! We are going, Yahada!" "Yeah. What was it? Know the enemy and devise countermeasures, huh?" In front of the gathered people under the command of the fort, Alsace and the knights described what they saw to everyone. And three days later the true force of the monsters finally arrived at the fort on the border. ?Go?. However, not a single soul knew that the clay golems who had marched out from the ?Empty Wilderness? were lurking in the land in front of the fort, waiting for the decisive battle. Vol. 6 - Ch. 170 - Holy Staff: Staff of Reincarnation After receiving Leriel''s oracle, we spent the time preparing for the upcoming battle in the castle of the Eldar Forest Kingdom until the day of the decisive battle.I mainly busied myself in refilling the made through , shared mana with the mud cocoon of Teto, and ate in hopes of increasing my mana even by just a bit. I also instructed Baretta to dispatch Shael and Yahada with their teams to deliver supplies to support Selene and the others as needed. Aside from that, I heard that Dragon Grandpa had also gone out to help reduce the number of monsters. "Having the support of everyone is really a relief...... I also wish to join in and help them as much as possible. That''s why, Teto. Hurry and wake up......" With these words, I touched the mud cocoon as always to transfer my mana when a strong drowsiness assailed me and abruptly cut off my consciousness. ............... ......... ...... By the time I came to my senses, I found myself in the same dream oracle space where I usually meet Liliel and others. ------And Liliel was standing before me with a serious expression. "Liliel. I have heard about stampedes from Leriel''s oracle. I''ll make sure to stop it." A great number of people must have already succumbed to this disaster, while the villages, fields, and people''s dwellings were razed to the ground by the waves of monsters overflowing from the dungeon. Liliel, hearing my words, slowly nodded her head. "There is something I wish to hear, Liliel. Why didn''t you give me an oracle? Was I not reliable enough?" I wish she informed me earlier so that I could have helped those people before the danger even started. In response to my question, Liliel spoke with an apologetic expression. I see. Problems with the earth veins could lead to disasters like earthquakes, the ground suddenly caving in, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and a bad harvest, so she was focusing her power to prevent such aftereffects. "Well, in that case, I guess it can''t be helped. Sorry, I was just a bit sad that you didn''t contact me......" There were some inevitable reasons that no one could control, but not hearing about such a serious matter from Liliel herself had put me in a bit of a low mood. Now that I knew the reason, I replied cheerfully to shake off the melancholic feeling. "Well, I''m now stronger than before so rest assured that we''ll solve this disaster." "I am glad to hear that, Liliel. Just receiving your recognition is enough to reassure me." I wasn''t some kind of saint who had deep feelings for the refugees or the crisis that the Western region was facing. I was merely taking action to save the people in need within my reach. Whether it was now or in the past, I didn''t have any intention to force myself to do things that my powers couldn''t resolve. "Besides, it''s your little sister so I want to help her as your friend." I guess my feelings were properly conveyed to her as Liliel showed a helpless smile. With how the crisis was currently ongoing in the western continent and we were waiting for the moment before we went out to battle, our conversation proceeded much more smoothly than I expected. It was fortunately devoid of any unnecessary tension. Then, as I was feeling the awakening of my consciousness indicating that the dream oracle was about to end, Liliel''s voice reached my ear. "Fufu, that was the best thing you have told me." ............... ......... ...... I slowly woke up and found myself leaning against Teto''s mud cocoon. I remember being beside it when I was summoned in the so I guess my body must have shifted to it. "......Hmm, let''s see what time it is now. Liliel said Teto will be waking up any time now." My body felt a bit sore due to leaning against the mud cocoon during all that time. The sky outside had started turning orange, and soon it would be nighttime. Then, as I looked up at Teto''s mud cocoon, cracks started to appear on its surface, and I could see faint light spilling out from those cracks. "Teto?" As I touched the mud cocoon and sent my mana in, the mana inside pulsated intensely and the light spilling from the cracks grew stronger. Gradually, the cracks widened. And after a bit of time------ "Majou-sama~." "Teto!" Teto appeared, breaking the cocoon, and reached straight for me to hug me. I did the same and wrapped my arms around her. Perhaps the clothes she was wearing disappeared when her body was reconstructing itself as she appeared naked from the cocoon. I was happy to hear her voice after one long year of not hearing it. "Teto felt the warm mana of Majou-sama. Teto wanted to meet you quicker, and Teto also has become stronger. Teto will protect Majou-sama." "Hmm, yeah. I can feel your warm and strong mana." She hasn''t changed much appearance-wise, but her mana had undergone a qualitative change and it was now denser than before. I confirmed the increase in her mana using appraisal magic to check her status, though the biggest change was in her race name. It has changed from the original to . Then amidst our reunion, someone knocked on the door, and following that, Erneah-san and the others entered. S?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "I felt a sudden spike in mana so I came here to check. Well, I expected you to have woken up." "Good morning-nanodesu~!" Facing Teto who cheerfully waved her hand at the Erneah-san and the others as they entered the room, Erneah-san put on a wry smile as she signalled Altair-san. "Alright, Teto-sama. Please come this way to change your clothes." "Okay~ Majou-sama, Teto is going to change clothes!" Watching Teto leave under the guidance of Altair-san, the lingering hesitation I had disappeared like dark clouds on a sunny day. I could now help out with the stampede with a clear mind. "Speaking of which, I received an oracle from Goddess Leriel while you were sleeping, Teto." "Ohh? Another request from Goddess-sama?" ''She hasn''t changed a bit, huh?'' I gleefully thought to myself. After Teto was done with changing, I simplified and explained the oracle details to Teto, to which Teto nodded assertively. "So in short, we just have to defeat the monsters and everything will be alright!" "Well, yeah." Setting aside the difficult factors, this was, in essence, what they were working on in the past month. Sometimes, I felt envious of Teto''s simple thinking, unlike me who had a habit of overthinking. "Our current plan is to return to the along with Erneah-san and survey the actual place of the battle while on the back of Dragon Grandpa." "Roger-nanodesu~" "Alright, let''s get going then." After elaborating on our course of action, we returned to the through the as we were seen off by Altair-san, who wasnt coming with us since she had to take care of matters in Erneah-san''s absence, and Rorona-san, who couldn''t fight due to her blindness. It was nighttime when we returned, but Baretta was already there waiting to greet us, as perhaps she already anticipated our arrival, and deeply bowed her head. "Thank you, Baretta." "I am home-nanodesu!" Baretta flashed a relieved smile seeing Teto back after a year of absence, though it lasted only for a second as she reverted to her usual straight expression and then turned to greet Erneah-san, the queen of the elves. "Likewise, Chise and Teto, who have given such a precious thing to us, are already my friends. I''ll do my best to help with this incident as their friend." Baretta adopted her administrative tone and began to explain things, but noticing our gazes, she cut things short and led us to Dragon Grandpa''s place. Dragon Grandpa, who was back from reconnaissance, was in the middle of having his body scrubbed and cleaned by the maids holding deck brushes in an open space behind the mansion. "Yeah, we are back. Sorry for disturbing you, but can you tell us what you saw in the western land?" And so, Dragon Grandpa spoke about his discovery. It was approximately one week ago when he saw the assembly of the undead, and after hearing about it, Erneah-san showed a thoughtful look. "I see. Undead generally weaken the longer they don''t have their own power spot. Moreover, they are incredibly weakened in the daytime. They might be repulsive, but they will eventually disappear on their own." Undead are unable to recover due to being dead, so they basically steal power from other living things. Ghosts were undead that had places to which their origins were connected, so that was why they could use the power of that land to restore their power and curse the people over and over again. However, now that the dungeon they were connected to has been destroyed, they wouldn''t be able to stop themselves from weakening, no matter how strong they were. "In that case, their next step would be to search for a new foundation to maintain their strength...... Don''t tell me..." . If it''s this place, they should be able to sustain their existence here.> So that was why undead were marching toward the fort on the border of the Iska Kingdom to arrive here, the , where mana density was incomparable to what it was before. I see, they were advancing just as Leriel foresaw, and there was a valid reason as to why. "So we have to take them down before it could happen, right?" Considering all this, the region before the fort of Margrave Reebel''s territory was indeed the best place to weed them out. However, the undead consisted of the countless souls of the people who were sacrificed in the dungeon and those wandering in the space-time gap so they couldn''t be dealt with by ordinary means. "In that case, we need to prepare the anti-undead weapon, huh? Baretta, let''s go to where the earth vein manipulation magic tool is, I''ll get the anti-undead weapon ready." Along with Teto, Baretta, and Erneah-san, I moved to the room where the earth vein manipulation magic tool was. This large-sized magic tool that managed the earth veins across the entire absorbed surplus mana and then redistributed it to the necessary locations and could be said to be a key item to restoring this land. "Ohh? Such a magnificent magical device... Impressive craftsmanship." "It was just luck. More importantly, Baretta, how much mana do we have now?" "Then, I will use that to create it. ------." The thing I was creating was a new wand, a wand that specialized in amplifying exorcism magic effective against the undead like . As I activated my skill, mana flowed out of the mana stone of the earth vein manipulation magic tool, changing the color of the said mana stone from green to purple. Then that mana gathered and formed a wand. "It''s done. ------Holy Staff ." The staff''s head was decorated with golden metal, and made with similar golden metal were countless rings hanging on the staff''s head. The said rings bumped into each other whenever I shook the staff, producing a melodious chime. "Given the ability of this holy staff, this is worthy of being labeled as a divine weapon." After taking a look at the leftover mana, I had apparently emptied 1.5 million mana to make it. It far surpassed the mana consumption of the weapon I created before, the , using . However, the end result was equally impressive, with the staff''s effect of amplifying light and holy magic by 15 folds, it was precisely a weapon made to eradicate undead. However, due to it being this strong, it couldn''t be used for other types of magic. Though it sounded like a luxury considering this incident was the only time it was going to be able to display its splendor, I guess I would occasionally switch to it from the that I usually used. "Now that everything is ready, let''s start as planned." Holding the holy staff, we rode on the back of Dragon Grandpa to conserve as much mana as possible and headed for the battlefield while flying through the veiled night sky. Vol. 6 - Ch. 171 - Defense Battle at the Border Fort Let''s go back in time to a while back, before Teto had woken up.It was the moment when the attack from monsters had temporarily stopped, and the fort at the border of the Iska Kingdom was wrapped in an eerie silence. "Listen up! This is a do-or-die moment! A lot of commoners will be harmed if we retreat from here! Though that''s our current situation, I''m not saying to throw away your lives either! If you die, the burden on your comrades will increase! That''s why, don''t die! This is an order!" So shouted Margrave of Reebel Weiss standing at the forefront of the battle formation as he rallied the knights and adventurers, and behind the troops was his wife, the Margravine of Reebel Selene, preparing to treat the wounded who would be brought in after the upcoming battle. Thanks to the Ancient Dragon leaving his scent, the monsters instinctively avoided this place, and he also culled quite a lot of the monsters so there were hardly any other monsters in the surrounding area for the time being. As a result, the invasion of monsters taking advantage of this stampede has already come to an end. Though, there were still beings who weren''t intimidated by the scent of an Ancient Dragon as they continued to advance. Unlike the uncoordinated attacks of the monsters until now, the new invaders were in a group, and dwelling in their eye sockets were crimson lights. It was a horde of skeletons. ?Kael, Kael, Eina, Kael!? Driven solely by their past emotions, and continuing their advance to seek for mana abundant land to sustain their existence, the dead were so many in numbers it was impossible to count. Beyond that horde of skeletons, an aggregation of bones resembling a small hill could be seen moving, and around it, bundles of resentment Fear Geists were floating around in gaseous form. As the blood drained from the faces of the people facing the undead who exhibited eeriness and abnormality far greater than any monster they had dealt with in the past, the battle began. "Spirits!" With a soft voice, the elf Refrya activated her spirit magic, releasing numerous wind arrows that shuttled through the gaps of the skeletons'' rib cages, destroying the mana stones in their chests. "Haaaa!" Following her with his immense physical strength, the Dragon-Demon Yahada swung the lance in his hand, pulverizing the bones of skeletons one after another. "Take down! ?Downforce?!" Causing the wind to press down on the skeletons and slow their pace to give the knights time to breathe was Shael of the angel race. And "Good grief! Isn''t this just the thing that can excite these old bones?! Haa!" "Master, didn''t you say you want to go home quickly?" The one who spoke in an excited tone was the old swordsman Alsace, holding the holy sword in one hand as he plunged himself into the middle of the monster horde and cut them apart, and the one who talked back in an exasperated tone was his disciple, Tonny, who followed to protect his master''s back. The ?Sword of Dawn? in Alsace''s hand possessed the ability ?Light Blade Creation? which was particularly effective against the undead, so even a slight graze to the skeletons was enough to disperse their power, causing their bones to scatter into pieces. Meanwhile, the knights maintained their formation to prevent the skeletons from approaching, dealing with them methodically. The magic users in the rear unleashed their spells as much as their magical power allowed to crush the skeletons lurking in the depths. The skeletons, on the other hand, were just charging for their sole desire to seek the living and their mana. Along the way, some other monsters, living ones to be precise, would come targeting the mana stones of the skeletons from the side. However, under the overwhelming attacks of the skeletons, these monsters became prey to them and had their mana and life force stripped away until they perished. "Watch out, the skeletons are using ?Drain?!" "Take shifts and rest! Recover the stolen mana and stamina with potions!" "Injured ones, move to the back and get healed! Don''t you dare die!" Anticipating that the upcoming battle would be a prolonged one, the angel race and the Dragon-Demon race had also prepared their own measures to deal with their intense consumption of mana just for this day. "Haaa! The mana potions the Witch and the others had made have eased the situation a bit, but still, it''s not going to be easy for us." "But today''s the day we must hang on at all costs. I am sure Dragon Grandpa or Majou-dono will soon come to our aid." S?a??h th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Drinking the mana potions created by Chise or the maids who were capable of potion making, they replenished their lost mana. Since it was still daytime, the skeletons were currently weak. But once the night covered the battlefield, they would undoubtedly become one fearsome force to hold back, far stronger than the current strength they were showing. That was why everyone was trying everything they could to defeat as many of the undead as possible before nightfall. By the time afternoon passed, the number of skeletons had been significantly reduced. But as if to mock their effort, the huge aggregation of bones visible in the distance supplemented the lost force of skeletons with new numbers, continuing this hellish cycle. In between, there were also higher-level species like skeleton knights and wizards that evolved from ordinary skeletons that began to appear, which were safely defeated by other powerful individuals. In the fort, the preparation to heal the injured was ongoing while refugees helped out in making the meal, all but to assist those on the front lines. Eating and resting in their shift, the people were somehow able to defend against this relentless onslaught. However, their opponents were the undead that never grew tired and could easily restore their forces. Facing such opponents, it was inevitable for the knights to grow weary after fighting nonstop, and as dusk approached, the skeletons gradually regain their strength. " " "Rooooooooar" " " And not long after, a deep, beastly howl echoed in the plain, and following that, the charging momentum of the skeletons visibly increased. "Tsk, the battle at dusk is dangerous!" Even Alsace, who wielded the shining holy sword in his hand, was finding it troublesome to deal with the horde of skeletons whose strength was rising with each passing moment as the night gradually came closer. "All forces, retreat into the fort! We''ll defend there until the morning!" The sound of a horn signaling everyone to retreat resounded. Following that, the adventurers and knights who were on the plain in the morning entered the fort. "We will be the last line of defense!" " " "Grooooooo!" " " Just as Alsace and the others were about to stay to give time for the rest to evacuate, beings emerged from the ground between them and the skeleton horde. "Wha!? What the hell are those?!" "They are... the golems of Majou-dono!? Hold your fire, they aren''t enemies!" At the appearance of the innumerable clay golems from the ground, Alsace, his disciple Tonny, and the elf Refrya immediately put their guard up, however, Yahada quickly stopped them from taking any action. ?Gom, Gom!? "Huh, are you saying to head to the fort first? Sorry, and thanks!" "I don''t quite get it, but let''s go, everyone!" The clay golems lined up like a wall as the evening fell. They took charge of the rearguard with hand signals. With their soft mud bodies, the golems intercepted the incoming skeletons and submerged them in their mud pool. In the meantime, as the skeletons tried to pass through the clay bodies of the golems, the golems extracted their mana stones so even when the skeletons managed to escape from the mud, all that was left was their bones. Aside from this, they swung their heavy mud fists at the skeletons, instantly pulverizing their bones, forcefully pulling out their mana stones, and further increasing their own mana. Unbeknownst to many, during the daytime, these clay golems lurked underground, slowing down the skeletons'' movements by miring their footing in the mud. They also incorporated the mana stones from the defeated skeletons, preventing them from reviving. With the power acquired from these absorbed magic stones, the clay golems now bravely fought during the night. Nevertheless, some skeletons still managed to overcome the clay golems as they clung to the wall of the fort and smashed themselves onto it. The skeletons'' attacks weren''t enough to even graze the fort''s wall, but that wasn''t the main problem. Rather, it was the succeeding skeletons using previous skeletons as their stepping stone and gradually approaching the top of the fort''s walls as they repeated that process that was the problem. "Bring out the fire! Pour boiling oil on them!" "Sprinkle the holy water blessed by Sereneriel-sama who prepared it during the day! Do not let them breach the fortress!" "Knock them down with spears from above! Hold the line at all costs!" Spears, magic, and holy water that were effective against undead rained down from the top of the fortress as the defenders strived to prevent the skeletons from breaking through. Beyond the walls of the fort were over 50,000 refugees, and even beyond that was their homeland. Everyone did everything they could and somehow managed to hold on. But when the sun had completely set and the darkness covered the battlefield, even more despair struck the people of the fort. ?Ooooooooooooo!? The aggregation of bones which could always be seen in the distance during the day slowly rose to its feet. With moonlight at its back and crimson lights glowing from its eye socket, the skeleton giant slowly walked towards the fortress. The height of the skeleton giant towered the fort, and its arms could easily reach the top of its walls. "Refrya, Tonny, I''m going to see to that giant. I''m leaving the rest to you." "......I understand. Be assured and leave it to us." "Master......" Alsace went to the top of the fort, took a stance, and infused his mana into the holy sword. Gradually, the holy sword began to emit a bright light, illuminating the pitch-black surroundings after the sun had completely set. "Haaaaaa?Radiance Blade?!" Then he released the mana infused in the holy sword instantly, forming an enormous blade of light. Then he swung down his holy blade, the towering light blade slicing through the skeleton giant, and leaving a massive crack on the ground behind it. "Huff, huff...... How about that?" This was one of Alsace''s ace moves that he gained after acquiring the holy sword ?Sword of Dawn?. As someone who fell short on mana compared to magicians, by storing his excess mana into the ?Sword of the Dawn?, he could release an enormous light blade surpassing his own power like now whenever he needed it. Alsace has cut down and burned many large-scale monsters, taken down many flying monsters from the high heavens, and mowed down many large hordes of monsters with this gigantic light blade made from his stored mana. It was this power that allowed Alsace to remain an A-rank adventurer with undiminished strength despite his advanced age. And today too, his strike has once again managed to deal huge damage to the skeleton giant, but "Impossible. This damned-" Indeed, the massive light blade had cut through the skeleton giant from its right shoulder to below its waist, causing its body to lean precariously. However, it wasn''t able to damage the mana stone inside its body, so its bones that scattered on the ground reassembled and regained the shape of giant limbs. Although the bones surrounding the area sliced by the massive light blade did not regenerate, the giant remained nearly intact, and at best, it had just shrunk to a smaller size, but that was all. It resumed its march towards the fort once more. "Alsace-dono! Can''t you do it again!?" "Unfortunately, no...... This is my trump card." It may be called the holy sword of ruin, but due to forcing it to use power beyond its capabilities, its sharpness has dulled temporarily as the glow on it flickered in uncertainty. Furthermore, this move has also forced the blessing of the holy sword, ?Physical Ability Reinforcement?, to stop temporarily causing a wave of tiredness to spread throughout his body. "Damn it...... I came here to not experience the same humiliation again but, I''m sorry." Recalling the bitter memories of his young days when his magic sword, which he was proud of, snapped in two during the dungeon stampede, Alsace stared at the skeleton giant with his immobilized body. Countless spells were fired from the fort at the approaching skeleton giant, but they only caused the surface bones to crumble, failing to deal an effective blow like the Alsace''s strike. Instead, the skeleton giant, once again back on its feet, swung down its massive arms, detaching a part of its body and hurling it towards the fort. The bone mass, propelled like a catapult, collided with the top of the fortress, and from it, more skeletons rose. Amidst this scene that was no longer indistinguishable from a literal pandemonium, Alsace, having his body strained to the limit, had just looked up at the sky when a large shadow passed overhead "That was amazing! Can''t wait to try it right away!" Right after hearing the following words from the sky and feeling the rise in mana, a shadow wielding a blade glowing in an ochre hue, resembling the giant light blade Alsace had released, descended from above. ?Ooooooooooooo!? As the figure wielding the shining blade slashed at the skeleton giant, a cry of anguish was heard. Their biggest and long-awaited reinforcement had finally arrived. Vol. 6 - Ch. 172 - Exorcizing the Bone Giant SIDE: Witch"Phew, we''re just in time." I looked at the situation below after arriving at the border fort while riding on the back of Dragon Grandpa. We vividly saw a light blade from the direction of the top of the fort cleaving the skeleton giant. It was dark so we couldn''t make out the other details, but from the situation, it seemed like we just barely made it in time. "Ohhh Amazing. Teto didn''t know that was possible." Teto muttered in surprise as she turned her palm into mud and took out a black magic sword she had stored in her body. "Teto...... That sword......" "It''s the sword Majou-sama gave me! It changed a bit when Teto was sleeping!" Apparently, Teto''s magic sword also evolved alongside her body in the mud cocoon. It was one size bigger than before and a yellow spirit stone was embedded into the sword''s hilt. "You showed me something good! I can''t wait to try it out!" "Ahh, Teto!?" Teto jumped down from the back of Dragon Grandpa just as he passed right above the battlefield center and fell toward the skeleton giant while holding her magic sword high up in the air. "Erneah-san! Teto, she jumped down!?" "Calm down and look carefully, Chise. She is flying. She seemed to have acquired the magic of spirits." Ah, indeed. Two pairs of yellow semi-translucent wings popped out of Teto''s back as she glided toward the ground. As she fell, she readied her mana-infused magic blade and cut down the skeleton''s body from above. The magic, amplified by the magic sword, took the shape of a huge blade as it slashed down and severed the skeleton giant''s left arm. "Is that...... earth magic ?Decomposition??" "Apparently so...... It looks plain but its effect is terrifying." ?Decomposition? was a magic that broke apart the bond between atoms of the target. This magic was normally used to break hard soil, minerals, and other organic matter into fine particles since it was unusable in battle due to the resistance that the mana of humans or monsters put up. Teto herself was using this to break the organic matter she stored inside her body and used it to create better-quality soil. All she was using was ?Decomposition?, and yet it effortlessly cleaved the target, ignoring its defense. Teto has acquired a terrifying power. "I''ll help Teto out in delaying its advances. Chise should take care of the other soldiers." "That sounds good. It doesn''t seem like Teto''s ?Decomposition? would be effective against the corporal bodies of ghosts. I''ll take down the Fear Geists." Erneah-san repeated Teto''s action as she jumped down from the back of Dragon Grandpa and flew into the sky by growing spirit wings on her back. "Well then, time to shine. ?O'' Spirits, destroy thy enemies?." The skeleton giant, finding Teto a bigger threat after she cut down one of its arms, shifted its focus to her from the fort and moved its remaining hand to attack Teto. But before its attempt could come to fruition, the heavy pressure from the dark spirit, which Erneah-san summoned with a light flap of the folding fan in her hand, crushed its bones. Furthermore, she also summoned a fire spirit, water spirit, wind spirit, earth spirit, and light spirit fairies of all six elements appeared and surrounded the skeleton giant as it reeled from their consecutive attacks. "Just the show of force one would expect from a High Elf Queen. I must show my best as well." Murmuring to myself, I held up the ?Staff of Reincarnation? with both hands while on the back of Dragon Grandpa who was floating on the spot in the air. The collective aggregation of resentment, the Fear Geists, rushed towards me. But before they could even come to attack me, I shook the staff, making a soothing sound echo throughout the surrounding area as the rings on top of its head clanged against each other. "?Purification?!" I channeled 50,000 units of my mana into the staff, the same amount I had used when I once encountered the Fear Geist in the ruins buried under the ?Empty Wilderness? before. With the additional magic amplification effect from ?Staff of Reincarnation?, the looming Fear Geists couldn''t even let out their death throes before being swallowed into the waves of purification. The waves didn''t stop there and engulfed the skeletons that had been tossed into the fort by the skeleton giant earlier, defeating them as well. "This staff works far better than I imagined. I''m glad I prepared it beforehand." If I had directly flown to the battlefield right after the oracle was handed down without investigating the enemy''s information If I had been alone without Dragon Grandpa, Erneah-san, or Teto to fight by my side If I hadn''t prepared this anti-undead weapon, the ?Staff of Reincarnation?, after acquiring the information I am sure it would have been one hellish battle on this battlefield following the above assumptions. I further purified the miasma on the surface with the staff and, as the multi-colored mana was being swept away by the night wind, I eyed the remaining skeleton giant, who was now only half of its original size. ?Hmm, the last one is just that skeleton giant.? After circling the battlefield to check for any other monster, Dragon Grandpa spoke and gazed at the skeleton giant under him. It was currently immobilized after receiving the massive light blade strike from earlier, Teto''s ?Decomposition? slash, and the spirit magic attack from Erneah-san. The skeletons that were scattered on the plains were gradually approaching the skeleton giant and turning themselves into a part of it to fill in the gap of the lost bones. ?Oooooooooooooo!? Following a roar, the skeleton giant shook its remaining hand in a sweeping motion towards Teto and Erneah-san who had managed to deal an effective blow to it while turning its focus to me, who was preparing another wave of purification, and prepared to hurl another bone lump, but "With Teto here, you can''t disturb Majou-sama!" "I see you are gutsy enough to ignore me, eh?" Teto and Erneah-san also followed up with their attacks and interrupted the skeleton giant from attacking me, while further inflicting damage to it. "Face your end now. ?Purification?!" I drew mana from the ?Mana Crystal? I tossed in the air and channeled everything it had into the purification magic. The surge of purification that I activated using 5 million units of mana that I saved up for the last two weeks, amplified by the ?Staff of Reincarnation?, shot through the sky like an arrow, creating a light pillar and engulfing the skeleton giant in it. The expansion of the light pillar didn''t stop there. It spread throughout the plain as well, taking down the skeletons wherever it went. ?Ooo,oooo,oooooooooooo!? ''You are the sum of your past experiences, huh?'' or so I thought. Had I not trained my mana manipulation skill years ago to relocate the flying island, then I wouldn''t have been able to deploy such a huge amount of mana so easily and achieve such a result. The skeleton giant raised a clattering sound as its bones fell apart, bringing an end to the crisis. Countless souls emerged from the giant bone husk, finally freed from the confinement, and aligned themselves to the light pillar. The scene resembled that of heavenly ascension. After keeping the magic up for a while, a huge magic stone finally appeared amidst the bone hill. Dragon Grandpa descended beside it with me on its back. "This must be the core mana stone." The mana stone that appeared after the skeleton giant''s demise was comparable to S-rank monsters. Presumably, it had fused itself with the dungeon core. ''Isn''t it even bigger than me?'' or so I thought as I touched the mana stone and stored it in my magic bag. Just when I was done here, Teto and Erneah-san descended from the air. "Majou-sama~!" "Kyaa, Teto!?" Teto, who was flying in the air, glided down from the sky and rushed straight to me without slowing down. "Teto always wanted to stay beside Majou-sama! Now Teto can also fight side by side with Majou-sama always!" "Teto......" There are times when I would head for another place depending on the situation since I could use flight magic. And I knew that Teto was reliable enough to be left with the task to look after another place. However, it seemed like her wish was to be able to follow after me into the sky or be able to fight alongside me in aerial battles. She wished strongly for it and the outcome was apparently the newly formed spirit wings on her back. "That was quite an anti-climax, eh? Now I think I came here for nothing." "Teto might not have been able to save Majou-sama if Teto was alone. That''s why, Erneah-san, Teto is thankful for your help-nanodesu!" Hearing Teto''s words of gratitude, Erneah-san made a satisfied smile as she pulled me and Teto into a hug. "Sheesh, what should I do with you two cuties......" "C-Calm down, you''re suffocating me......" "It tickles-nanodesu~" Erneah-san suddenly scooped us into a big hug and nuzzled her cheeks against us. While I was feeling suffocated as I tried to wriggle my way out of the sudden hug, Teto instead found it funny as she twisted her body feeling ticklish. Dragon Grandpa just watched us silently with a gentle smile on his face. Just then, a group came rushing from the direction of the fort using light magic as a lamp. "Chise okaa-san, Teto onee-chan!" It was the group of people who had been watching the fight with the skeleton giant from the fort. From a glance, they seemed to be the ones managing the fort, Margrave Reebel and his wife Selene, along with the angel race Shael and Dragon-Demon Yahada who we had dispatched as support. " "Chise (Majou)! Teto (Guardian)!" " Among them, Shael had just raised her voice when another voice, an elf woman, echoed almost at the same time from beside her, causing Shael and that elf to inadvertently stare at each other''s faces. "Thank you for supporting them so far, Shael. And hello there, Refrya, it''s been a while, noh?" Being an elf, Refrya looked pretty much the same as the last time we had met each other. Maybe it was this feeling of knowing that one of my friends still had a long life to live that brought a refreshing feeling to me. And behind them, I could see an old man walking with the support of a young man. I thought hard as to who this old man might be seeing his familiar-looking gaze. It wasn''t until Dragon Grandpa spoke that I finally recalled who he was. ?Hoho, Alsace. You look quite exhausted. Is this the price of using that light sword?? "I apologize for showing this unsightly figure to the Great Ancient Dragon. Alas, such is this body of mine, but it will soon heal with time. Also, it''s been a while, Ojou-chan." With that awkward smile and the sword fastened on his waist, it dawned on me who that old man was. "Alsace-san, it''s really been a long time." "Ahh, indeed it''s so long. Seriously, you haven''t changed at all, huh? And here I am with all my hair turning white." Alsace-san spoke while running his fingers through his conspicuous white hair. A nostalgic feeling rose within me after seeing the faces of old acquaintances so unexpectedly, but keenly, I could also feel that it wasn''t just a nostalgic feeling. S?a??h th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?The biggest threat has been eliminated. If I stay any longer, I''ll just keep the humans on edge so I am going on ahead first.? "I have also done my duty towards Leriel so I guess I''ll also head back. I''ll enjoy the nightscape with Ancient Dragon-dono." Leaving behind these words, Erneah-san rode on Dragon Grandpa''s back and flew off with him. In the end, she left without even leaving her name behind and went back to the ?Empty Wilderness?, pushing all of this as our achievement. "She really is a whimsical person, isn''t she?" "Majou-sama, what are we going to do now?" Shael and her brethren were still here in the fort, so it seemed like we would all be going back together. Afterwards, we were led to one of the rooms in the fort under Selene''s urging. "......Not everything is settled, huh?" We managed to successfully subjugate the skeleton giant, but I could smell the odor of miasma from the wind blowing from the west. It was impossible to tell what would happen to the areas that had become the territories of monsters in the western region. Would nature cover the traces of the country? Or would the monsters spread and devour everything, with the winds of a wasteland eroding the remnants of the nation? Could the spreading miasma be purified over time with nature''s power, or would it give birth to a strong monster by taking in the surrounding mana with the miasma? It was impossible to predict where the future would be heading, but for now, it could be safely concluded that the crisis of the continent''s northwest region has been curbed to some extent. As such thoughts swirled inside my mind, we entered the fort. T/N: Well this summed up the battle against the undead. Next two chapters are going to be big. So another split. Vol. 6 - Ch. 173.1 - Discriminated Demonic Race (1) Teto and I were on a bed in one of the fort''s rooms that Selene guided us to after we managed to exorcise the skeleton giant."It''s been a while since we slept together, Teto." "Teto also couldn''t wait to be hugged by Majou-sama." "I was also saddened by your absence." Feeling the warmth of Teto''s embrace enveloping me, a sense of relief washed over me. After finally resolving a part of Leriel''s oracle which had kept us occupied for the last couple of weeks, sleepiness assailed me. "There are still lots of things to do tomorrow." "Majou-sama, just rest for now." After a bit of exchange, Teto and I fell asleep in each other''s arms. ............... ........... ....... Feeling something odd, I looked around only to find myself and Teto in the usual dark space of the dream oracle. There we saw the four goddesses lined up next to each other. The sun goddess Lariel had a cheerful smile on her face. The oceanus goddess Luriel with her refreshing smile. The heaven goddess Leriel looking at us with a reverent gaze. And finally, the goddess who reincarnated me into this world, who we were apostles of, the earth goddess Liliel with a tearful smile on her face. ?Chise, thank you. Really, thank you very much.? "Are you talking about the skeleton giant? It was also thanks to Teto and Erneah-san''s efforts that it was taken down, not just me." "Everyone did their best!" Teto and I replied. However, Liliel just silently shook her head. ?No, that''s not what I''m talking about. With the exorcizing of the skeleton giant, the souls of the people from the ancient magic civilization have finally returned to the cycle of reincarnation. It''s not much, but my little sister Loriel gained back a bit of her power with them moving on to reincarnate.? Apparently, the netherworld goddess Loriel, whose power had waned after countless people were swallowed into the space-time gap due to the devastation caused by the ancient magic civilization 2000 years ago, had slightly regained some of her power with the souls of the dead returning to their rightful place. ?It''s still a long time before Lo-chan can fully awaken, nevertheless, now we sisters finally have a chance to be together after so long. Thank you, Chise-chan, Teto-chan.? ?You have my gratitude as well for all your help! I am supppper happy that you helped us out in solving the problem of the floating island, and you even resolved the western region''s crisis this time! Now Loriel and I can finally merge our power of space-time and the underworld and slowly regain the souls of the people trapped in the space-time gap!? The gentle beauty Luriel and Leriel who spoke like an energetic young girl expressed their gratitude. I also felt glad that I managed to help them out. ?Ah, that''s right. Once Loriel wakes up, we''re finally able to turn people with fine souls from the ranks of our believers into angels and heroic spirits after their deaths. We''ll then have more hands to help us out in managing the world!? I guess that explained a few other things. The scarcity of mana had caused the number of angels and heroic spirits under the command of Liliel and the others to plummet. They seem to be delighted at the prospect of being able to replenish their numbers. Though Lariel looked too happy for some strange reason. She shouldn''t be thinking that she''d have more time to play hooky by then, right?...... My suspicion was immediately proven correct by the stern look that Liliel was giving Lariel. The man-made dungeon stampede had caused a lot of damage, but it seemed like a lot had been helped as well. ?Thank you very much again, Chise. But be sure to rest occasionally.? "I know, I''m not a rash person. Besides, you know I don''t do things I can''t handle." After saying that, the dream oracle ended with the goddesses seeing us off, and we opened our eyes in the room we were in. ................... ............. ........ We woke up back in our room in the fort. While thinking of the words of gratitude that Liliel and the others said, we slowly got up and decided to take a walk to check on the fort''s situation. A night had passed since we subjugated the skeleton giant. As we searched for the place Shael, Yahada, and the others who came here as voluntary soldiers were, we came across the refugees taking shelter in the fort. All the feelings of satisfaction I felt were suddenly washed away as if I had been doused with cold water. "They must be refugees. It hasn''t really ended yet, huh?" "They all look so down. They should be hungry." As I walked among the refugees, their expressions brought up old memories. Frightened by the monsters, exhausted from fleeing, and a vacant look on their faces. It was something I had seen countless times in my adventuring days, but unlike then, there were more than 50,000 people at this moment. "Haa...... seeing this gloomy scene, I can''t help but want to do something." "Teto also doesn''t like this." My trained mana skills had given me a kind of supernatural sense, and from it, I could sense the presence of death emanating from the refugees who had drifted here from who knows how many places. Maybe, this was what they called the smell of dead, miasma, or the source of curses. "Everything is insufficient at this time." The adventurers and knights who were defending the fort from monsters were given priority in the distribution of the fort''s supplies. So it wasn''t hard to think that only a minimal amount of emergency rations were distributed among refugees. The Heaven Goddess just asked for the extermination of the monsters, but the crisis wouldn''t end in the truest sense if the aftermath wasn''t dealt with properly. While thinking about how to help them out, I looked for Shael''s place when I heard the high-pitched voice of a child. "Stop, return granny''s bread!" "It''s a waste to let an old hag have the bread when she''s already so close to death''s door! We''ll keep it with us!" I turned to look at the source of the argument and saw a young boy snatching the distributed bread from a kid. The people around raised their eyebrows at his deed but remained mere spectators, seemingly not wanting to get embroiled in the ruckus. "He really has no shame, to snatch bread from a kid," my hand curled up into a fist in indignation. "Give it back! Give me granny''s bread back!" "Dman, you''re noisy!" "Kyaa!?" The little girl, who was clinging to the young man in an attempt to take back the bread, fell to the ground as the young boy lightly pushed her off. I used ?Psychokinesis? to gently catch the little girl, but because of the push, her hood came off, revealing her short black hair, and crooked horn, indicating her status as a member of the demonic race. The refugees around became restless as soon as they saw it. "You bastard, so you were a devil! How dare you touch me with your filthy hands! What if you curse us!" "Look, she even has black hair! Drive her away! Don''t come into our human territory!" "Hii!?" A look of fear appeared in the ashen grey eyes of the little girl from the demonic race when the refugees suddenly turned on her. We decided to intervene and put an end to this disgusting ruckus. "What are you guys doing to a little girl?" As soon as I spoke in a loud voice enhanced with mana, everyone''s attention shifted from that demonic race little girl to me. "Huh? What, are you a friend of this devil?" "We aren''t, but looting from someone else is not something we can ignore." "You''re going to get a scolding from the knights if you cause too much ruckus!" "Tsk...... Don''t you have black hair as well?......" Realizing that it wouldn''t do them any good if the knights monitoring the refugee camp got involved, the group of boys spat and left with that condensing remark while holding the bread. "They don''t have eyes for the beautiful hair of Majou-sama." "It''s better if you don''t take any disparaging words from people like them to heart. More importantly, are you all right?" I crouched down and stretched out my hand to the little girl, who just looked at me with an astounded look. "......I, I''m sorry!" The little girl hurriedly stood up and slipped her hood back to its place. Though she still looked intimidated after the gazes the people around her gave her earlier. S~?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Let us escort you to your grandmother''s place, it''ll be dangerous if someone else tries to pick a fight with you." "We''re very strong, you know!" As I spoke in a reassuring tone, the little girl showed a lost expression for a while before nodding. Vol. 6 - Ch. 173.2 - Discriminated Demonic Race (2) On our way to her tent, I tried to ask the little girl for the reason behind the earlier ruckus."Umm...... It''s our fault...... It''s because we have the blood of the devil from a long time ago. And we also have black hair like that devil." Hearing her words that she spoke without much confidence and looking quite pale, I more or less understood the situation. Discrimination against demonic races was rampant in the western region, and the color black was seen as ominous because it reminded people of the Archdemon. That was why they had been forced to live in unkept places even in the refugee camp. "Thank you for sending me here, Onee-chan." "It''s fine. But more importantly------" I quietly murmured and produced a piece of bread on my hand as I clapped my hand like a magician and handed it to the little girl. It was a slightly fluffy french bread, made from sweet potato, milk, and dried fruits, so it was much better than the earlier stolen bread. "Here, eat it with your granny." "This is delicious, you''ll definitely like it!" "Thank you, Onee-chan!" The little girl put on an awkward smiling face and rushed towards the tent. She must have lived a life filled with fear all this time, as she didn''t look used to smiling. Then, as she was rushing, the little girl greeted Shael, whom we were searching for, in a familiar gesture. "Ahh, Angel Onee-chan." "Ohh, if it isn''t Naia. That bread looks delicious, did they distribute it earlier?" "About that, you know! The Onee-chan there helped me, and they even gave me this bread!" When the little girl pointed to us, Shael finally noticed our presence. "Majou, and her guardian too? What are you doing here?" "We came looking for you guys." "We came here to see how you are doing!" Shael patted the little girl''s back, urging her to go back, after hearing us and she then led us to her tent. "Haa, I''ve shown you two something strange. Anyway, feel free to relax." The tent she led us to was much firmer than the tent of the other refugees, something like the Yurt that nomad tribes used. I guess Baretta must have given it to them. Furthermore, there were also other tents set up in the surrounding area, as if taking their distance from the other refugee camps. "Yahada has gone out to scout for any possible monster attack on his griffon. There are also other adventurers whom we have befriended who come here for meals." "I see...... you seem to know that little girl from earlier, when did you have the chance to befriend her?" A troubled expression appeared on Shaels face as if it was something awkward to say when I asked her, but she eventually stopped looking for excuses, sighed, and started explaining. "I know her as one of the people who has gathered around our tent. They are members of the demonic race and also the abandoned humans whom Dragon Grandpa saved." "Abandoned people?" Seeing that the discussion was getting too complicated for her, Teto brought out her food from the magic bag and started eating while quietly listening to us. "Yeah. They were originally abandoned and forsaken people. Dragon Grandpa had sent them here to the fort through the , but the other humans didn''t accept them." In summary, they were either people who couldn''t enter fortified towns, the expelled demonic race members, the old, ill, and slaves who were deemed to be a burden when others escaped for their lives, the orphans without any guardians, and the minor criminals who were given the cold shoulder. "It would have left a bad taste when Dragon Grandpa saved them only for them to die after being left to starve when fellow human refugees who abandoned them take their distributed ration as well. Yahada and I share the food and medicine supplies we have, but it''s not enough." "I see." Listening to Shael''s words, the frustration on her face was evident. S?a??h the N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The stampede''s effects this time wouldn''t end just by defeating the monsters. If the people''s future lives were not secured, our efforts to help them wouldn''t be truly meaningful. "Majou-sama, Teto doesn''t want that girl to be bullied." "......I also want to do something about the discrimination against them, but it''s difficult." Unlike the angel and dragon-demon races who had a more favorable image in the eyes of humans, changing deep-rooted discrimination for the other demonic races would be challenging. Just eliminating this deep-rooted discrimination would take tens of hundreds of years, at least. "Say, Majou. Can''t we bring them all to the ?" Shael said with a serious expression on her face. I pondered the question carefully. If it was just a simple yes or no, then we have more than enough capacity to do that. The only problem was------ "We can accept them. But your opinion is to accept only the other demonic race members and the abandoned humans, right?" "Yes. There''s no need to help those who revere us as Angel-sama or Yahada and the dragon-demons as messengers of the dragon but are hateful toward Naia and the others!" Teto and I quietly listened to the ramblings of an enraged Shael who puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "I can understand where your anger is coming from. I also don''t like the way they don''t even spare children and steal their bread." "I know, right?!" "But if we do that, then we''ll become the ones discriminating against others. That''s why, I want everyone to be happy," "Majou-sama is sad about the situation on both sides, so she wants to help both of them." Teto, who had been silently listening from the side, summarized my feelings. It was just as she said, I want to accept all 50,000 refugees. When I stated straight to Sheal that this was basically my ideal, she seemed like she wanted to say something but she eventually swallowed her words and scratched her head in frustration. "......Seriously. I don''t get what goes on in your head to even think about accepting everyone. You are too good-natured to the point of fault...... But more importantly, how are you going to do it?" Sheal said, with a hint of exasperation mixed in her words. Though she didn''t try to stop me. "I''ll create the food supply with until the refugees are self-sufficient with their food." "Then Teto will make new fields! They will eat, work, and eat again!" "That''s a good idea. We can keep strife from occurring by making the people with needlessly excessive energy work." Shael looked dumbfounded as if to say how could things be so easy while Teto and I spoke. "To begin with, aren''t you taking things too easy? Every day, dead people are appearing, unable to withstand the refugee lifestyle. There is also the gravesite a bit further from here where they are buried." There is no end to people dying from starvation, overwork, chronic disease, worsening of injuries, age, and many more reasons. My shoulders slumped, as there was no way to help those who have already departed from this world. "Of course, I am going to make sure the weak are saved too. But my may be able to do many things, but it isn''t omnipotent. So I am sure we''ll be facing many hardships along the way." How strong goddesses were, there was no need to explain, but even they were unable to save all the people. The best we could do is to help people be able to lead a healthy life. "So it is up to us to make sure to take it seriously to avoid any more unfortunate people dying. If there are some, I just hope that others will step in to help out." What I was trying to achieve might not be a wise solution that would solve everything in one stroke. There was a chance that discord might arise if we tried to hurry up. That was why what we were going to do was very simple and we would take it a step at a time, making sure everything is done well. "Majou-dono! I also agreed with your idea!" "Yahada! And you guys too, were you all listening!?" I guess they must have been listening to our discussion from outside the tent, as Yahada declared so after entering the tent. Behind him, there were also Alsace and Refrya, which surprised me. I hadn''t kept my mana sense turned on as I thought we were inside the tent and there shouldn''t be any problems. "I am glad to see Chise is still the same kind and caring person that I remember. We''ll also help out." "That''s right. You don''t need to feel reserved. We''re still A-rank adventurers. Bet we''ll be more helpful than any untrained person." So said Alsace and Refrya. I am really glad that they were offering to cooperate, but if we were going to help 50,000 refugees, then we would need Selene and the others'' help. The cooperation of Margrave Reebel was equally indispensable before we could roll out our plan. Vol. 6 - Ch. 174.1 - The relief operation for the refugees (1) "Chise okaa-san...... You are really quick to take action when you''ve decided on something.""But, isn''t that the best solution we can ask for? If your stepmother is going to help, there''s nothing more reassuring than that. Furthermore, they''re willing to take in the most troublesome bunch." We entered the fort''s meeting room and explained our idea to Selene and her husband, Margrave Reebel. They both agreed to help so that all the refugees could regain their stable life. "I would like to act promptly before the public order worsens. The debate over accepting the refugees is taking place in the royal palace as well. Iska kingdom plans to accept around 20,000 refugees slowly." Reports about the situation of the western region continued to arrive every day, and according to them, two of the western region nations that surrounded the dungeon where the stampede occurred met their end, while the territories of the Mubad Empire in the north and the Parka theocracy shrank after being swallowed by the monsters. While some surviving towns remained in the lands of the ruined nations, that alone wouldn''t be able to make them function as a nation and, someday, they would be swallowed by the neighboring nations. Now that their former home and motherland had been devastated, they would need new land to start their new lives. But even if they tried their best, there was a limit to the number of refugees each town and village could accept. As much as I would like to rely on the other nations, this region was part of the border of one of the fallen nations, so they must be dealing with their own refugee problems too. "In that case, there would be 30,000 refugees left to take care of. I''ll take care of the emergency food with ." "Teto will work with golems to clear the land and make farms!" I''ll create the necessary food with my magic while Teto will make the farms. We aim to hopefully reduce the trouble by making refugees work in them. "We''ll work together with the adventurers and the volunteer soldiers from Chise''s place and hunt down monsters to secure meat." As Selene and others listened to our suggestion, Alsace shared his own proposal. "I have connections with the Adventurer Guild and former comrades who are clergymen. I''ll try to ask if we can have their cooperation and divide the refugees into guilds or orphanages in other regions." S?a?ch* Th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The church and orphanage that were once managed by Father Paulo had been succeeded by the clergyman who once used to be a member of Alsace''s former party. He was able to extend the orphanage''s scope under his management. In the beginning, there were only the dispensing and paper-making techniques that I once taught in the beginning, but now, it has apparently been transformed into a full-fledged vocational institute as they further invited woodworkers, blacksmiths, and builders. "That sounds good. I am also a church-recognized Saint so I''ll try to contact the cardinal and see if there''s something that can be done about the refugees." Oh, if there was a joint request from Selene the Margravine, the Saint, and the administrator of the Apenemis church, from where the orphanage relief act originated, I think we could expect a favorable outcome. Though, there was still a lot to tackle about our current situation. "We have to first consider the situation of all those refugees before splitting and moving them to new places. There''s a lot to take into account like their aptitude, their family relations, and their previous living circumstances." The first step would be to divide the refugees into several groups following the said criteria and many more things other than them. "In that case, we would need to dispatch civil officials to sort all this out. As for the other thing to take care of, I guess it would be to deal with the injured." "The main threat from this stampede has been eliminated, so I am thinking of starting to heal the injured refugees." The Margrave Reebel husband and wife, Weiss and Selene, spoke respectively. After we decided on conducting interviews with the refugees soon and sorting them out into groups, we swiftly sprang up to take action. ******** "------ Wheat!" The more complex the item was due to human craftsmanship, the more mana consumed to produce it depending on the amount. So producing wheat consumed the same amount of mana as it would take to create wheat flour or bread but the quantity would also be larger in the former case. I continued to produce a large amount of wheat with my hands tucked inside a sack. "A miracle...... She''s a saint of benediction." "Ah, it''s our fortune to have the saint of benediction''s help......" "Black-haired saint...... She''s a black-haired saint." There once existed an anecdote about a saint who miraculously produced wheat from nothing and shared it with the poor, and it seemed that my similar actions has made them associate me with that saint. "But black-haired saint, huh?...... Another nostalgic title..." I murmured with a wry smile seeing the reverent looks on the refugees'' faces. In the beginning, I was seen as the eerie girl with black eyes and black hair by them. But as I continued to produce wheat in plain sight with without hiding anything, it didn''t take long for me to become the center of attention of the refugees who began to revere me as a saint or a holy woman. The wheat was then transported to the fort and ground into flour using a mana device there, then the refugee women kneaded the dough to bake bread for their fellow refugees. "Well, I just hope this helps in reducing their prejudice and discrimination against black hair and black eyes." I wasn''t quite fond of standing in the spotlight, but nothing would change if I didn''t take the lead in changing people''s perceptions. After using my mana to the utmost limit, I joined the refugee women in kneading the freshly ground flour to make bread. This was something on the side, but the refugees who witnessed the sight of the skeleton giant being defeated saw a pillar of light vanquishing the skeleton giant and took it as a miracle from the goddesses without knowing it was my doing. Aside from me, Selene, too, has become a target of their respect as they called her the Saint of Recovery or Emerald Saintess since she was visiting their camp to provide healing to injured and sick people. But with there being two saintesses now, it was getting easy to mix us up so they first imitated Teto''s way of calling me ''Majou-sama'' and nicknamed me or before finally settling on , capturing my true nature. "Teto will also work hard to not lose to Majou-sama~" " " "------Goo!" " " Meanwhile, Teto took the clay golems from the to the land of the fallen nation, and using earth magic, she cleared the land and created farms. Plunging her black magic sword into the earth, the ground trembled and the undergrowth withered away, swallowed by the ground, forming rows of plowed fields. The clay golems, who had stored plant seeds within themselves, then buried seed-filled mud balls into the soil. After that, these fields were entrusted to the refugees for them to manage. The fields infused with Teto''s magic provided faster growth speed for crops, and in just a month or so, the vegetables with short growth periods could already be harvested, providing a low but steady supply of fresh vegetables. As we all busied ourselves with helping out, communications from various countries began to arrive at the fort. "Chise okaa-san! After a negotiation with Duke Gyunton, he agreed to take in 10,000 demi-human refugees! Also, the Great Forest of Elves is ready to accept 2000 elven refugees." Through the connections of the Five Goddess'' Church, which had their roots spread all over the continent, we managed to have orphanages accept the refugee children, while there were also talks of a dwarven mining nation taking in 5000 dwarves and a dragonkin nation taking in 2000 dragonkin refugees. Aside from them, those people who managed to escape with their family fortune or had relatives in other nations used their resources and connections to leave the refugee camp and start a new life. Those people who have some sort of skill like adventurers, knights, magicians, or artisans had been guided to the guilds in other nations where they sought out work and began their respective lives. With such refugees leaving for new places one after another, beginning their new journey as they left riding on the carriages arranged by the Iska Kingdom, the scale of refugee camps gradually shrank. Adventurers that were hired also gradually dwindled in number, and in their place, the knights from the kingdom and the Margrave Reebel house took the lead in managing the threat of the monsters. Some refugees had also built their homes around the farms that Teto created, which were then bought by the House of Margrave Rebel from Teto, eventually becoming the territory of the Iska Kingdom. Vol. 6 - Ch. 174.2 - The relief operation for the refugees (2) "There are a lot less refugees now, aren''t there?""Yeah. But many couldn''t make it to the end." As the season turned to winter, the harsh circumstances of the refugees and the coldness of winter became the scythe of death that harvested the lives of many refugees. A graveyard has also been built on the outskirts of the refugee camp to mourn for the fallen people. There were also instances where people chose to sell themselves into slavery to secure money for their families so that they could escape their current circumstances as soon as possible. Many committed crimes and were then expelled from the refuge camp and sent to work as mining slaves. "------But, there were also kids who were born during this time." Women who were pregnant even before the start of the stampede went through delivery in the refugee camp wrapped in a sense of anxiety. I also assisted them to ensure safe childbirth. When I looked at the innocent newborn, I mentally decided to create a safe haven for them where they could live in peace. As we supported the refugees and saw them off to their new beginnings, there were also some other situations like people who were working in other nations finding out that their motherland was already gone, or the people who escaped to the refugee camps of the other nations to reunite with their families that kept the numbers fluctuating. Nevertheless, a year later, the population of the refugee camp had been reduced to 3000. "It''s the Wheat Lady, good morning!" "Majou-sama, thank you very much for providing medicine the other day." "Creation Witch-sama, how do you think should we lead our lives from here on out?" Perhaps our intentions had been conveyed to them as me, Teto and the others strived to help them out as much as possible, so the refugees began to open up to us. I visited the remaining people of the refugee camp and probed them if they would like to relocate to the . Belonging to different races and bearing peculiar traits, they were members of the demonic races and they were the families who found it hard to find their place in society. They were the old and the ill who were left behind due to their old age or sickness. There were children from various races who were driven away from the slums of towns. They were the halfling children who couldn''t find their place in any community of any race. Aside from them, some people were charmed by Shael and Yahada and stayed behind. Speaking of which, the breakdown of the refugees to whom we had suggested relocation was 400 humans, 300 beastkin, 100 each for demi-humans, elves, and dwarves, and 50 dragonkin. Notably, the refugee population also included halflings from races such as beastkin, elves, dwarves, and dragonkin, among others. When there was an offspring between fellow beastkin or demi-humans, the child takes on the race of one of the parents, but if a child was born between them and a human, the offspring would become a halfling instead. Because of this, halflings had a history of being discriminated against due to factors such as pure-blood supremacism, lifespan difference, and variations in racial traits. Even so, the Gard Beastkin Nation welcomed many of the halflings, but there were still many who didn''t find a place ready to accept them. The remaining species from demonic races were as follows--- Demi-human demonic races such as devilkin, oni-kin, and the multi-eyed race (Three-eyed demonkin). Beastkin demonic races such as Werewolves, half-human half-horse Centaurs, half-human half-snake Lamias, and bull-headed Minotaurs. Insect-type demonic races with features resembling bees and spiders who could also partially control their size and form through . Plant-type demonic races like dryads and alraunes who had plants and flowers blooming on parts of their bodies. The situation was particularly severe for the Lamias, the spider-kin, and the plant-based demonic races as they had a history of kidnapping males from other races to maintain their lineage due to their unique trait of being a female-only race. Naturally, they were avoided by others. In the case of the Minotaurs, males had bull-like heads similar to the Dragon-Demon demonic race, while women were more similar to the normal cow-like beastkin in appearance. Aside from them, other minority demonic races that were hard to classify had accepted our proposal of relocation. Thus, to accommodate those who had no other place to go, we had Beretta, Shael, Yahada, and the others, who returned to the through the , create settlements for them. With the decrease in the refugee population, I no longer needed to produce food items using ''til I barely had any mana left, so I also began to help out in building the settlements with the surplus mana I now had. Incidentally, a part of the demon-kin who were still finding it tough to live with humans left for the one step ahead where they started creating their own place after finding suitable land. And finally------ "From hereon, I announce the disbanding of the refugee camp! Everyone, you all did your best to endure!" " " "Hurrayyyyyyy!" " " Along with the announcement of Margrave Reebel, the refugee camp was disbanded. I reckoned refugees who couldn''t find a place anywhere and had no destination to go to would be given some assets to sustain them for a short while before exiling them initially. However, since we intervened by providing a place for these refugees including the demonic races who had nowhere to go, they were able to leave for their next destination with brighter expressions. "Well then everyone, come to this side!" Since Dragon Grandpa had already used to secure the refugees who were late in escaping, they already knew what to do and unhesitatingly passed through the to their new place, . Beyond the five were their respective settlements that had been prepared beforehand. The humans'' repulsion towards the demonic races had also abated to some extent after passing the time together in the refugee camp, so I was hoping they''d be able to lead a life mingling with each other without any major problems in each settlement. With all things settled, we returned to our mansion in the where------ " " "Welcome back, Master! Teto-sama!" " " "I''m back. Is everyone doing well?" "We''re back-nanodesu!" Children that were in the refugee camp were there to greet us when we returned to our mansion. These kids, wearing the maid or butler uniforms that Baretta and the maid group had made, were now working in our mansion. It was something Baretta suggested when I discussed with her the acceptance of the demonic races to our place. Hence, among the 100 mechanoids plus their head maid Baretta, Baretta and 50 other mechanoids were now working at the mansion while 30 mechanoids were taking turns in managing the various villages. As for the rest of the 20 mechanoids------ (T/N - Now that there are so many new editions to demonic races, I will use demonic race to collectively refer to them, in single case, it would be angelkin, dragon-demonkin format.) "......Excuse me?" "Ohh, are they going to have babies!? Congratulations!" The news was so out of the blue that I was left completely dumbfounded. I mean, for the last couple of years, I had spent one year in the Great Forest of the Elves, while another year was spent in the fort to take care of the refugees'' relief operation, so I was unaware that such drastic changes had been taking place among the residents of the which caught me completely off-guard. Functionality-wise, Mechanoids all had pregnancy features so they were able to have kids. Following the shock that was like a lightning bolt to me, a sense of happiness slowly welled up within me. "I see...... They were originally fledgling service dolls that I had created with who later became demonkin...... That''s great to hear." "Majou-sama has become a grandma!" S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Fufu, you are forgetting Selene has kids, so I''m already a grandma. Oh wait, age-wise, I could even be a great-grandma." My body is still that of a 12-year-old, but it has already been over 70 years since I came into this world. We all chuckled softly at my remark before Baretta brought the derailed topic back on track. After receiving the suggestion from Baretta, we looked to recruit kids who would like to work at the mansion among the relocated refugees, and a lot of them immediately stepped forward to repay their gratitude to me. Also, with the sudden rise in residents, there were various changes like the rapid spread of the monetary system in the , and they barely survived by making a living, but from my point of view, I think I had done enough within my capabilities. Editor''s note - I did a spit take on the "pregnancy feature". Who designed these robots again? Vol. 6 - Ch. 175 - This is the Forest of the Creation Witch The Refugee camp was safely disbanded with everyone''s help, but the changes that happened weren''t just limited to that."Chise~ I have come to see the forest''s management. By the way, I''ve marked the trees so that only those will be cut down." S?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Thank you, Refrya. Also, did you bring the jam you made last time with you?" "I brought many of them!" "Great, Shael would be delighted." First, Alsace-san of the adventurer party returned to the dungeon city Apenemis along with Tonny-san, the successor to his party, to help and support the refugees who sought work with the Adventure Guild. On the other hand, after providing her support in the incident, the Elf Refrya moved in with Shael as a freeloader on the pretext of ''I am a forest specialist and I can help out here''. "Say, Refrya, was it a good choice?" "Hmm? What is?" "Majou-sama is asking about Refrya moving here-nanodesu! Refrya seems like she can still work more as an adventurer-nanodesu!" At our inquiry, Refrya replied with a wry smile. "I was recently contemplating that it''s time to retire. Even this time, I was called here alongside Alsace-san because of my reputation as an A-rank adventurer, but I''ve been mostly solo for over ten years now." "Is that so?" "Yeah...... And just as I was thinking it''s about time to find a place to settle down, I met Shael and Yahada." I see. Apparently, this place where many long-lived species lived attracted her attention and so she happily jumped over here to settle down. "Also, Shael looks like the past ''stuck up'' me, so it''s hard for me to just leave her alone. "Well, it''s true. You have become mellower compared to the past." "Refrya has become softer!" "The way you phrased it sounds like I used to be fat...... Whatever." And that''s how the welcomed another resident, Refrya-san. Speaking of other newly added residents------ "Oryaaaaaaa------!" "Uooooooooo------!" A muscular, bulky man with two horns and the dragon-demon Yahada were having a mock battle with training weapons in their hands. As the dust fluttered in the air due to their intense mock battle, the two of them noticed our presence and turned to greet us with smiles. "Oooh, Majou-dono and her Guardian-dono, have you come to visit!?" "Did you see the splendor of my muscles!?" Yahada waved his hand while the giant horned man, Gast of the Onikin, took a bodybuilder pose and showed off his muscles. Aside from them, other Onikin warriors had gathered around as the dragon-demonkin and the angelkin had mock battles against each other. They were originally working away from their settlement far away from human territories. Having a tough time finding typical jobs due to the discrimination against demonic races in human settlements, they had been earning foreign currency by utilizing their overwhelming physical strength as adventurers and mercenaries in other countries. However, after the Stampede, the village they came from was destroyed, scattering the Onikin across various places. However, with Dragon Grandpa''s help, they managed to get back together and they then pledged their loyalty to us, who welcomed them with open arms. "We, the Oni tribe, pledge absolute loyalty to Majou-dono!" "Err, keep it in moderation." After advising them to not overexert themselves, we toured around other new settlements and found that everyone was working hard on their respective tasks to make their daily lives comfortable. Then, as we walked through the forest while heading towards our next destination, we encountered a group on patrol. "Ah, Majou-sama and Teto-sama." It was a strange group consisting of a young girl with a tanned complexion resembling Teto, an earth spirit, and a clay golem. All of them had once been clay golems created by Teto. But the evolution of Teto to also brought a change in them as well. Like, ---Some changed from mere golems to demonkin , the same as Teto. ---Some shed away their golem bodies and evolved into spirits. ---Some remained clay golems but got an increase in their abilities. They had changed into one of these patterns. And so, currently--- "Yo~, Chise and Teto. You know you had me worried seeing that it was taking ages for you to return to the so I came to take a look." Once we returned to our mansion after the disbanding of the refugee camp, Erneah-san and the others came to visit us. Though she had immediately returned to the after defeating the skeleton giant, she continued to support us by sending supplies or taking in refugees among other things. Currently, she was sporting an amused smile on her face as she gossiped about our current situation. "Hoho, so things like that happened, huh? Must''ve been rough." "Well, I couldn''t bear to watch them be driven into isolation. More importantly, what the heck is the ?" It should''ve been the ...... As I was puzzled, Erneah-san informed me with a grin. "I mean, have you forgotten just how much you used your ? Now the masses have acknowledged you as the and so the place where you live is now called the . Now, no one would believe it if they were told it was a wilderness." More specifically, the migrants had stuck to calling this place either the or the . Mechanoids alongside Baretta had also taken a liking to this name since it included the term ''witch'' which was synonymous with me. Furthermore, Dragon Grandpa also said, that once used to be a barren land, a new name like the signifies its rebirth.> With the majority of the people approving of the name, it was obvious that the forest''s name needed to be changed. "Then it would have been better to call this place or ." "But Teto likes the name !" Though I personally didn''t like the name that included my own alias, seeing that Teto looked happy about it, I thought that maybe it was okay after all. "This year was also rough for us, we spent so much time relocating the elven refugees from other places to the Great Forest or other elven settlements around the continent." "I see, thank you for accepting the refugees." "Don''t mind it, it''s natural to help each other in times of need. Besides, I get all jittery when you thank me." With that, we sipped on the tea served by Baretta while listening to the delightful laughter of the children echoing within the mansion. The mansion has become quite lively these days. "Ah, right, I almost forgot but I meant to ask, your place must lack enough spirits, right?" "Yeah, it hasn''t been that long since the land here recovered. So there are hardly any spirits." "The only spirits here are the ones who transformed from the golem-sans Teto made-nanodesu!" Spirits were spiritual entities that governed various aspects of nature and carried out the balance of nature. Even though this land was already covered in a fair amount of greenery, it hasnt even been that long since this land recovered, so the only way for spirits to spontaneously arise here was either to let nature further flourish for 100 more years or to make the mana more abundant here. "Spirits will either move in from the outside, or the souls of the deceased mythical beasts would transform into spirits...... Well, both will take time to happen." The great barrier erected by Liliel and the others to prevent the inflow and outflow of mana was currently blocking any mana lifeforms from entering. When this barrier was one day released, spirits might come here riding on the wind or carried by the rivers and streams, but this was something that will take time. I could only hope that the spirits who took a liking to this land would decide to settle here. "Fufufu, I expected that would be the case. That''s why I brought along some of the spirits who wished to migrate." "Spirits who wished to migrate?" "Come on, how long are you planning to hide, come out." As soon as Erneah-san snapped her folding fan shut, fairies started appearing around her. "They are... the same fairies who drained my mana?" "Muh, the one who kidnapped Majou-sama?" Seeing the appearance of the spirits who lured me toward the looped spring, and became intermediate spirits by draining my mana, Teto pouted and hugged me as if to protect me from getting kidnapped again while vigilantly looking at them. "I won''t ask you to forgive them. The lower-rank spirits with weak self-control tend to play pranks on people sometimes and sometimes they meddle too much when they take a liking to someone. In the case of Chise, they seemingly became addicted to your mana''s quality." Mythical beasts and other mana life forms had their own preference for mana. Just a nearby example was the Cat Sith Kuro who chose my disciple Yuishia even though I boasted the highest mana capacity among us, so mana capacity and personal preference for the mana had no connection. However, when I visited the Great Forest of Elves, I spotted several individuals with huge mana capacities casually sharing their magic with mythical beasts. Their mana must have had the quality that was preferred by them. Apparently, that was the reason why their desire of ''we also want mana'' brought forth their affection for me. "I''ve given up on them, they just aren''t compatible with me. No matter what I say, they are hellbent on not listening to me." The reason why they reluctantly gave me their spirit stone when Erneah-san asked them to do so was because it was her order, and they just did not like her mana. On the other hand, if it was me who had asked for the same thing, they most likely would have given me a spirit stone with a higher density even if it meant shaving a part of their spirit body. Obviously, I got slightly flustered after hearing Erneah-san explain the situation. "No matter how much you like me, I rather hope you value your own well-being more." "Now that they''ve been promoted to intermediate spirits, they have better self-control and probably won''t cause any more trouble. With these spirits present, the land will flourish. The forest''s trees will produce more mana, and the environment will become more favorable for the natural birth of spirits. So, would you mind letting them move in?" Hearing the details, I glanced at the fairies who looked at me with a hopeful gaze. Although they may have taken around 20 million units of my mana, after receiving their spirit stone and thinking of how much the environment would benefit from their relocation, it would instead be me who would be owning them. "Alright, I will take them in." "Hmm. I knew you would say that. Well then, spirits, do your best~." Then, receiving Erneah-san''s encouragement, the spirits took flight in search of a new place that would house them. "Seriously, it''s as if we''ve suddenly boarded the expressway of transformation." Once a barren land, the ---.... no, now the , sure has become quite a lively place. Amidst such a cycle of major and minor changes, today too, we lived on. Vol. 7 - Ch. 176 - The Towering World Tree A year had passed since the stampede that was said to be the crisis of the western continent ended. A lot of changes took place in that one year as we accepted nearly 3000 refugees into our place.The name of the ?Empty Wilderness? changed to the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?, signifying the rebirth of the once barren and infertile land which at present could easily accommodate the lifestyle of the people. As for me "How''s the situation of the barrier, Majou-sama?" "It has weakened quite a lot. In around 30 years, it will completely disappear." Teto and I had come here in the vicinity of the great barrier erected by the goddesses. Forests produced mana which helped in the growth of people and animals living on this land, and in return, they produced even more mana. The whole region of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? has more abundant mana than the outside world on average, so it no longer required a barrier to prevent the flow of mana. The barrier was now barely functioning as a blockade to prevent the intrusion of uninvited people, but even that would no longer be necessary with the gradual installation of the illusion magic that the people of the Great Forest of Elf used. "Well, this ends the survey. Let''s go back." Yes-nanodesu!" S?a?ch* Th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Once Teto also got on the wand I was straddling, we soared through the sky of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. From the vantage point above in the sky, I gazed at the forest below, occasionally spotting wild animals running through the gaps of the trees. Some of them came from outside the barrier while others were creatures we brought from other places and bred here. And in the gaps of the forest spreading below, there were rivers, springs, and plains dotted all around. Within the cleared lands, you could also catch sight of the immigrants'' villages. In contrast to that, the forest here was far denser, and several towering giant trees stood out among the other trees. "Truly, they have grown quite large." "It''s also because a lot of trees have also fused together!" During the two years that Teto and I were away from this place, which was spent staying in the Eldar Forest Kingdom due to Teto''s evolution and to protect refugees, significant changes occurred. In the past, we had planted the seeds of the World Tree as mana regeneration spots and created a forest around them. Now, the world trees seeds from that time have grown even bigger than regular trees, stopping at nothing as they assimilate even the surrounding trees into themselves, mutating them into world trees and growing taller than ever. Furthermore, there were also the seeds of world trees that the Ratatosk, mythical beasts from the floating island, had hidden in the hollow cavity of the world trees or in the ground which sprouted later down the line. Then those world trees merged and transformed into giant trees over 100 meters tall. "It surely is a mystical growth process......" "They are smaller than the world tree in elf country but still impressive!" The World Tree of the Eldar Forest Kingdom, ruled by the High Elf Queen Erneah-san, stands tall and imposing like a high-rise building, evoking a sense of its age and growth. In contrast, the World Tree of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? is a giant tree born from a collection of many trees centered around the World Tree. Both of them were undoubtedly world trees, but their growth process was just as fantastical as it could get. "Let''s get down here." "Teto will follow Majou-sama!" We landed on the branch of the world tree in the center of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. It was the first world tree we had planted and it was even more colossal than the other giant world trees. As one could expect, the branches were equally thick and firm, so they didn''t budge even with our landing. We sat down on a branch and gazed at the view of the forest. It was a simple act of looking at the scenery, without any reason whatsoever from a place that barely anyone could reach. The only thing at the top was the rustling sound of leaves in the wind. We stayed there for a short while without doing anything, just enjoying the scenery and breathing in the forest air. Grumble The grumbling of Teto''s stomach breaks the silence of the forest. I couldn''t help but chuckle slightly. "Teto''s a bit hungry." "Fufu, well it seems to be the time. Let''s return to the mansion, shall we?" We stood up on the branch, and I once again mounted the wand with Teto and flew back to our residence. ? ? ?Welcome back, Master.? ? ? We were greeted by Baretta''s subordinate mechanoids when we entered the residence. "We''re back-nanodesu! What do we have for today''s snacks?" ?Today''s snack is pudding, made with Gauren''s milk, eggs, and honey." ?Also, Master. We''re done sorting out the requests from the other settlements and they''re in the office.? "Alright. I''ll check them out later." After receiving the update along with the greetings from the maids, we carried plenty of pudding from the kitchen and made our way to the office. There, Baretta and several members of the maid group, along with some demonkin who excelled in intellectual work and volunteered themselves to be our help were working. ?Welcome back, Master. But why are you here? Isn''t today a day off?? "I''m back, Baretta. It''s snack time, so we brought them for everyone." "We are back-nanodesu! Take a break, everyone!" After my words, the demonkin staff who were busy working on the desk lined up in the office all looked at Baretta with hopeful gazes. ?Understood. I can''t disregard Master''s generosity either. Everyone, we''re going to have a snack break.? ? ? ?Understood! Head Maid!? ? ? Halting their work, the young demonkin staff began preparing the snacks and tea. I watched them with a heartwarming smile. With the increase in the population of the ?Forest of the Creation WItch? came the increase in the multitude of complex work to sort through. Naturally, there was nothing that Baretta and the other Mechanoid couldn''t do if I had let them take care of it. But I stopped them since they already had loads of work to do. They might be super competent but I didn''t want them to push themselves to their limits. Since they evolved into Demonkin - Mechanoids, I rather hoped they would pursue personal hobbies or interests and spend time leisurely like humans. In consideration of all this, I hired the demonkin children as staff for the office. Not only did it lessen the burden on Baretta and the others, but it also fulfilled the wishes of the immigrant volunteers who wanted to be of assistance to me. ?Master, Teto-sama. Tea is ready.? "Thank you. Then, let''s dig in." "Let''s dig in-nanodesu!" As Teto and I took a bite of our pudding, we both narrowed our eyes in delight at the smooth yet rich flavor of the desert. The bittersweet caramel and vanilla aromas were a delight. Once it started to feel too sweet, we cleansed the taste from our tongues with black tea and then continued enjoying the pudding. "Thanks for the food, that was great. Now then, Baretta. I heard there are requests from the other settlements, can I have a look?" ?Here they are.? At my request, Baretta handed me several bundles of paper. I started reviewing them one by one. Currently, with the increase in population in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?, each tribe has put forth their representative to participate in the consensus-based system to decide on the lifestyle of the forest. The result of this came to me, who was more or less the leader here, though my plan was to refrain from excessive interference and let things happen on their own as it was happening until now. "To reign but to not govern...... I guess something like that." Thanks to the efforts of Baretta and the maid group, the groundwork for the consensus-based system among the various races had been established, making things much easier for us. "Today''s reports are about expanding the range of the trade goods, huh?" ?Yes. There is a petition to add honey which they harvested from the Queen Bees and high-quality fiber from the Arachne.? Both the Queen Bees of bee-based demonkin and the Arachne, spider-based demonkin, were female-only demonic races. From the lifestyle perspective of the Queen Bees, who collected flower nectar and pollen to create honey, and the Arachne, who built their home in trees, they couldn''t have asked for a better place than the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? which was flourishing with nature. It was just the best place for them to live. The Queen Bees of the bee-kin utilized the honeybees, the bee monsters, to make high-quality honey and beeswax from the flower fields. The Arachne from the spider-kin produced the fabric they made from the threads produced by themselves or the Albino Eye Spiders originally Red Eye Spiders but mutated under the influence of the mana of the sakura trees I created with ?Creation Magic?. The glossy and lustrous fabric, after dyeing in the naturally-derived dye, was an object of longing for the women of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. "The honey of Queen Bees is so sweet! The horned folks were talking about making honey liquor, but it would be sad if we ran out of honey!" The horned folks Teto was referring to were the Oni-kin. Their men have beefy bodies while the women looked like normal women, but both of them had horns on their heads. The males often engaged in mercenary work due to their physical prowess, while the females protected their homes and villages and brewed alcohol. After hearing about the honey liquor they brewed, Teto seemed to now be looking forward to tasting it. "Their honey is indeed delicious. And the smoothness and coolness of the Arachne''s fabric make you want to caress them forever." The silky fabric they gifted to us has already been made into Teto and mine pajamas and bedding by Baretta and the other maids. Teto seemed to have taken a liking to that velvety sensation so much that whenever I was in those pajamas, she never stopped rubbing her face against them. ?They are classified as high-class items, so only a small quantity of them are added in trade, and there is also no issue with their circulation in the forest. Furthermore, they are being put up as a gift for the Master as the first priority.? ''Also, even in today''s pudding, honey from Queen Bees has been used'', Baretta added further. Hearing that, Teto and I savored the sweetness of our pudding bit by bit. ?On this note, the other races are also eagerly working to bring out their own specialty to present them to Master.? "......Please give them a warning to not overexert themselves." The products of the Queen Bees and the Arachne were something like their innate specialty so other races didn''t need to imitate them. I just hoped that they would take care of themselves, at least. Vol. 7 - Ch. 177 - A Witchs Education System There were all sorts of people among the refugees that relocated into the .First was the demonkin group which was originally a community of fellow folks. s?a??h th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. These individuals originally had no place in human society and were either living a reclusive life in a village hidden from other people''s sight or traveling in caravans from one place to another in search of a safe place. As of now, these people have settled in the , making their villages alongside other demonkin who had similar lifestyles and leading their lives. Aside from them, some people didn''t have any group that they could take shelter in nor did they have any place to go back to. Then came the children. Those who were coming of age were taken in for menial tasks. And at last, there were those deemed unfit for labor; orphans without anyone to look after them, halflings who were targets of discrimination, and slaves who were abandoned by their masters when everyone was busy fleeing for their lives. Hence, I built several buildings using to provide these kids a place to get treated and a facility where they could take education. "------ Boarding House!" I created a boarding house near the research tower, which was originally a space-time flotsam that drifted here and was later refurbished, after clearing the land which became a home for the children. The dormitory contained a dining hall and plenty of four-person rooms, allowing almost 300 children to live together. "If this huge building will be the place for the children to live in, then what is that huge building over there for, Majou-sama?" Facing the boarding house, I also created a school building with spacious classrooms using . The current school included many orphans, halflings, and former underaged slaves. Taking on the role of teachers were the educated adults among the residents, former slaves, or the elderly with a variety of skills. This building was something I made with so it didn''t have anything at all. The necessary materials and facilities were being prepared by Baretta and the others. "What are you going to teach here, Majou-sama?" "It would basically be reading, writing, and arithmetic. Additionally, I am also planning to have them learn about blacksmithing, woodworking, and potion making depending on the children''s aspirations and aptitude." However, regarding specific skills instruction, we were currently in the process of deciding in consultation with the teachers. Currently, some of the members of the maid group who had free time on their hands were gradually teaching the children the fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic, starting with picture books. There were also the familiars of Teto, who were the Earthnoids and the Golems, assisting them and playing with the children on their breaks with the playground equipment prepared beforehand. "Woah, it''s Majou-sama! Hey!" "Hello, Majou-sama, Teto onee-chan!" "Thank you for the delicious food and warm bed!" "Teto onee-chan! Let''s play together again!" When we arrived at the school building, children approached us one by one to say their greetings and thanks. There were also small size mythical beasts, like Cu-Sith and Cat-Sith, mixed in with the children, apparently playing together with them. Of course, they weren''t simply playing along with the kids. They were also keeping an eye on them and showing them the ropes about many things too. It seemed like they were absorbing a tiny amount of mana released by the kids, but for the most part, they were acting as playmates to them. Then, one of the kids asked me something. "Majou-sama! Teach me magic!" "Ah, unfair! I also want to learn magic!" "I also want to become a magician like Majou-sama!" "I want to manipulate the soil like Teto onee-chan!" Once one kid said his request, the others also followed suit and excitedly raised their voices. Their sudden request put me in an awkward situation. Magic wasn''t something that could be taught without any consideration, but after being exposed to their gazes filled with pure respect, I just couldn''t find it in myself to turn down their request. "Ugh......O, Okay. Let me think about the game involving magic." "Teto will also play together!" In the end, I decided to teach the kids and within the context of a game. "Let''s first begin with sensing mana. Everyone, hold hands and form a circle." Teto and I also joined in and held hands with the kids, with both of us standing on opposite sides. "Alright guys, I will now slowly let my mana flow into all of you, so focus your senses on your hands." I said that and then circulated my mana among the kids. Feeling the warm sensation from the mana that flowed through their palms at once, the children let out surprised yelps at first. Meanwhile, Teto, standing on the opposite side of me, took in the mana herself. Over time, the children seemed to get used to sensing the mana flow through their bodies. "Did it surprise you? Now, we will play a rhythm with the mana." ------Tap, Tap, Tap. Tap, Tap, Tap. Just circulating the mana would be boring, so I did it while playing a rhythm, like a nursery rhyme for kids. The children, matching my rhythm, raise their voices in harmony. " " "------Tap, Tap, Ta-Ta-Ta-Tap!" " " "Just like that. Now, we will make it a bit more challenging." ------Thunk, thunk, Th-Th-Th-Thunk! After a while of continuing the game through various rhythms, the children gradually got the hang of sensing mana and they next learned to manipulate their own mana to some extent. But since the mana capacity of the children was still weak, they linked hands in pairs, synchronized their magic rhythms, and started trying themselves. This method later spread among the other children who weren''t there at that time and with more practice, it began to develop their ability to sense and control magic during their playtime. I taught them one more thing------ "Everyone is doing great, so let''s play a little game. Watch carefully------ ." I visualized and produced a tiny lump of mana on my index finger. With a light flick, it flew in a parabolic trajectory. One of the Cu Sith who saw it leaped up like a spring and chomped it down. "Do you see? This tiny mana lump is the snack of mythical beasts. So you can also do it like this--- catch!" I reproduced another mana ball and flicked it. This time, a Cat Sith dashed for it and bit it down. "Woahh, amazing!" "Ohh, Doggie and Kitty ate it!" "It looks fun! We also want to try it!" After seeing that, the children raised voices laced with enthusiasm as they also concentrated and tried to copy me. This spell that made a non-offensive magical ball was originally the Church''s which emitted a shockwave of pure magical energy but was later improvised by me. For the mythical creatures who absorb magic from external sources, these magical balls serve as treats. Correction, it wasnt just mythical beasts who treat them as treats, there was one more person--- "Majou-sama...... Teto also wants to try eating it." "Fine. ------." "Ummm~ Majou-sama''s mana is really tasty." I usually used to supplement Teto with mana, but this different way of ingesting mana seemed to have provided another kind of sensation as she squinted her eyes in delight, savoring the taste. Like that, I continue to teach children magic skills through games and soon, it was evening. The demonkin who had volunteered to take care of the kids took them back to the boarding house. The kids already lived together with the demonkin in the refugee camp, so there was no issue about leaving the caretaking to them. "Today was fun, Majou-sama!" "I feel the same. Looking at their bright faces further motivates me to make sure they grow up to be strong and independent. "Teto is sure they will, Majou-sama! Everyone is eating properly, sleeping well, and full of energy!" Their once frightened and hollowed expressions in the refugee camp were now replaced with innocent smiling faces as they chased after the mythical beasts. I couldnt be any happier about my decision. Time passed like this and three months later, the school started its operations. But since we had children of varying ages, we settled on the promotion system based on the proficiency level of their chosen subject and then set up the classes by age. At the very least, reading, writing, and arithmetic were made mandatory, and we also offered elective courses such as agriculture, woodworking, potion making, and combat, providing choices for their future. One day after that, Baretta came to me with a petition document from all the other settlements. "Requests? What kind?" With the school now being functional, the words about the value of the school''s lessons and their usefulness spread among the others and so, such requests started coming from demonkin villages. Though there was a misconception in that report. "I do want to accommodate their request personally, but I don''t remember our school teaching magic." Ah, that was indeed magic training in disguise. "I only taught the kids a game that uses mana, so do convey that there are no classes for magic in the school, but we will positively consider those who wish to attend it. Aside from that, are there any issues in integrating these children into the school?" "You have a point. But the burden on the current teachers would increase if we set up a classroom just for the children of demonkin." After that, I discussed this topic with Baretta and the other instructors in detail. Personally speaking, the school was a temporary place until the children could become self-reliant. However, word about it continued to circulate and more demonkin wishing for their children to attend the school began to appear. "At this rate, we need to change the system so that it can facilitate progressive education......" As a result of our discussion, I built some small-scale cram school-like facilities in each village for demonkin children with the same curriculum as the other schools, mainly focusing on reading, writing, and arithmetic. As for the elective classes, the main focus was on teaching children about their respective race''s specialty while also providing opportunities for the children interested in other lessons. Then, just like with the other children from the main school, I visited each cram school and taught the demonkin children there about the game using mana. Like this, the cram schools for the demonic race were established, and several years later, the children of the main school graduated. Some of the kids became artisans and skilled workers and managed to stand up on their own two feet. Some kids embarked on the path of becoming adventurers. Some took a liking to the trading the angelkin and dragon-demonkin were doing and stepped up to manage the store that was the foundation of the . Some fell in love with the demonkin of the opposite gender whom they had met in school and chose to stay in the , instead of venturing outside. And finally, some of those who stayed became teachers of the cram schools in the human settlements. With the graduation of the children, the school, originally built on the idea of making the children independent, had finally served its purpose. It was something of an excerpt from the future------ the remaining boarding house and the other buildings continued to attract children irrespective of race who wished to study and with it being repurposed later down the line, it eventually became one of the world''s most prominent universities several hundred years later. Vol. 7 - Ch. 178 - The village of thrown-away elderly and the closure of their political relation Today, I was having an appointed meeting with Selene and Duke Gyunton through the communication magic tool where I explained to them our recent situation."The situation has settled down for the most part." Through the communication magic tool, Selene expressed her thanks while Duke Gyunton murmured with a shocked expression. Well, it might be a consensus, but I wish to avoid interfering with them as much as possible and have left the matter for Baretta to handle. Currently, Teto, Baretta, and I were only participating in their meetings to see their progress. At the start, there were many ups and downs, but they managed to grasp the flow of a meeting right after. So moving forward, the meeting will most likely be managed by the subordinate maid group under Baretta in our absence. I think, now it was just a matter of meeting frequency and each race realizing their own problems over time, and the system they had established would operate more smoothly. S~?a??h the N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Currently, the authority in my hands was limited to managing the trade affairs we were doing with Selene and Duke Gyunton and the facilities like the boarding house and the school built for the kids. Even then, I intended to eventually delegate these responsibilities to someone else, and I would only stay as a figurehead. "Well that''s the situation, refugee problems are somehow getting managed." Once we were more or less done with the current affairs, Duke Gyunton asked about the people not mentioned in the earlier report. Among the 3000 refugees from the refugee camp who settled in the , approximately 2000 were demonkin, 300 were orphaned children or halflings, and 700 were elderly people who were incapable of doing labor. "For them, we provided a village to live in without involving them in the consensus process, while taking some of their mana as tax." I explained the situation of the elderly, who didn''t have much to live for, in a matter-of-fact tone. Initially, I approached these elderly with a certain contract. <------I will provide you with the items I produced with my . In return, work on my land and fill up this mana crystal with your surplus mana and give it to me.> The elderly, who were already tired after experiencing various things, hopped up to grab my deal, as I was the only one to extend a helping hand, and formed a contract. I adhered to the contract and gave them houses and established a village. I also lent them some magical devices to make certain aspects of their daily life easier and arranged for food to be delivered to them. Though they were aware that the work of filling up the mana crystal with their mana didn''t amount to much so they were also managing the vegetable farms and did other side jobs they could do at home. For the third time today, Duke Gyunton spoke with an exasperated voice, meanwhile, Selene quietly watched with an amused smile. Teto next to me also had a grin on her face. Even Baretta was looking at me with a loving mother-like gaze. Apparently, it was pretty obvious. And if that wasnt enough, Duke Gyunton especially made it clear by pointing it out. I averted my gaze in an act of defiance and put up an argument. "......It''s not like that. If I had left them on their own accord, there was the risk of monsters with a taste for human flesh to appear. Also, their dead bodies might even turn into undead. This is a preventive measure, as well as a policy for recovering mana resources." It was like hitting two birds with one stone. Though a traitor in the guise of an ally, Baretta, shot that counter-argument down. to them.> With Baretta exposing my facade, I pouted and looked away in frustration. "Trying hard to hide such things is one of the charming sides of Majou-sama!" Duke Gyunton sighed with an exasperated expression, while Teto chimed in cheerfully. Selene, too, was nodding her head in agreement. With the cat out of the bag, I immediately followed with my explanation to express my intent. "That''s not it, it''s just if I am seen as a witch who easily comes to people''s aid, we would have an endless stream of people seeking help." While I genuinely wanted to assist the elderly for humanitarian and emotional reasons, the reality was I, who possessed an enormous mana capacity, too, didn''t have limitless resources. So since I couldn''t help people without weighing the pros and cons, I decided to choose the contract option to protect the elderly. ''That''s indeed a worrisome point,'' hearing my explanation, Duke Gyunton, and Selene also nodded in affirmation. "Why? Normally, wouldn''t people want to make connections?" Not to glorify our achievement, but not only did we defeat the skeleton giant that appeared during the stampede in the western part of the continent, which turned two of the nations there into ruins, but we also helped in sorting out the refugee situation in the Iska Kingdom and settled everything in just around one year. During that time, the existence of , which I had used to produce wheat in vast quantities, along with that one incident in the Lovile Kingdom connected to our names was unearthed, leading to the spread of the existence of and . Nevertheless, it was kind of bizarre that there weren''t any requests coming to Selene and Duke Gyunton who were my only contacts. ''I see,'' that did sound convincing. I nodded at the explanation of Selene who had a wry smile and Duke Gyunton who stated the fact calmly. Basically, they feared that making a connection with me rashly would be like inviting their own doom, that was why they were all gauging the situation and thinking on how to proceed. ''Is not thinking like this in itself rude?'' I thought, but the situation was currently peaceful so there was no point in complaining about it. "Hmm, Majou-sama isn''t scary. Majou-sama is strong, kind, and cute!" "Stop it, Teto. You''re embarrassing me." It must be an action to restrain each other. That being said, there was never a lack of fools in the world who dared to jump into such dangers. "About that, I''m sorry." I was a bit relieved that none of the two minded the situation. The details about the mediation requests for reference were them trying to incorporate us into their respective factions. They apparently tried to win me over with money, title, engagements, land, slaves, and other precious valuables, but as far as I could make out from their talk, there was nothing that could move my heart. Those who genuinely sought help due to the illnesses or curses received the cure from Selene or Duke Gyunton, who handled these cases by either administering to them the medicine made from world tree leaves or Unicorn''s horn, or by entrusting them to suitable individuals, thus earning their favor in return. "I see, I didn''t know people were looking out for us while we were handling the situation in the forest." As I murmured these thoughts, I felt grateful to the Reebel Margrave House and Duke Gyunton who quietly kept the nuisance away. I did find it bizarre that we surprisingly haven''t gotten that many visitors, but that was the case, huh? As for those stubborn fools, they tried to brute force their way to have an opportunity to contact us by requesting adventurers and mercenaries, but all their plans were thwarted by the illusion magic I learned from the Eldar Forest Kingdom. "With this, it''s the end of your political intervention, I guess." It had been many years, but the time was nigh for the authority to shift to the young blood. Selene and her husband, Weiss, seemed like they were ready to entrust the lead to their son. In Selenes case, she was probably planning to devote her time doting on her grandchildren while assisting her son from the sidelines. Duke Gyuntons situation appeared to be no different. He was planning to pass the torch to his son-in-law and daughter, while spending the rest of his life like an amicable grandpa and dote on his granddaughters. The sole reason I was conducting trade with the House of Margrave Reebel and the Duke Hamil House was due to our personal connection. From here on out, the situation between the three parties would develop without our personal involvement. With the transition of power, we would no longer contact each other for political matters, though we would keep in touch with each other to talk about mundane stuff. Vol. 7 - Ch. 179 - Making Beauty Products in the Research Tower One of my hobbies was potion making and it was something I do in my free time in the research tower. I harvested the medicinal herbs I had been growing on this land and processed them before using them in making all sorts of potions. S?a??h th? ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.Then, I had these potions distributed to the other settlements where they were used as medicine. Recently, the Lamias also joined in to help me out due to their knowledge of medicinal herbs, and now, we were seeing a boom in the production of potions. With surplus quantity on hand, we decided to add them into our trade with the Gard Beastkin Nation where skilled potion makers were few and far in between Right now, a problem has occurred in one corner of the research tower and was brought up to me. So I heard from Baretta, who spoke in an uncharacteristically cold voice. Behind her, the three lamias she brought were neatly prostrating on the ground side-by-side. < < > > "...... Can you tell me the exact details first?" I felt a headache coming up as I received their desperate apology as they kept kneeling on the ground. I pressed my finger on my temple to endure it and asked for the reason. Stealing was a problem indeed, but I was puzzled as to why she brought this matter to me. "Err, there are rules established on what to do in such cases, right?" ''You can also treat them as fraudsters,'' Baretta further added. "Please forgive us! It''s all my fault, so please don''t exile my brethren!" No, I wasn''t thinking of doing anything of that sort, I mentally thought. Usually, it was Teto who played the role of easing the tension but since she had gone out to take part in the mock battles, the atmosphere in the room became heavy. I should first see what their reasons were. It was hard to make a judgment otherwise. "Why did you guys steal medicine? I''m sure it should have been available on all settlements, no?" "Umm...... When making potions, we would sometimes cut our fingers with knives accidentally, or get burned by liquid......" Their reason was surprisingly feminine. Apparently, they used the medicine for treating their wounds or burn marks in the beginning. But at that time, they noticed that the ointment in the medicine was not only effective in treating old burn scars, but it also improved their skin condition. "We thought that if we use it to treat the burn marks and make our skins smoother and glossier, we might be able to attract men! I''m really sorry!" " "Sorry!" " "A, Ahh, well, it is quite a struggle for female demonkins, huh......?" Still, I was really shocked though. Like, I never expected an ointment meant to treat burn marks would be used as a beauty cream. For the female-only demon races, the only way they could rear a child was to get together with the males of another race. The female-only demon races of the plant variety like Dryads or Alarunes didn''t hold any interest in the opposite gender, but it couldn''t be said to be the same with the other female races like the Queen bees and the Arachne. They had a history of kidnapping travelers for mating, and Lamias, too, were known to create incense to elevate the mood and obtain seeds. Returning to the present topic, the three lamia girls tried to sneak out some ointment they treated as a beauty product but was meant for injuries like burns. "And I wondered what happened, I assume you already received your scolding from Baretta?" " " "Y, Yes......" " " It wouldn''t be unusual for a person who was injured during work to get delayed treatment due to the medicine being insufficient after being stolen. "Let''s see. I''ll have you help out in my work for a while and serve as test subjects for some medicines as punishment." " " "Understood...... We humbly accept." " " "Alright, you can go back for today." After I sent the Lamia girls back, Baretta spoke. "Maybe. But, it surprised me that there is a demand for these ointments as a beauty cream. Though it''s hardly as effective as the real one. I''ll need to improve it a bit further so I might as well develop skin care products." Right now, there are three skill holders extremely interested in beauty products. If I merely punished them and let things continue as they were, I was sure that the stealing of these ointments would continue to happen in the same way. In that case, producing true beauty cream with their cooperation would help in preventing theft instead. "Let''s see, the ointment was made from medicinal herbs effective against burn marks as the core material, now I gotta research for some new materials I can add to it." With this, I began spending my time picking materials I was growing in the and selecting which ones would go well with the burn ointment. The following day, in my research room on the top floor of the research tower, the three arrived and stared at me and the collected materials with nervous looks. "Alright, first, I''ll teach you three how to make the burn ointment from yesterday." "Don''t worry, the materials have already been prepared!" Today, I had Teto as my assistant as I proceeded to teach the three Lamia girls how to make burn ointments. "I use damian flower and the extract of the world tree leaves in making it. Talk about luxury, eh?" "Aside from that, there''s also agarwood thats used in making incense. Its properties help in keeping the inflammation of the burn area in check. (T/N - Agarwood can be entirely wrong too, didnt get what the author wrote and google yielded no results.) "Eeeek, s-so the reason why the burn ointment was so effective is that that much mana was used in making it!?" When I demonstrated the process of making the ointment, the Lamias shouted in a voice almost closer to a shriek. The ointment recipe used quite the ordinary herbs, but the addition of mana strengthened the medicinal effectiveness by a great margin. That was why it was far more effective than an ordinary ointment. I was pouring around 10,000 units of mana (more than the capacity of three average adventurers) into the burn ointment. "Well, our mana potions are currently at the ready so you guys give it a try." " " "Y, Yesss......" " " I urged the three to also follow my steps and had them infuse around half of their mana amount. They reluctantly completed it in the end. Since they already had high proficiencies in the skill, maybe their intuition worked as they managed to do it without any hiccups. "Hmm, great! In that case, we four should be able to improve it into a better beauty cream." " " "Huh?" " " Teto took the completed burn ointments to where the medicine was stored, replenishing the stock they had stolen and used. "I would be relying on you to assist me and serve as test subjects until the beauty cream is completed." With these words, I swiftly began potion-making with the materials that I thought might be effective. Although the three looked dumbfounded at my words, apparently finding it hard to believe that they who had committed theft were being asked to work on creating a beauty cream that follow their interest, they also began making medicine. As they gradually became accustomed to the process, they used mana potions to replenish their magic power and created the ointment they had planned on. My work was about creating beauty cream but there wasn''t that much difference between what I had to do and the amount of work of the Lamias. Finally, when the beauty cream was ready, I used to check its effectiveness. "No.7, No.15, and No.20 are more effective in treating skin-related symptoms. No.23 is the best to use as a beauty cream." The remaining ones had a couple of unsatisfactory points but after having the three help out, I would have them try them out in reality to assess their actual effects. Appraisal magic may have given an okay description, but there were still many factors to work on like smell, stickiness, and level of moisture that needed to be taken into account..... so they still need some minor adjustments to bring them into daily use. After going through repeated potion-making for a while, the end product was finally ready. "Hurray!" "It''s over!" "We''re finally free!" The three Lamia girls cheered. Their skin had become a lot smoother and glossier after serving as test subjects for all the trial products, but their inner emotions were anything but bright. Now that they were done with repaying their sins, they regained their cheerfulness. "Well then, I''ll leave making beauty cream to you guys. I''m glad to find a moisturizing cream that suits my taste." "Majou-sama! Teto will apply it on your back after today''s bath!" As a matter of fact, my immortality was hardly effective in maintaining my skin''s condition. It was easier for my skin to become dry after a bath or during winter, that was why keeping my sensitive skin moisturized was necessary. Though my goal wasn''t to keep myself all glowing, I was also delighted to have a satisfactory product. On the other hand, realizing they were still not out of the loop even after finishing their sentence, despair was evident on their faces. Like this, they were once again back into the loop of making beauty cream until it spread among the women of the . They only got some relief when Baretta finally judged that they had served enough and added more personnel to the team. Also, they were properly paid for all their labor during this period, so it wasn''t like they made a loss either way. Vol. 7 - Ch. 180 - The Magic Eye of Multi-Eyed Race and its usage Many demi-human races settled in the , and among them was the Multi-Eyed race, a race that had an eye on their foreheads.How they came to existence was still unknown to this day but their third eye could store up mana and exhibit different types of abilities. Since they didn''t differ that much from humans when it came to physical characteristics, they were able to live among humans and work as fortune-tellers of sorts to earn a living. One day, I dropped by the settlement of the werewolves when I happened to see a bruised male werewolf, a male devil-kin, two mechanoids, and a woman from the Multi-Eyed race, Fey, there so I decided to call out to them. "I was just passing by, but that''s quite a combination. What are you guys doing?" "These two people have injuries! What are you doing here!?" The other side also noticed us at our call and bowed their heads before explaining. "Please wait a minute, I''ll be done with the investigation soon." The mechanoids held pens and papers and got ready to jolt down the event that would happen from here on. Following that, Fey clasped her hand in front of her chest, opened her closed third eye on her forehead, and channeled mana into it. "...... I can see it. A fistfight had broken out between these fellow men." It seemed like the werewolf and the devil-kin here had gotten into a fight. Fey used her third eye''s to divine the past of these two. "So, what exactly is the situation?" Such arguments usually involve both parties being at fault with misunderstandings starting things off. "The food I had hidden in the cupboard has disappeared! You were there at that time, so it must have been you who took it!" "Like hell! I just happened to see your door was open and decided to check the situation, that''s all! "Stop, you guys~ Fighting is a no-no-nanodesu!" As the mechanoid explained, things between the werewolf and the devil-kin heated up once again. Teto stepped between them and tried to mediate, though the two just averted their gazes with a snort. "Say, are these two actually friends?" S?a??h the N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Apparently, they became friends in the refugee camp, and now they usually worked together on things like hunting and doing odd jobs despite being from different settlements." Good grief, what a pair of troublesome buddies. Alas, it was inevitable for such a trifling fight to break out between residents with the rise in population. In rural settlements, people were more carefree and usually didn''t lock their homes, so their friends and acquaintances could enter anytime. The concerned party also didn''t mind that. However, since they were either persecuted, lived a reclusive life, or had to wander around resulting in an impoverished lifestyle, they were quite strict when it came to food. That was why fights like now usually broke out between these people when it involved food. "Yes." As I quietly watched the situation, Fey''s third eye gradually revealed the cause and effect of the fight. "Ummm...... The preparator isn''t the devil-kin here." "Look! What did I tell you? You''re just making up excuses because you forgot that you drank it all!" "Err, it seems like the werewolf here had also hidden it properly in his cupboard. The actual preparator is...... a Cu Sith." Upon hearing this, the werewolf seemed to have realized who the culprit might be. Perhaps, because the magic affinity between him and the fairy dog Cu Sith that stole his food was exceptional, they became friends in no time. He even shared food with the Cu Sith and cuddled or played together. As a mythical beast, Cu Sith were quite intelligent but occasionally, their animal instinct would take over. Specifically, it would sneakily steal food or break things, the same things that would happen when one kept a dog. ".........Umm, I''m sorry for doubting you." "No, I also went too far. Who could have thought the culprit was the Cu Sith." After understanding the cause, both of them apologized to each other. I turned to look at the mechanoids and the Multi-eyed demonkin Fey, who quietly nodded their heads, apparently satisfied with how things turned out. "Well, this resolves the case this time. I''ll heal you two, or else the bruises and injuries on your faces will cause others to worry. ------!" "Remember, no fighting next time-nanodesu." I healed the two who were riddled with bruises due to their fight with healing magic, while Teto rebuked them in a cutesy manner. The two''s shoulders dropped as they seemed to have regained their calm and shook hands in reconciliation. "You, too, thank you for your effort." "It was amazing how you resolved the case!" Teto and I thanked Fey for her effort, who then awkwardly bowed her head. "It''s nothing much......It''s my honor that my power can help out even if just a bit. Actually, I have a request." "A request?" Seeing the timid appearance of Fey, we were puzzled but we waited for her to continue. From her serious expression, it didn''t seem like she was asking for a reward for resolving this incident. It looked as if she was having an intense mental tug-of-war, wondering if she should say it or not, but eventually, she made up her mind and continued. "It''s our Multi-Eyed race''s honor to have such a duty. That''s why, I would like a magic tool that would stop us from lying for our safety and duties!" "Err...... What exactly does that mean?" Confused, I asked in a calm tone. But to her, it appeared as if I was cross-examining her, causing her to panic as she thought that she had disrespected me. "I-I am sawwey! I diwdn''t mean to tawk backw!" "Calm down, I am not angry...... Sigh." And finally, she broke into tears. If anyone were to suddenly walk in on us, they would surely think I was the one who made her cry which gave me a headache. "It''s alright-nanodesu~ Majou-sama is not scary~" Fortunately, Teto stepped in and tried to pacify her with some soothing words. On the other hand, I turned to one of the mechanoids and urged her to explain what this was all about. , , and read other people''s status or memory. They are also capable of , , and that could see mana fluctuations. But due to their wide range of abilities, they might inevitably come across significant secrets.> "I see, that''s what she meant by their safety." Since ancient times, those who could get ahold of other people''s secrets were either erased from the world or confined and controlled. She must have been concerned about their safety in that sense. , it could easily lead to wrongful accusations.> Furthermore, for individuals taking up investigative roles like this, it was necessary to prevent false testimony and ensure fairness in the eyes of others. That was why they needed to be unable to lie. "Ah, that''s indeed likely to happen. I hadn''t thought that far." After understanding the gist of the mechanoid''s explanation, I once again looked at Fey, who finally calmed down under Teto''s pacification. "People always have one or two secrets they don''t want others to know, don''t they? The possibility of intentionally letting this slip out to cause others harm or for one''s own profit cannot be denied either, and a punishment would be necessary then. But just because you somehow managed to get ahold of a secret doesn''t mean I will punish you for some unjust reasons." "......Yes. Thank you for your kind words." "Also, Truth Bracelet!" I created a magic tool with creation magic. Its effect was pretty simple, whoever wore it wouldn''t be able to lie. Fey professed her gratitude again and again when I gave it to her. However, considering they could only talk about facts they personally recognized, sometimes there might be a situation where they couldn''t pass the correct details from depending on how well they could explain and the level of their comprehension. I also expressed my concern about this to her to which she said, "We know. This is a general understanding within our whole tribe. We have been repeatedly told over and over to interpret situations objectively based solely on factual observations without preconceptions or conjectures." Then, we spent a bit of time making rules for the Multi-Eyed demonkin for situations where their help was taken to investigate events and incidents. Afterwards, the Multi-Eyed race, holders of such a unique ability, established their position as the public prosecutor of the . Incidentally, this happened later down the line, but giving Fey the right after she managed to pin down the real cause of the fight was interpreted as ''Those who will achieve some sort of accomplishment will receive a reward from me'', and this rumor spread throughout races like wildfire. Due to this, I had to put in bone-breaking effort just to erase that rumor in a flurry. Vol. 7 - Ch. 181 - A consultant from the Farmer Minotaurs and the sake brewing Oni-kin The ?Forest of the Creation Witch? was once an infertile place but was now decorated with lush green nature and had become a new home for a multitude of demonic races.While this place had eliminated the worry of finding a new home for demonkin, there were still many aspects that had to be looked after, specifically food. The farms we had before their arrival were few, thus we only had a limited production of food. With no definite source of food, the gathered demonkin resorted to hunting monsters in the monsters-infested region outside of the barrier, gathering edible plants, mushrooms, fruits, and fishes from the rivers and springs, raising chickens, and asking for milk from mythical beasts. The new farms were already in progress to create a more steady supply of food, however, farming wasn''t something that could be done in a jiffy. "......Majou-sama, what should we make?" Moffa, the representative of the minotaur race who claimed to be excellent farmers, came to my mansion and posed such a question. Currently, he was crouching in front of me as I listened to what he had to say the minotaurs were a race blessed with excellent physique, so it was pretty obvious that I''d have to crane my neck to the limit to talk to them. "Isn''t it just fine to raise the necessary crops?" "There are many crops to grow like wheat, barley, beans, radish, potato, onion, bell pepper, eggplant, asparagus, pumpkin, cabbage, turnip, corn, tomato, broccoli, and many more!" Receiving no specific instruction from me, Teto listed out the number of vegetables they could grow. "...... We received the seeds from Baretta-sama and have already planted the seeds of the staple crops. As for the other vegetables, it''s just a matter of time before we plant them too." ''Then what exactly is troubling you?'' I asked with a confused expression. Unlike his physique, Moffa was quite an untalkative one, so he paused to choose his words slowly. "...... We have finally found our safe haven. That''s why we want to create something new that we couldn''t until now." "Ah, so that''s what you meant." They were finally in a land where they could peacefully live with no worries of being persecuted and no need to live in hidden villages. They had gained enough solace to now desire to create something new. "Hmm, then how about this? ?Creation?!" S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. I produced a grain of rice with ?Creation Magic?. "Is this wheat?" "No, it''s called rice and they are grown in paddy fields." "They taste soft and chewy, very delicious! You can also make delicious wine from them!" We had rice in the mansion, which mostly came from me who created it with my creation magic, and was one of many things the maid groups were growing. Our meals usually consisted of rice dishes, though we haven''t promoted it much here. However, I also hoped for rice to be more widespread since there was a chance that popularization might lead to the reappearance of the dishes from my previous world. "Majou-sama, may I ask you to impart your knowledge on how to eat them?" "Of course, wait a while since cooking will take a bit of time. I must show you the multitude of dishes that''s possible to make with it." "Teto will also help out in cooking!" Hearing our response to his request, Moffa was stunned as he stumbled with his words. "Bu, Bumo! Majou-sama herself is going to make it!?" "That, I will. I haven''t cooked anything recently, I don''t want my cooking skills to become rusty." "It''s been a while since we had curry, Teto wants to eat curry!" We had Moffa bring back the supplied food materials while Teto and I promptly headed for the kitchen and started our preparation. Well, it would have been hard to make so many dishes by ourselves, so I got the help of the other maids who were in charge of today''s meal and prepared the dishes. I soaked the raw rice in water, placed the pot on the stove and soon after, our base material, aka cooked rice, was ready. "We''ll make standard rice balls first. Ingredients...... let''s just go with simple salted rice balls." "Majou-sama, I''ve brought in the leaves!" After deciding on the first item, Teto came back with the perilla leaves we were going to use in place of seaweed. I wanted to include things like pickled dried plum, but it might be hard for a beginner to handle its taste so I gave up on that. I also thought of including seafood like seaweed, salmon, okaa, or tuna soaked in soy sauce but looking at my small hands, I abandoned that idea. "Hmm, thinking about fillings for rice balls makes me crave seafood." "Can''t Majou-sama make them with ?Creation Magic??" "I don''t want them for myself, I want a stable supply for everyone else to enjoy." I wanted to let everyone taste the food from my previous world that I had a vague recollection of. However, the practical answer was that there was no sea inland so we had no access to them. We continued to chat like this while moving onward with dishes like cheese risotto chicken rice, chinese-style fried rice, paella, and also curry that Teto requested. For paella, we used crayfish and freshwater clams collected from rivers and swamps. I wasn''t making too much, so the quantity used wouldnt hurt their population. "I guess that much would suffice as samples. Maybe some more items like rice dumplings, rice crackers, and mochi with ?Creation Magic?... Alright, that would do." Now, I just needed to gather the recipes for these rice dishes and pass them on to the others...... Just as I was pondering this, Moffa, along with another person in tow, came back from handing out the supplied food materials at the appointed time. I guess I was too engrossed in cooking and I didn''t realize the passing of time. "Gahahaha! I heard Majou-sama is cooking something today, so I came along." "Bomu...... I apologize for his rudeness, Majou-sama......" "Moffa, and Gast too, welcome. Also, I don''t mind, the more people who''ll taste the rice dishes, the merrier." "There is also rice wine for post-meal that Teto loves!" As I welcomed them, Teto came back carrying the barrel of rice wine I created and left to age. Then, Moffa swiftly took the rice ball from my small hand and tried it out. "Bomu...... It has a marvelous taste...... and is also slightly sweet when chewed on." "But it''s quite small in size, I prefer a larger one." While Moffa quietly tasted the rice balls, the oni-kin Gast tossed 2 to 3 rice balls into his mouth. From the looks of it, one wasn''t enough for him to taste anything. "Normally, fillings are also used in making rice balls, but for now, you''ll have to make do with these." I took out miso and soy sauce, the fruits of the years-long research done by the mechanoids, poured them on the rice balls and left them on the grill to roast. The savory smell of grilled soy and miso seemed to have stimulated the appetite of both men as they quickly reached out their hands for the grilled rice balls. Moffa ate slowly from the dishes that were in small quantities to savor them while Gast, being himself, selected the dishes that were plenty in number. "Rice is really delicious!" On the other hand, Teto piled up a small hill of curry rice on her plate and began to eat. Her action probably intrigued the other two, as they also reached out their hand to taste the curry rice. After that, they continued to relish the taste of roasted rice cakes, dumplings, and crunchy deep-fried rice cakes with euphoric expressions. "This one might be good as a snack with alcohol. The saltiness works well and it''s tasty." "......This fluffy, chewy strange texture...... Is this thing also made from rice?" "That''s called mochi, made from a glutinous rice variety that''s steamed and pounded with a mortar and pestle. There are also variations where rice flour is kneaded with hot water to form the shape." Dango used rice flour made from regular rice used in cooking after making a powder of it and mixing it in hot water. Sticky rice flour was made from glutinous rice, or refined rice flour from rice soaked in water to extract the starch. Each variation served a different purpose. The rice available in the harbor town of the Lovile Kingdom was of long grain variety, perfect for making paella. Though the two were eating the rice dishes with such relish that it would have been boorish of me to pass the knowledge about rice now so I kept the explanations to myself for the time being. Gast seemed to prefer salty deep-fried rice crackers, while Moffa preferred the sweeter options. When they were finished with the dishes, "It''s time to open the barrel!" "Bring me one, I''ve been waiting for this!" "Bumo...... But is alright though?" It was a bit funny to see Moffa looking hesitant as he gulped on rice wine after eating all those dishes. "This is the delicious~" "Gulp Gulp...... Fuwaa! Delish! It''s called rice wine, right!? Alright, I''ll have my wife back home make them!" The male members of the oni-kin used their gifted physical abilities to work as mercenaries in other nations while the females stayed behind to protect their hidden village while working on the farms and sake brewing. They were also the ones who made the honey wine from the honey of the queen bees. As for the impression of Moffa who also finished drinking his cup, "Bumo...... It''s different from wheat-made ale or wine from grapes. It''s really amazing how it looks like clear water, yet has a deep flavor." It seemed to have hit the spot as he closed his eyes, apparently savoring the drink. Once he was finished drinking, he lined up his knees on the floor and deeply bowed his head. "I have carefully tasted the rice dishes made by Majou-sama. We would be honored to add rice as our tribe''s new crop." "Ohh! We''ll grow it too, but if you have any surplus, bring it to us! We''ll make sake from all of it, gahahaha!" "Teto would also like to taste your wine!" The determined voice of the Minotaur Moffa coupled with the intoxicated voices of Teto and Gast created a lighthearted atmosphere. Afterwards, the three settlements of the Minotaurs, the Oni-kin, and...... the Dragon-Demons who saw that Dragon Grandpa seemed to enjoy rice wine started cultivating rice. Along with the assistance from the mechanoids, it took just a few years for them to get ready to send rice or rice wine to our place. Vol. 7 - Ch. 182 - The fantastical villages of the Witchs forest The majority of the people who came to live in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? formed typical settlements. A huge majority of these immigrants, around 90%, were demi-human, demonkin, and beastfolk demonkin.The remaining ones, four races to be more precise the insect-kin Queen Bees and Arachnes, and the plant demonkin Dryads and Alarunes had formed one settlement and were harmoniously living in a group there. Something like a cohabitation life to make it easier to imagine. Well all of them being a female-only race might have contributed to this as well. Today, I came to visit them. "Hmm, the sun is so pleasant today~" ?Hey, what should we play today?? ?Are the plants in the forest in good health?? ?How far are we going to walk today?? A young Alarune girl was sitting on a stump at the entrance of their settlement, basking in the sun. A group of spirits, new residents that the forest had welcomed, were frolicking around her. Well, I guess they seemed to treat each other as kin, huh? "Ohh~ If it isn''t Majou-sama and the others~ Welcome~" ?It''s Majou-sama~? ?Please give me yummy mana~? ?Yes, pretty please!? The Alarunes noticed our arrival as they greeted us with laidback voices. The spirits that were hovering in the surrounding area also gathered around us. I greeted the Alarunes while calming down the excited spirits. "Hello, how are you doing?" "We have come to hang out!" "We''re doing well, the sun here is pleasant~ The water and mana also taste delish~" They only said that much before resuming their sunbathing session once again. Quite a ''my pace'' type of girl, aren''t they? Perhaps influenced by their mana, various flowers were blooming profusely around the sunny spots. The insect-kin Honey Bees could be seen busily collecting the nectar or pollen from those flowers as they traveled back and forth. "This village feels even more fantasy-like." "Teto likes the air here!" This joint village of the four races was located in one of the sunniest spots with the least densely packed trees in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. They built their houses in the trees. More precisely, the plant-type demonkin Dryads and Alarunes used their power to accelerate the growth of big trees, making them grow hollow interiors, and strengthened them, which then served as their new homes resembling the houses we had seen in the Great Forest of the Elves'' village. The branches of these huge trees were entwined with each other, creating some sort of suspension bridge with ivy coiled around them to give them stability. It was effectively a three-dimensional architecture. As I was captivated by the sight of their village from the grassy area where the Alarunes were, one Alarune girl called out to me as if she just suddenly recalled something. "Majou-sama~ If you don''t mind, how about you take this child with you~?" Stopping there, she grabbed a stem of a plant growing from the ground and pulled it out using all her effort, revealing a root somewhat resembling a charming figure of a person. This root gazed at us with hollow eyes and a mouth-like depression, lifting its root-like limbs as if to wave. It wasn''t until that mysterious plant, looking half-curious and half-adorable, jolted my shoulder that I finally realized what it was. "Is it a Mandragora......?" "It''s the one Majou-sama planted last time!" It was quite a while back when I was looking at the forest and realized, ''Isn''t it a waste when the forest is so flourishing and yet it only just has ordinary plants and medicinal herbs for vegetation?'' Acting on my thought, I sowed a few rare seeds of medicinal herbs I created using ?Creation Magic?. One of them was the Mandragora. "It came wandering into our place~ Though this kid is quite chubby now~" The Mandragora, whom the Alarune girl was introducing in a nonchalant tone, pressed its hand-shaped root on its chest in a proud pose as I held it by its leafy top. It was only then my focus shifted to stare at the ground and saw Mandragoras crawling out from their spots, moving on their own, and sneaking in closer to the Alarunes and the Dryads. Maybe the company of plant-type demonkin was like timely water to crops for them as the Mandragoras I had sowed in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? had voluntarily approached them. "You''re right, I never heard or read about Mandragora being this bloated and even moving on their own. Shouldn''t they be screaming when you pull them out of the ground as well?" "It''s because it''s one greedy little fellow~ The others are more healthy and slick." "Teto also thinks so, they all look so fresh and delicious!" Teto nodded in response to the Alarune girl''s words. But if you ask me, they didn''t just look to be in good shape, they were just so healthy that they were now even capable of self-movement. Furthermore, its hollowed whimsical face, like a haniwa, looked so strangely adorable that I was hesitating to think about scraping it to extract its essence. "This child has accumulated a lot of mana, so you can get quality essence after boiling it~ Once Majou-sama is done doing that, you can replant it in the ground, and it will be back to its cheery state." "Oh, I guess it would be fine then? I''ll be taking Mandragora with me." Upon receiving the mandragora from the alraune girl, it skillfully climbed up my arm and settled on my shoulder. Her words inadvertently made me imagine the scene of a Mandragora soaking in the pan water to extract its essence akin to just taking its bath...... Maybe that''s how the fantasy world works, huh? I mused internally and stepped into the tree-built village alongside Teto. "Goodness, if it isn''t Majou-sama. Welcome to our humble place." We had just entered when an Arachne woman greeted us from above the suspension bridge. "Thank you for the silky soft clothes. We are using it for our nightwear now!" "It''s so smooth and comfortable!" "It''s our honor. We would make sure that all the clothes of Majou-sama are made from our fabric." After saying that and flashing a pleasant smile, the Arachne woman entered her house built on the branch of a huge tree while patting the spider monster Albino-Eye on her arm. Elsewhere in the trees, a bee-like demonkin, Queen Bee, could be seen flying, and the honeybee monsters she commanded were making nests in the tree hollows. These honeybees that flew out of the tree''s cavity gathered flower nectar and pollen from the flower fields managed by the Alarunes on the nearby flatland to make honey and beeswax. Contrary to how they were deformed to make their houses, the trees still look sturdy and full of life. The entire village itself was wrapped in an atmosphere of serenity, filled with only the sound of rustling branches in the wind, the buzzing of honeybees flying among the trees, and the sound of Arachnes weaving in the tree-dwelling homes. As I was shuttling through their settlement while looking around, I heard an extremely cheerful voice. "Good day to you~ I have brought some food items with me~" ?We''ve got meat and fish, vegetables and fruits too! They are pretty great!? ?Go!? A group with a different vibe from the Alarune and the spirits we just met were gathered in front of the representative Dryad''s house in this village. They were Teto''s dependents: an Earthnoid, an Earth spirit, and a clay golem. These girls were originally clay golems created by Teto but had evolved later. They were seemingly handing over an ivy basket filled with food items to the village representative Dryad. "Thank you for always delivering it. Well then, this is our thanks to you." The Dryad said that and passed to the Earthnoid the Arachne-made clothes and jars filled with honey from the honeybees. Receiving the items, they hopped around in delight, reminding me of a yellow teddy bear. "Then we are off, bye-bye-nanodesu~" ?Bye-Bye-nanodesu~? ?GO!? They then said their goodbye after receiving the clothing and the honey jars and left with a brisk walk. "......Now that I think about it, I''m seeing these girls pretty much everywhere." "Yes-nanodesu!" Nowadays Teto''s dependents could be seen anywhere in this ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. Like helping out with chores in our mansion, doing farm work, pruning and planting trees in the forest, hunting to keep the forest in equilibrium, looking after Mythical Beasts, helping out the other settlements and transporting goods between them, playing with the children in school and giving the elderly some company in the villages, and exterminating monsters outside the barrier. The Earthnoids, who could now be seen anywhere, had become some sort of a helping fairy of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. Furthermore, with the adorable appearance of the Earth spirits and charming clay golems, not a single soul uttered their dissatisfaction with their company. If there was something to take note though, then it was "Those girls, how many of them are here?" "Teto didn''t count!" The Earthnoids and the Earth spirits that evolved from clay golems that Teto created numbered around 100 each, but the exact number of clay golems didnt seem to match what they actually used to be. They no longer seemed to fit the definition of clay golem, but something else entirely. "I assume you don''t know where they live either, huh......?" The whereabouts of the other demonic races were already known to me. Earth spirits resided by the elements they governed, so it wasn''t unusual to find them just about anywhere in nature. Clay golems lived hidden in the soil. However, it was only the Earthnoids'' place that I haven''t actually seen so far. "Teto knows that!" "Oh? Then, can you lead the way?" "Alright-nanodesu!" With that, I left the Dryad village and marched towards Earthnoids'' place under Teto''s lead. Our destination was apparently the place where I had sowed the seed of a world tree to turn it into a mana generation spot in the past. This forest area was particularly large and dense, I assumed the growth of the world tree had influenced its surroundings. "This is the place, Majou-sama!" "Teto, this, you mean the tree roots?" "That''s right-nanodesu!" There was a diagonally slanted hole at the base of the tree, its surroundings paved with magic. "Hmm, so they have formed their settlement underground, huh? No wonder I couldn''t find it anywhere." S?a??h th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Majou-sama, let''s hold hands since it''s dark!" Just as I was peering inside the hole with a dry smile, Teto held out her hand. I took her hand as she led the way. A marvelous scene greeted us as we passed through the hole. "Luminescent plants...... The place is bright thanks to them. It''s forming quite a captivating scene, eh?......" The ground, the ceiling, and even the walls were overgrown with luminescent moss that emitted light and mushrooms radiating fluorescent colors with faintly glowing small flowers adorning them. And beyond the large hole was "So we have mushroom houses after tree houses, huh?...... Another fantastical scene......" An expansive cavern was stretching out beyond the hole, and in the heart of it, large mushroom-shaped houses were standing side by side. Each mushroom had a unique shape. Some were broad and flat, others tall and slender, and some mushrooms had grown side by side as if cuddling together. I followed behind Teto and looked at those mushroom houses from close proximity. The houses had retained their firmness that was like gypsum and formed a proper structure required to work as a house. "These mushrooms are amazing, aren''t they, Majou-sama!? When they grow large, they become super hard!" "I wonder if they, too, are another magical plant variety?" According to the explanation from Teto, it seemed like these mushrooms which served as houses became rock-hard when they completely grew up. Earthnoids scooped out their insides with magic to make a hollow space, cut out some door and window-shaped designs, and brought them to use for their houses. Moreover, clean water springs were gushing forth deep underground, and the excess water was drawn up by the roots of the world tree before it could flood this vast cavern. Also, due to the grace of the luminescent plants that constantly kept the cavern illuminated, moderate warmth and moisture were maintained, fostering the growth of various plants. When I was curiously looking around ?Oh, Majou-sama is here!? ?Teto-sama is also here!? ?Go-Go, Go!? Earthnoids took notice of us and gathered around us. With their faces adorned with delighted smiles, they welcomed us. I thought that the atmosphere and my mood at that moment were akin to the ''rolling rice ball'' old man from Japanese folklore, or maybe like Alice in Wonderland. Being able to visit the marvellous tree houses of the Dryads and the fantastical place of the Earthnoids was nothing short of a dream trip for me. It was easily one of the best days for me. On this note, after I was done with extracting the essence of the Mandragora, having it soaked in pot water, it returned to the forest with its own feet. I guess it was going to suck up nutrition and mana from the forest to make up for the lost essence and grow glossy and fresh once again. Vol. 7 - Ch. 183 - Centaurs of agriculture and transportation In the northern region of the , beyond the forest area in which we had started the process of afforestation since the time the land was once barren, one could see a plain stretching out laden with nature and grass which had grown there over the time.In the grassy plains that undulated here and there --- caused by the earthquakes we had induced years ago --- were the half-human half-horse demonkin, the Centaurs, keeping their pace along with the mythical beasts. "Hey! Let''s go in that direction!" "Understood!" So spoke one Centaur to another who was there alongside the mythical beasts grazing on the grasses. There was the goat mythical beast Heiern, from whom we were able to get goat milk. In Norse mythology, it was said that mead ran from the teat of a Heiern that could fill the crocks. Although the Heiern of this world didn''t give out mead, we could get high-quality milk any time of the day. From the sheep mythical beast Aries, wearing golden fur, we could harvest golden wool. The horned demon beast Unicorn was a bit difficult to handle since they would only let a virgin girl take care of them, but their horns bore the power to detoxify and purify the impure. The deer mythical beast Elk replaced their horns once a year which could be used to make something akin to an energy tonic. Their horns were also an excellent fertilizer when ground into fine powder and sprinkled on the land which would improve the quality of soil to grow better quality vegetation or crops. The Centaurs would gallop the vast expanse of the land along with such mythical beasts and when hungry, they turned to the grassy plains, their feeding ground, or they would occasionally nip on the buds of the vegetation in the forest, and then return to their place to call it a day. They were treating the mythical beasts as one of their own. Also, Centaurs didn''t have just mythical beasts in their settlement, they were also raising ordinary livestock, using them to plow their fields with a rack. "Hello, how are you guys doing?" "We have come to see your situation!" Teto and I came to the settlement of the Centaurs, which was currently under construction, with the wand and greeted Cain-san, the representative of the Centaurs. "If it isn''t Majou-sama and Teto-sama, thank you for your concern! Well as you can see, we are just building our settlement here!" Multiple Centaurs were carrying carts loaded with construction materials here and there as they devoted themselves to building some residences that could accommodate their size. Because they were quadrupedal, which made it hard for them to climb the stairs, all the houses were practically one story and one size bigger than normal. If you asked me, the short one here, those houses looked like they were made for giants. Well, the residents of each race were different in their own way just like this, which displayed their uniqueness. I had kind of come to find them interesting. "If Majou-sama and Teto-sama aren''t in a hurry, we would be glad to provide a place for you to rest, and you can give the cheese and milk liquor we made from Heiern''s milk a try." "Now we can''t say no to that, eh? The cheese of Heiern is really delicious." "Teto likes milk liquor!" Teto and I were more fond of food than anything else, so we accepted Cain-san''s proposal. Milk liquor was just a bit alcoholic so it was safe for kids to drink as well. Teto and I enjoyed the rich cheese and slightly sweet milk wine reminiscent of a probiotic drink and made satisfied sighs right after. "Have the Centaurs encountered any problem?" "You can talk about anything!" Lately, we had been going around, visiting the settlement of each race to see if they had encountered any problems and to see if they were living well. Today, it was the Centaur settlement''s turn. "Oh, if anything, we are delighted to finally have a peaceful home. We can engage in farming, animal husbandry, and hunt in the monster region without worries." Now that they had a place they could call their home, approximately half of the Centaur warriors hunted in the monster-infested region periodically. North of the was the Mubad Empire, with whom we have no connections, and while the forest has spread outside of the barrier, it wasn''t as vast since there were monster nests there. So they had been going to the southern region to hunt some monsters there. The southern region had become a gathering spot for all the races who were interested in hunting, making it the place with the least racial disparity in this land. The settlement of the Centaurs was located in the plains close to the northern region, but with the grace in the form of their strong legs, they could travel from here to the south in a jiffy. "I believe you may already know this but the monsters there are more dangerous, so be careful while hunting." "Just run away if you think it''s dangerous!" A wry smile appeared on Cain-san''s face before it was replaced with a hesitant expression. After having what seemed to be a mental tug-of-war, he exhaled deeply and started speaking. "------This place is just too good. We don''t have a chance to fully utilize our strength here." "Hmm? What do you mean?" Cain-san put on a dry smile before sharing his worries with us. "We Centaurs are confident in our swift legs that allow us to travel quickly to any location that humans can''t go to. However, we have Griffons and Pegasuses here who can take humans with them and soar into the skies to engage in trade, along with the combination of the and , items can be delivered to all places in a blink of an eye." ''So we don''t have any chance to use our legs,'' said Cain-san as he lightly tapped the ground with his leg. Certainly, the flight capabilities of the Griffon and Pegasus mythical beasts made them a far swifter mode of transportation, and with , travel would instead be over in seconds. But------- "The settlements of each race are still in the budding stage, that''s why are being used to assist them. However, I am going to limit their usage to only emergencies when all such matters are sorted out." "Is that so?" "And flying mythical beasts can''t carry dozens of people at once. also has a capacity limit!" Griffons and Pegasuses can carry around 2~3 people at most. Also, the we used didn''t even have a carrying capacity of 50 kg, only mine and Teto''s magic bags were an exception. So merchants usually give priority to the fragile items or few, but precious articles and carry them in their . "Also, the demonic races might have strong connections with me, but they hardly have any interactions between themselves. So I will say your race''s ability to transport a lot of stuff will become essential to deliver items between settlements." As of now, the Angel-kin handled the task of delivering letters, but eventually, it would be integrated into the Centaurs'' responsibilities as well. After all, they had the remarkable ability to carry a lot at once. "I am not saying it will happen at once, but after things settle down a bit more, it might be worth considering connections with each settlement for transporting people and goods." After I said all that, Cain-san fell silent for a moment to digest the meaning of my words. "Majou-sama, Teto-sama. We were thoughtless. Please, forgive us." "There''s nothing to apologize for, really. We haven''t even established proper channels between settlements yet, so there''s no need to rush." "Your cheese and milk liquor is really delicious! Teto wants another serving!" As I comforted Cain-san who looked crestfallen at his own remarks, Teto held out her empty plate and asked for more cheese and milk liquor with a beaming face. I smiled wryly at Teto''s timing, but speaking of the cheese they made, which was delicious and different in flavor compared to the cheese made from Gauren''s milk, and the milk liquor that couldn''t be found anywhere else, these two were almost their specialties. I would say that as the people in this land increased, they would eventually wish to trade their specialties with other settlements and the day would come when the Centaurs'' strong legs would come in handy. S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Until then, I hoped they hone their agriculture and dairy-making skills more and pass their days worry-free, for there would come a day when they would have a place to shine as well. Vol. 7 - Ch. 184 - The Melancholic Residents of the Creation Witch’s Forest On one of the days I was taking a look around the settlements of the Creation Witch''s Forest, representatives of certain races suddenly came to visit my mansion."Majou-sama! Please, listen to our plea!" The visitors, as they sat side-by-side on the sofa in the reception area, were Howl, a male werewolf, and Devarna, a female devilkin. Howl, who was in his true form, sat while trying to narrow his shoulder as much as possible due to the cramped space the sofa provided to him. A werewolf''s physique was one size larger, if not more, than a human''s in general. In contrast, Devarna''s posture was more humble, forming a balance between them. "Did something happen to prompt your sudden visit?" "We are all ears to listen to your problem!" Needless to say, both Teto and I were surprised by their visit, so we asked for their reason. Werewolf Howl took the lead and spoke. Apparently, he was the representative between the two of them. "Majou-sama, not only have you granted us a safe place to live in, but you also pay close attention to our problems. We are grateful, really, but I think that our connection with the community of the is still not that strong!" The two of them then confided their worries to us. The settlement of the Werewolf demonkin and the Devil-kin mainly focused on hunting and farming and they also deeply interacted with other races, including the Dragon-Demons and the Angelkin. S~?a??h the ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. However as their interaction with the other races deepened, they were plagued with worries like among the settlement focusing on the same work, wasn''t the former not more excellent in their work and consequently getting a more favorable treatment? "The Lamias are excellent in medicinal knowledge, while the Centaurs are raising livestock, farming, and taking care of the mythical beasts. The Minotaurs and Onikin are cultivating the staple rice crop Majou-sama granted them, while the Multi-Eyed race is resolving the troubles of the people! The Alarunes and Dryads are managing nature while the Arachnes and Queen Bees are producing beautiful clothes and tasty honey! All the other races are showing excellent results but us!" Howl, excitedly talked about the work of the other races. The Devil-kin Devarna sitting next to him nodded to show that she shared the same worries as him, her face wearing an equally anxious look. "So, you want to be useful to us?" "Please grant us a role so we can contribute as well!" Those talented in some ways were hired in the mansion as office staff, but I guess they want to contribute as a race. "Hmm, that''s quite a problem......" So far, I thought they would not need any kind of intervention from my side but there''s always more than meets the eye huh?...... "What do you want to do, Majou-sama?" "What to do......" There was always a substitute available when you weren''t unique. For instance, Angelkin could fly in the sky and they also had a beautiful appearance. So they were indispensable talents as negotiators in trade discussions, and given they had been living here long before the arrival of the others, it would take an extreme matter to even consider the possibility of exiling them from the considering the overall benefits they bring. But if there was a substitute available to take their place, the answer was a no-brainer. Of course, I didn''t have any intention to do that at all, but the two must have felt like a lizard''s tail that could be discarded once everything was settled and we were satisfied with the status quo. The usual practice in this situation would have been to strengthen their ties with the community by setting up a marriage with their ruler, but I honestly couldn''t imagine myself being served by a male like that. Yeah, a hard no from me. "Even if I said that there''s no harm in staying like this, this would be unacceptable for you guys, huh?......." " "Yes!" " Both of them asserted firmly. This was quite a situation...... "If there''s nothing we can do, we can only erect a statue of Majou-sama and spread her glory!" "It''s not much, but we have practiced our singing skills during our time as itinerant entertainers, so we will make sure to come up with poems that will portray the magnanimity of Majou-sama." "Dont even think about it......" " "......Understood." " The two representatives replied meekly as they hung their heads down when I glared daggers at them after hearing the absurdity that they were planning. I guess no amount of persuasion would be enough to convince them that there was no harm in continuing to live like that. I could confidently say I would faint in no time the day they actually followed up on their misplaced kindness of "spreading my glory". As I winced at their words, I suddenly remembered something. "Speaking of which, you were hoping for your kids to be admitted to school, right?" "Y, Yes. We have had discussions with the representatives of the other races in meetings, and everyone is eager to raise the next generation through your school." "Then what do you guys think about becoming teachers?" " "------Huuuuuuuh!?" " As of now, the duty of teaching the children was currently on the shoulders of the Mechanoids and the elderly who gained all sorts of skills from their life experiences. However, that was just limited to human kids. The kids in the other settlements were being taught various things by the adults of their respective settlements, but considering how the situation would gradually pan out from here on, actual teachers from the demonkin would be needed for all the demonkin kids. "Your respective races must have other skills and knowledge besides just survival skills, right? Then, what do you think about taking on the role of imparting such knowledge?" "We will teach them, is what you mean?" "Yeah. The kids are learning about the characteristics of their races from the adults of their settlements, but there are also things like reading, writing, and arithmetic that need to be taught as well." Werewolves, in particular, were one of the best choices for this task since they lived in human society while hiding their true appearance and had mastered these basic skills in the process. Furthermore, they also had a good understanding of human society. I want them to take this role so that even if anything happened by chance, the kids would be able to survive in the human world. On the other hand, the devilkin acquired the basic knowledge of these subjects in their time as itinerant entertainers, and their understanding of magic was also second to none among all demonkin. "Besides, if any of the demonkin ever decided to venture outside, they would need to learn the and skills to avoid discord with humans, right? How about you take it upon yourselves to teach them about it, and the kids would surely be thankful for your lessons down the line." " "Though we are talentless if Majou-sama thinks we are suitable for it, then we humbly accept the role." " The two bowed their heads simultaneously as I chuckled wryly at their response. Then, after saying that they''d discuss this in detail back home, the two representatives left. I leaned back on the sofa after seeing them off and made a long sigh. "I didn''t expect for both races to have such low evaluations of themselves." "Both Werewolf-san and Devilkin-san are amazing people!" Teto was right in that the demonkin who could participate in the training of Yahada and Shael was anything but mediocre. The representative of the Werewolves, Howl, was the best example. He was a young man with average features in his human form with nothing special to talk about. However, behind that run-of-the-mill face was someone who could instantly transform into a werewolf and strike like lightning faster than the others could perceive the situation. The werewolves were masters of stealth with their footsteps being so quiet when moving in their werewolf state. They could slip into the blind spots of their target with deft movements, and they owned lethal claws and fangs that were needed to tear the vital spots of their opponents. Their untapped potential as assassins was something that would not lose against the Dragon-Demons or the Angelkin at all. It was just that since they were an exiled race wandering from one place to another, they only knew how to use brute force. Devilkin Devarna''s abilities were also not far off from werewolf Howl. The devilkin had a pair of huge bat-like wings on their back that they usually kept hidden with their skill. They could use it to escape into the sky during battle and fire magic bullets one after another while in the air. Well, they also had not developed their skills in that direction, much like the werewolves, but still, they were a terrifying force to be reckoned with due to their suppression barrage from the sky. In fact, practically all the races had warriors who could stand out in battle in one way or another. For instance, a Centaur''s charging lance, accelerated by its powerful legs, was powerful enough to take down even large monsters in an instant. Centaurs were excellent long-range shooters as well, their trained upper body could tug on the string of the bow to the fullest while their four legs provided extra stability. In another instance, the muscular two-meter tall bodies of the Minotaurs could be loaded with armaments like full-body armor, tower shields, and war axes and that would still not be enough to hinder their movements or slow down their charge. They were essentially walking fortresses. One would have to go all out if they wanted to get even a sliver of hope to break the defense of the Minotaurs if they devote themselves to just defending, and just the wind pressure from the swing of their war axes could sweep away the weak. "It sounds like we have gathered all the major forces hidden in the world to our side......" One possible reason why they still had not discovered their potential must be due to the lack of mana. Demonkin were already incapable of extensive movements in low mana regions so even If they could do amazing things, they wouldn''t have enough mana to support them. But now that they have been basking in the blessing of mana from the world trees, it wasn''t an exaggeration to say that one of them could literally rival a small squadron. "Though, I just hope they won''t need to wield their power anytime in the future." Eventually, the two races took up the duty of teaching the demonkin children. Along with the advancement of education among the werewolves, a lot of werewolves showed their desire to gain further understanding of the knowledge they were teaching and stepped forward to take up the role of librarian following their desire for gathering knowledge and intellectual thirst. On the other hand, the skills Devilkin had learned to earn their daily income in their vagabond lifestyle due to persecution gave rise to talents who came up with practical skills that helped all races as a whole. Then, following their talent in magic, a lot of them switched to becoming magic instructors or researchers and fostered several magicians. Vol. 7 - Ch. 185 - Leriel’s Gift The ?Forest of the Creation Witch? remained engulfed in a bustling atmosphere with the accepted races trying to adjust to their new homes for the first six months before the situation settled down to some extent.On the night of one such day, as I was sleeping together with Teto, we found ourselves being summoned to the Dream Oracle Space. "This is Liliel and Leriel?" Teto and I scouted the surrounding area after being called over and immediately spotted the two goddesses. Liliel, the goddess who reincarnated me and also the one whom I was an apostle of, and Leriel, the heaven goddess who informed us about the crisis of the western continent. ?Good work, Chise. It seems like the residents have settled to some extent.? "Thanks, Liliel. But I haven''t really done anything. It was the combined hard work of everyone that made it possible." She must have been watching over us all this time. The administration of the settlements in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? was handled by the representative of each race, while I flung the other minor work to Baretta and the others for them to handle. All I did was enjoy the passage of days with Teto like how we lived before taking them in. "So, what''s the matter this time? Has another problem arisen somewhere else?" "If it''s a strong monster, Teto and her friends will make sure to eradicate it!" Teto chimed in while taking a bodybuilder-like pose, bending her arms to show off her supple biceps. If one didn''t know any better, one would never believe that hidden behind her soft arms was her monstrous strength. Finding her pose funny, I poked her soft arms, causing her to bend her body from the tickling sensation. ?This isnt the reason we called you here today. Actually, it''s Leriel who wants to show her gratitude.? ?I''m really sorry I couldn''t find time until now. But don''t they say better late than never? I can finally show my gratitude to you for resolving the stampede.? "You don''t really have to do that" I obtained the floating stone and other rare metals in the abandoned mine from Lariel, while I received the floating island from Luriel along with all the mythical beasts living there. To be honest, I was feeling a bit of dread imagining Leriel''s gift. ?My gift is A Dungeon.? "Dungeon" I somehow managed to eke out a response. It wasn''t like I didn''t expect this given she was the goddess who governed over space and time, but I really wouldn''t have minded being proven wrong. I mean, I had heard from Baretta a while ago that if we used the Earth Vein Control Magic Tool to gather the flowing mana in one place, we could effectively give birth to an artificial dungeon. Well, she also mentioned the chances of a stampede occurring so I scrapped that idea to oblivion. S?a??h th? N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?Hmm. You know, Chise, it''s written all over your face just how bothersome you think it is. I guess I should correct your perception of my dungeon. First of all, the dungeon I''m talking about is different from the likes of the dungeons that are being used to disperse the stale mana from the earth veins!? As if her pride was hurt by the way my expression showed my feelings about her reward, Leriel started explaining the difference between the dungeons from the past, and the modern dungeons. The modern dungeons, the ones known to the people of this era, were basically tools to get the world back on the right track, even if only a little. They served as mana dissemination tools to release the stocked mana underground back into the world, and a training ground for humans to train after the advent of statuses. The mechanism was simple: shaping the stocked mana into monsters and treasure chests. Just carrying the mana stones from defeated monsters or treasure chests from the dungeon to the outside world was enough to gradually de-escalate the crisis that would have otherwise occurred. The mana stones and treasurers also acted as bait to lure in the people, forcing them to continue defeating monsters which also raised their level. Leveling up subsequently increased their mana capacity and granted them improved endurance to fight in drastic environments. In case the mana accumulation crossed past a certain threshold, a dungeons countermeasure was to strengthen the monsters forcefully and create a stampede to release the mana back into the world, So people dived into dungeons to prevent stampedes from happening and help regulate mana. Well, this was all there was about the modern dungeons, they weren''t like that in the past. ?The one I am giving you is something else entirely! This dungeon is an ancient model that can be customized at the whim of the dungeon creator as long as they have mana!? ?Fufu, it brings back memories. Dungeons were originally created for us, the newborn gods, at that time to practice world management.? Pausing there, and with reminiscing expressions on their faces, Liliel and Leriel began talking about ancient dungeons. ?The world at that time was far different from now and was abundant with mana, so we used to create all sorts of dungeons to set trials for humans. The humans who were able to clear the trials and grasp the sacred artifacts we had placed there began to be called heroes......? ?We would often look for those who were worthy among the challengers and the ones with potential were chosen as either Brave Spirits or Angels.? It must be a story about the past that far predated the ancient magic civilization era. That came as a surprise to me, to be honest. I didn''t expect dungeons to be originally kind of like a world management simulator for gods. However, it seemed to still retain the aspect of serving as a training ground for humans. Furthermore, it wasn''t just the gods who could make these types of dungeons, dragons, mythical beasts, spirits, devils, magicians or anyone with a certain level of mana could freely create dungeons. Among the ruins spread across the current world, a good amount of them were, in fact, ancient dungeons that lost their dungeon masters. ?Just think of them as small biotopes to learn about world management, so they don''t have settings like stampedes. Also, you don''t have to make the effort of managing it, all you have to do is adjust the environment inside and create some monsters. It''ll be able to operate by itself with the mana generated from the monsters.? ?Chise, do you remember the knowledge I transferred to you in the past to revive the wilderness? You can apply that knowledge to manage the dungeon as well.? ?Well, the only downside is you would have to fill it up with mana by yourself if you want to customize it first, and it can only be operated within the range of the mana drawn from the land it had been set up. Once the dungeon has started generating its own mana, however, you''ll be able to do a lot of things?, Leriel further added. "Hmm, then that means we would be able to create various dungeons depending on the combination." "Oh, Majou-sama is excited about them!" Listening to their explanation, my mind quickly churned out possible combinations. For example, by adjusting the monsters'' strength, it would be able to serve as a training ground for the residents of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. In another case, we could turn the dungeon into an exclusive mana-generating plant of sorts by planting world trees on each floor. Or, if the defeated monsters dropped mana stones, we could also meet the mana stone demand of the demonkin who consumed them. Even more, we could also create some coastlines or the sea inside the dungeon to create a stable supply of salt, seaweed, and other seafood which would otherwise be impossible to gain inland. No, wait, if we just turned all the layers into tropical environments, didn''t that mean we would be able to cultivate sugarcane, coffee, cocoa, and plenty more, too? Just as my mind was drowning in a sea of ideas imagining the almost infinite possibilities of the dungeon, I heard an exasperated voice coming from Liliel. ?Sigh, there you go again in your flights of fancy, thinking about other people even until now. The gift is meant for you, Chise.? "Ugh...... Of course, I''m also thinking about the layers we can make to use for ourselves. But, really, is it okay to accept this?" ?Be more confident, Chise! I''ve also increased the number of floors in the dungeon of the Great Forest as a reward for their help in the stampede. That nation has been operating its dungeon like that for a long time and has been enjoying the various resources it provides.? Hmm? Listening to Leriel, the Eldar Forest Nation managed to upgrade their existing dungeon up to the 15th floor over the course of 2000 years partially due to helping her and also for their continuous reverence towards her. The dungeon in our place would start with three floors only, though we could also upgrade it in a similar fashion. "What a pinch...... There are just too many things to create for only three floors." "Majou-sama! Teto wants to eat delicious food!" Looking at me with caring gazes as I already began to feel a headache thinking about what to create on those three floors, Liliel and Leriel had warm smiles on their faces. ?Fufu, you have plenty of time to decide, Chise. Come on, time is almost up.? As soon as Liliel said that, we found our consciousness fading before it was abruptly cut off. ............... .......... ...... After the dream oracle, Teto and I found ourselves back in our bed, our eyes locked into each other. We swiftly got off the bed and changed our clothes excitedly. It had only been a few minutes when Baretta came into our room. ?Master, I have an urgent report. A dungeon has appeared in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?!" "Hmm, I know. It''s a gift from Leriel!" "We are going to make a dungeon!" Teto and I headed for the dungeon''s location while explaining the matter to Baretta. The location was towards the central-western part of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. It was on the opposite side of our mansion, separated by the massive world tree in the central region. As we soared into the sky while riding the wand, we spotted Dragon Grandpa hovering in the sky near the dungeon. It seemed like he came here after sensing the dungeon''s birth. "Good morning, Dragon Grandpa!" "Good morning-nanodesu!" ?If it isn''t Majou-dono and Guardian-dono... I sensed the presence of a nostalgic relic so I came to check it out. I didn''t expect it to be an ancient dungeon.? Dragon Grandpa stopped there and shifted his gaze downward toward a chalk-white building. All the dungeons we had seen so far had their entrances in huge rocks, but this one had a temple-like grandeur. "It''s a present from the Goddess-sama! We''re going to create a lot of delicious mana stones and food!" Hearing Teto''s explanation as she spoke in a jubilant tone, Dragon Grandpa cackled in delight. ?Hahaha! I see, I see, that explains it. You can always come to consult with me if you encounter any trouble. I''m quite knowledgeable on the management aspect of ancient dungeons that I acquired in my younger days, so I can give you some advice on creating your dungeon.? "You''ve also created one, Dragon Grandpa?" ?Yes. In my younger days when I made a nest and hoarded all my treasures there, I used to entertain myself with the challengers who came to fight me and played tricks on them.? Who would have thought the wizened Dragon Grandpa also had a mischievous side to him in his youth? One really shouldn''t judge a book by its cover. Well, he has been alive for around 10,000 years, so I really couldn''t imagine what he would have been like in his younger days. ?You have my gratitude for showing me a bygone relic. Well then, I shall take my leave.? "See ya. We''re going to fiddle with the dungeon for now. We''ll come to you if we don''t understand something." "We''re going to make a wonderful dungeon, so look forward to it, Dragon Grandpa!" After taking delight in seeing an item from his youthful days, Dragon Grandpa returned to his cave in the former floating island where Dragon-Demons lived. After seeing him off, Teto and I landed in front of the dungeon building and stepped inside. T/N - Well it might be a bit late for this, but Liliel''s name should have been Liriel following the naming logic of Creator God. Somehow, it gets lost in the way. Vol. 7 - Ch. 186 - Fledgling Dungeon Master Chise Together, Teto and I stepped inside the newly born dungeon in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. The interior of the dungeon was just a single, empty room with all its walls and ceiling made of the same white material as the outside temple. There, we saw a pedestal on which the dungeon core was housed."This should be a dungeon core, I guess. Well, what to do now to create a dungeon?" "Majou-sama, why not try touching it?" At the urging of Teto, I stepped forward and touched the dungeon core. Immediately after, the dungeon core began to emit light. "Ugh......" "Majou-sama! Are you alright!?" A groan slipped out of my lips as some kind of information, presumably a ''dungeon manual'', was drilled into my head at the same time the dungeon core emitted light. Teto hurriedly moved beside me to support my body from falling. Fortunately, the information transplant was only about the easy way to use the dungeon so the pain was over in the next moment. I asked Teto not to worry as I corrected my posture. "I''m alright. It was just showing me how to use the dungeon......" Again, I timidly reached my hand out to the dungeon core, though it didn''t glow or do anything weird this time. "?Charge?. Dungeon Core - Activate!" "Ohh! Something is coming out!" After I poured my mana into the dungeon core, Teto and I found ourselves surrounded by several translucent screens. They were like holograms. I maneuvered through them with my thoughts and parsed through every single one of them while setting aside the ones with information I thought necessary or important. The holograms presented me with various information like dungeon rarity, possible summon, facility, item creation, the items that could be absorbed by the dungeon, and the income and expenditure of the dungeon among other things. "These are like a video game''s information screen." "Video Game? Teto doesn''t get it, but it looks easy to understand!" Now that I think about it, even the status system the gods had introduced to mankind after the collapse of the ancient magic civilization also seemed like a concept taken out of a video game. Well, considering the ancient dungeon''s game-like systems as well, maybe the world originally had game-like rules? Hmm, but whether to adopt this system was entirely at God''s discretion, which meant...... "Majou-sama, you''ve been staring at the screen for quite a while now. Do you see any problem?" "Hmm? Ah, no nothing. Anyway, time for a trial run." Standing side by side, Teto and I looked at the dungeon floor creation option and read through the items or tools we could summon. With each passing second, I could feel all my dreams turning into dust. "So few. There''s not much we can do or summon......" There were variable mana costs required for monsters, summoned items, and floor creation. Moreover, the available varieties per subject were far and few between. "We can only create wilderness and grotto floors, huh? No coastal floor?" Also, there were two options regarding the summoning monsters option. First was a quasi-lifeform summon. The monsters summoned through that option would exist as quasi-lifeforms in the dungeon. In layman''s terms, they would be like dungeon-bound phantom monsters. Due to their semi-corporeal constitution, such monsters, when defeated, wouldn''t leave behind a corpse, but would only drop some items or mana stones instead. There were quite a few merits in summoning them, like Since there is no need to prepare a complete physical body, the summoning cost is low.They were quasi-lifeforms so the mana required to continuously summon them was also pretty low. More specifically, they could survive solely on the magical energy supplied by the dungeon, eliminating the need for food.They were all kind of like machines and were obedient to the Dungeon Master''s commands. But they were not without demerits as well, as They would never become stronger compared to the monsters from the outside, since compared to the outside monsters who became stronger through accumulated experiences, dungeon monsters didn''t have such a concept.Due to their lack of physical bodies, they didn''t reproduce.Being pseudo lifeforms that they were, they didn''t generate any mana. "So, do they have their functions as living beings or monsters removed? Ah, or is it more like, restricted?" Another option was actual monster summoning. They were different from quasi-lifeforms as through this option, monsters with real flesh and blood could be summoned inside the dungeon. Well, they weren''t summoned entities in the trustest sense though as instead of calling monsters from somewhere in the world, they were kind of like an entity generated from mana. It was actually somewhat similar to how monsters were born through the accumulated mana in nature. "Mu-mu-mu, Teto gives up! Teto can''t understand it! Do you, Majou-sama?" "Yeah, I have more or less understood it, though I cant tell exactly to what extent without trying it out." While the actual monster summoning eliminated most of the cons of quasi-lifeform summoning, it wasn''t without its shortcomings. Like, the spike in the maintenance cost. But looking at it positively, they could generate their own mana and multiply through breeding. Additionally, they weren''t phantom-like beings that would need mana to stabilize their existence, unlike quasi-lifeform monsters, so that was one less existence to feed mana to. That being said, they would die from hunger if we didn''t prepare their food. Lastly was that we could turn quasi-lifeform monsters into actual monsters by charging them with mana afterwards. Furthermore, there was no need to fear a stampede since the instant these flesh and blood monsters escaped out of the dungeon, their physical state would dissolve and be turned into mana, assimilating into the atmosphere. Quite a convenient feature. Maybe, by utilizing this, we could consume the accumulated mana in the earth veins and return it to the world. But for now "The best would be to gather more information before acting. Until then, let''s seal the dungeon." "Alright-nanodesu! Then let''s have breakfast, Teto is hungry!" Teto and I rushed to see the dungeon first thing in the morning without having breakfast, so both of our stomachs were growling. "Well, how about having breakfast in the dungeon?" "Oh, let''s do that! Then we''ll stay in the dungeon and hang out!" I contacted Baretta, who was in charge of breakfast, through the communication magic tool and expressed my intention to have our breakfast in the dungeon. We occasionally ate outside, and in some cases, we made our food by ourselves so Baretta just nodded when I notified her. "Now then...... What do you want to eat, Teto?" "What a tough question. But Teto knows she wants to eat bread filled with lots of stuff!" "Bread, like sweet bread or stuffed bread? Which reminds me, it''s been quite a while since I made them, huh? ?Creation? sweet bread and stuffed bread!" We set up the table and chairs we used during our adventuring days as I created some bread like red bean paste bread, jam bread, melon bread, donuts, Danish bread, curry bread, ham and cheese sandwich, croquette, and hamburger. I created all sorts of bread wrapped in transparent plastic packaging, something that could easily be found at a convenience store. Baretta would have surely said ''Master could have asked us to make them'' if she were to see this. But we weren''t just eating them to fill our belly, it was the cheap taste from the memory of my previous memory and the food we ate right after reincarnation that we were looking forward to. "We have been eating expensive and healthy food lately, but it''s not bad to eat junk food sometimes......" "Teto wants curry bread and yakisoba bread!" "Let''s see, what should I eat......" Teto swiftly chose her stuffed bread, took off the packaging, and began eating. For myself, I chose the sauce-filled croquette and the ham and cheese sandwich. I also created a small bottled beverage to go along with them. "They still taste as great as ever!" s?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "I hope we can recreate the climate to cultivate the spices you like......" I munched on the sandwich while analyzing the information from the holograms hovering mid-air. "Did you find something, Majou-sama?" It seemed like maintenance costs also included the repair cost in case of damage. It was possible to remove randomly generated floors without actually implementing floor creation. (T/N - Didn''t get the author''s intention here) Hmm, so modern dungeons were basically naturally spawned with random elements taken from the various ancient dungeons with the only thing missing being the presence of a Dungeon Master? On top of that, the types of floor possible were basically determined by the characteristics of the land it had spawned on. "Let''s try to create one floor first. We can remove it if it doesn''t work out." Creating floors obviously required mana, but even removing them needed a significant amount of mana. Furthermore, no lifeform could be present inside when removing a floor. Well, that called for some countermeasures like forced teleportation of humans and actual monsters from the floor. I revised some settings on the sample floor while eating a sandwich. The information on how to use it was already hammered into my brain when I first touched the dungeon core, but that was only about learning how to operate the controls. How I wished there was something like a game walkthrough wiki to learn about dungeons, there were just so many things I didn''t understand...... As my thoughts drifted around, I suddenly felt thirsty and stretched out my hand for the small bottled drink. However " "Ah......" " I didn''t pay attention as my gaze was glued to the dungeon creation screen and as a result, the drink slipped out of my hand and spilled onto the dungeon floor. "Uh-oh...... There it goes." "It dirtied the floor......" We were drinking carbonated drinks. Maybe it was a rebellious intent on our part since we usually drank black tea or fruit juice prepared by Baretta so whenever we got such a moment, we indulged ourselves with different drinks. "Majou-sama, here, the towel!" "Thanks, Teto. Ah......" Receiving the towel from Teto, I used it to wipe the spilled liquid on the table. Then, I was about to wipe the spilled drink on the floor as well when it was suddenly absorbed by the dungeon completely. "Ahh, well, It''s a dungeon after all, albeit one without a proper floor yet." Any type of waste was usually absorbed by the dungeon on its own accord. It could be corpses, weapons, or any other fallen items. In short, the dungeon took in unnecessary things to maintain the floor ecosystem and replenish missing parts. Puzzled at the disappearance of the carbonated drink, I shifted my gaze to look at the dungeon management screen to see if I could figure out where it was taken to and saw an unfamiliar screen flashing on it "Huh? What''s this?" "What happened, Majou-sama?" Teto asked curiously after hearing my surprised yelp while eating the pile of bread she had taken in her hands. I wasn''t sure as well so I quickly operated the dungeon core to see what was going on. Apparently, the floating unfamiliar screen was a notification. ?Dungeon has taken in ?Carbonated Water?. Henceforth, new materials related to it have been unlocked for installation.? Along with the notification, I saw an increase in the objects that could be set up in the current dungeon layout as of now, and among the spring-related facility selection, ?Carbonated Spring? had been added. Vol. 7 - Ch. 187 - Absorbed Materials and Ever increasing Features Who would have thought accidentally spilling the carbonated drink could lead to a new facility? At least I didn''t expect it, but either way, it seemed like just lifting the restriction didn''t mean we could install it right away."10,000 liters of carbonated water and 3 million mana units, huh?......" Basically, to create a spring with limitless carbonated water, I would need the base material, carbonated water, in large quantities. "Majou-sama, something is flashing below it." Below the dark brown display of the carbonated water which indicated it was impossible to create as of now, there was a flickering entry. "------. So we can also convert mana into materials and vice-versa." In this instance, creating one liter of carbonated water would consume 30 mana units stored in the dungeon core. Once the required stock of material and mana reaches the necessary amount, we could create said establishment. "30 mana unit consumption in exchange for one liter of carbonated water, huh? ------ Carbonated water....... Eh, the creation cost is basically the same." As long as I exclude the cost of the sugar in the drink, its container - a small bottle, and the process of making the drink itself, the cost to make carbonated water with was the same. "Preparing materials will cost 3 million mana units, the same amount to create the facility." "With Majou-sama''s magic, it''s easie-peasie!" As I winced at the mana cost while watching the carbonated water I created with be absorbed by the dungeon, Teto spoke out to encourage me. The dungeon core''s upper limit to store mana was 30 million, which was quite a lot, to be honest. I could indeed create the facility with my mana capacity as Teto said, but there was still a mountain of things I had to ascertain first before I actually proceeded with it. S?a??h the N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Materials can be converted into mana as well." That seemed to be a function of the dungeon that my didn''t have. It could convert mana into various things and conversely, break down acquired items into mana. There have also been anecdotes in the past of adventurers and other people dumping too many unnecessary items in the dungeon and as a result, they incurred the wrath of the dungeon and perished under a stampede. Considering how dungeons created monsters to release the excess mana into the surroundings after converting leftover items into mana, this was not too far off from the actual reason. The catch here, however, was that it wasn''t as efficient in converting items into mana as compared to creating them. Additionally, installation of the facility couldn''t be done without mana as well. "------Creation and Destruction, huh? And with how destruction and mana consumption cost more, it prevents anyone from taking advantage of the system to easily create and destroy. They really have put thought into teaching about the importance of balance in world management and fostering a cautious attitude." Aside from those, by having the dungeons incorporate tools that gods like Liliel and her sisters make with their own divine power, the things that were impossible to create even with the dungeon function would no longer be a mere dream. "What''s next, Majou-sama?" "I am going to test a couple more things. ------ Iron Ingot!" Next, I created and dropped the iron lump on the dungeon floor. Unsurprisingly, it was taken in by the dungeon, and following that, another new entry appeared. There was a list of several types of iron weapons available, and even a facility called iron ore vein. "This also needs a specific amount of materials and mana." The striking part about this was I would just need to arrange the required amount of materials and mana, as well as the mana to sustain the running costs, and we would immediately have an inexhaustible supply of iron ores. This was really a game changer------, no wait, does that mean? "Does that mean the world is slowly but gradually expanding?" "Hmm? What do you mean, Majou-sama?" "No, just, whether it''s my or the dungeon function, both have been producing things or monsters. So in that sense, the world''s mass is gradually increasing in proportion to them." "What''s the problem with that?" I guess my explanation was a bit complex as Teto cocked her head in cluelessness, and asked back. Well yeah, it wasn''t a problem worth giving attention and all. But------- "Just what actually is mana? It can be converted to substance, causes natural phenomena, lifeforms feed on it, and it then disappears." Mana was an indispensable key for the survival of this world. This planet, its human beings, vegetation, and monsters emitted it as they followed their way of life. This begged the question, what actually happened with the mana that got consumed by them? Spontaneously emitted mana got released into the atmosphere, and the mana poured into mana potions exhibited the same properties as a water-soluble. The ability to flow through metals and be stored was somewhat akin to heat. Within the bodies of monsters, the condensed magical energies took on a solid form known as a mana stone. Alas, the knowledge I had inherited from my previous life lacked specialized knowledge such as physics, so I couldn''t arrive at any hypothetical conclusion. But just thinking about the mysteries behind mana was so intriguing that I couldn''t help myself from thinking about it. "Umm, sure enough, it''s far from Teto''s level to understand! Ah, but Majou-sama''s mana is delicious!" "And it also has flavor and beings have different preferences for it as well which is another mystery in itself." Truly, mana was a bag full of wonder. Well, I wasn''t the type to endlessly contemplate like a philosopher so while I found the topic fascinating, I tossed it in a corner of my mind as I continued the tests with Teto by creating many things with and letting the dungeon absorb it. "Let''s continue, !" I continued to create every material and object I could recall and tossed them to the dungeon for it to take. I first started with the materials that came from the land like metal ores, sand, sandstones, rocks, jewels, red clay, and humus. I further added magic metals like mithril, adamantine, and orichalcum as well as magic minerals like mana crystals and floating stones to unlock their respective veins. Though of course, nothing was free in the world hence they required an enormous amount of mana, and if that wasn''t enough, some also slightly crossed the upper limit of the dungeon core''s mana capacity. After metals and minerals, I proceeded to add plant seeds, fully developed plants, leftover bread from earlier, and the corpses of monsters stored in my magic bag which unlocked the vegetation we could set up and the types of floors like grassland and forest area. But there were also some exceptions, like adding the seed of the world tree or its branches did not unlock anything new to install. Instead, I could directly plant a world tree sapling inside the dungeon. So, it was like a growable entity in the dungeon rather than an object reproduced by the dungeon. Aside from that, the things that couldn''t be utilized were dismantled and reduced to other materials. For example, the monster corpses were separated into flesh, blood, and bones and the genetic information from them became the base to increase the variety of summonable monsters. "I wonder, if a human being died in the dungeon, would they also be converted into materials?" There were skeletons among the monsters that use bones as material, so corpses could potentially be resources for the dungeon''s operation. Still, it wasn''t a pleasant thought. Afterwards, I continued to try various things and confirmed the dungeon''s functions but Teto mumbled in between that she was getting bored, so I had to make a huge rock using a dungeon feature so that she could try out her sword. After going through the evolution process in the mud cocoon, it wasn''t just her abilities that improved, even her magic sword had been further enhanced. Now, that magic sword was cutting through the huge rock like a hot knife through butter. "But it seems like not even your power can destroy the dungeon room." The dungeon core room was still completely scratchless, maybe it had an indestructible attribute? As I continued to make experiments and speculations about the dungeon, my gaze spotted a certain entry. ", and its cost is....... 300 million mana units. Wow, talk about a sky-high price." It was apparently a seed-like item that could give birth to a new dungeon in the place it was planted. It was so ridiculously expensive that I ran my gaze over the price once again to see if my eyes had mistakenly seen too many zeros, and the result was that I didn''t. "So an item that costs a whopping 300 million mana units, huh? Not to mention the fact that I don''t have the mana to spare for it, but I also didn''t intend to increase the dungeon''s numbers anyway." I assumed this item, albeit unaffordable, was listed to show the ultimate goal of dungeon creation. It was either a glimpse to serve as motivation or maybe it was easily achievable in a mana-abundant world before the demise of the ancient magic civilization. Well, everything about the ancient past had been buried in the river of time but maybe, there used to be such an era where the gods created dungeons as trials for humans and where ancient dragons like Dragon Grandpa or a portion of mankind themselves became dungeon masters...... Vol. 7 - Ch. 188 - Visit of the Indolent Fairy Queen and The Truth about the Mysterious Nut After inspecting the dungeon and letting it absorb the materials I created with ?Creation Magic? one after another, and lifting the restriction on various facilities in the process, I managed to find a lot of information.I might have been able to acquire data even more efficiently if I had also let Baretta and the others help out, but dungeon management was basically my hobby so I didn''t bother troubling them over it. After the birth of the dungeon, we spent the next week going in and out, and once I had basically tried out everything I could think of, I decided it was time to create a dungeon floor, but we found ourselves lost on exactly what to create. "...... So many options, what exactly should we create?" "Teto likes a place with lots of delicious food and fun!" "Hmm, I guess so. We might as well proceed with our initial goal, and focus on the practical aspect that would be more profitable." I used the mana stored in the dungeon core and went through the floor layouts to decide on one. I was looking through the list when Baretta came and informed us of a guest. ?Master Erneah-sama has come and requested a meeting with you.? "Oh, it''s been a long time since Erneah-san came here-nanodesu!" "Don''t tell me she''s here once again to skimp on her duty?" I had installed a ?Transfer Gate? in both the ?The Forest of the Creation Witch? and the castle of the Eldar Forest Nation, connecting both places so each side could visit the other at any given time. It was just that Erneah-san, the High Elf Queen, always snuck here all alone so briskly. Usually, she just comes here to run away from her duties and pass the time. This time shouldn''t be any different, I guess. "Baretta, please prepare the tea. Also, can you contact Altair-san after a while?" ?Understood.? In a case like this, I would entertain her for a while if she slipped here to take a breather and then contact Altair-san to take her back. Well, now that our plans had changed, Teto and I returned to the mansion following Baretta and found Erneah-san behind the mansion looking up at the fruit tree we had planted there. "Erneah-san, you know you''re a queen right? Won''t your people worry if you keep coming here alone?" When I addressed her with an exasperated voice, Erneah-san gracefully turned around to look at us. "Come on, even a queen needs to take a breather from time to time. Well, that''s not important right now, Chise. I see that you have created yet another absurd thing with your ?Creation Magic?." Erneah-san''s gaze was focused on the fruit tree as she spoke. It was originally a sapling of the world tree on which I had grafted a fruit tree when I was inspecting the world tree and the sakura spirit tree before visiting the Eldar Forest Nation. Though it wasn''t comparable with them in terms of growth speed and mana generation, the fruits they bore had become what I call ?Mysterious Nuts? due to the mana being transferred to those fruits. "Do you want to try it? They''re quite delicious." "Teto will pick them!" Teto sprinted towards the tree, climbed on it, and plucked off several fruits. A dumbfounded expression appeared on Erneah-san''s face upon seeing that. "Fufu, so this is the secret behind your enormous mana capacity, even bigger than mine who has lived for 2000 years. Do you know what this fruit is called in legends and folklore?" "Hmm? Isn''t it called ?Mysterious Nut??" It was something I used to create with my ?Creation Magic?, or in this case, it was a fruit borne by the fruit tree grafted on the world tree with the mana of the world tree ending up becoming those fruits. But that was the extent of my knowledge. "There are many folklore and legends about them, but at the root, all of them call it the ?Fruit of Immortality?." Apparently, it was the general term for the fruit that grew only in the mana-rich lands or spirit trees, or in another case, a fruit borne by a fruit tree once every several hundred years. Eating a single one of them granted a long life. So it was something sought by countless people. "You already know mana is linked to a long lifespan for humans. And this ?Fruit of Immortality? is specifically sought after because it grants anyone who eats it huge mana capacity, power, and youth as passed down in the legends and folklore." "I see" To be frank, I had taken it as a Status Up item in a certain RPG. But what a surprise. Who would have thought it was closer to the fruit from the Tree of Life in the Old Testament, the apple of AvalonThe Golden Apple, or the peach of Immortality from Shangri la among others that appeared in mythology or legends widespread in my previous world? "Well, the thing I create with ?Creation Magic? doesn''t increase the mana capacity as you said, Erneah-san. It only increases mana amount by around 30 at best." "Then it means the fruit you create does have the ability to increase mana capacity, it is just unripe at the moment." "Oh, I haven''t thought of that." As my eyes drifted to the horizon after realizing that I was eating something so precious pretty much every day, Teto, who was standing next to me, was eating the fruits she had plucked earlier with gusto. ?Master, Teto-sama, Erneah-sama. The tea is ready.? "T, Thank you, Baretta... I needed this urgently to calm myself down." "Snacks time!" I sipped on my tea and decided to forget about the truth of the ?Mysterious Nut?...... mostly to protect my sanity. On the other hand, I was surprised to see Teto once again starting on the snacks prepared even after eating all those ?Mysterious Nuts?, while Erneah-san showed her more elegant side while drinking her tea. "So, what''s the reason for today''s visit, Erneah-san? Are you really here for a breather?" "You remember I had talked to you about the matchmaking of mythical beasts before? So I came here to inspect your forest." That talk had ended on an undecided note due to the stampede in the western continent before. It was basically to look for a partner for the mythical beasts in our respective lands, and if there were new kinds of mythical beasts to see if we could invite them to each other''s land. "I don''t really mind, but I don''t think this warrants your direct visit?" "You''re going to be scolded by Altair-san once again!" Listening to my suspicious tone, and Teto mentioning her worrywart aide, the Dark Elf Altair, Erneah-san flashed a slightly mischievous smile. "Even I want to sometimes put the crown down and act on my whims. What can I do, that''s just how heavy the responsibility of a queen is." "......Haa, make sure to keep it in moderation, or you will be at the mercy of Altair-san again." I replied mixed with an exasperated sigh, though it didn''t make the person herself happy as she pouted and looked a bit discontented. Well, this was a matter between Altair-san and Erneah-san, and it wasn''t a place for an outsider like me to comment on so I steered the conversation back to the original topic. "So I guess you''ll be coming here more often?" "Yeah. I''ll be the only one for now, but soon, I''m also planning to send some personnel here to interact with the mythical beasts to matchmake." "Teto''s looking forward to seeing even more kids of mythical beasts!" Erneah-san spoke as she gracefully munched on her snacks and sipped on her tea. "There wouldn''t be any problem then,'' I nodded. As we continued to chat and entertain Erneah-san, a telepathic communication echoed in our heads as an enormous shadow descended on the opening lot of the mansiona place exclusive for Dragon Grandpa. s?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. ?I heard Majou-dono and Fairy Queen are together. I rushed here thinking there must be a discussion about the dungeon. I am not late, am I?? "Oh, long time, Elder Dragon! I almost forgot I heard about it from Leriel-possessed Rorona as well. What''s the dungeon here like?" With the sudden addition of Dragon Grandpa, the discussion over tea instantly flipped to a talk about the dungeon. Vol. 7 - Ch. 189.1 - A Lecture over Dungeon Creation I was having a tea party with Erneah-san when Dragon Grandpa came to visit us. With his addition, the conversation steered to them giving me, a greenhorn dungeon master, a lecture on ancient dungeon creation."First of all, Chise, Teto. What kind of dungeon do you guys want to make?" ?Feel no hesitation to ask us, your predecessors, of our wisdom.? After saying that, both of them showered me with their expectation-filled gazes. They resembled seasoned experts eagerly seizing the spotlight to share their cherished expertise, like old storytellers weaving tales of their wisdom. It brought up a strained smile on my face as I churned my brain to come up with something. "Err......" "Yes-nanodesu! Teto has something to ask-nanodesu!" While I was wracking my head to come up with any question, Teto excitedly raised her hand. "Hmm, a question from Teto? Bring it on! Feel free to ask anything!" ?What kind of dungeon did Dragon Grandpa and Erneah-san make?? That was indeed something I would like to know as well. I might be able to come up with some questions if I come to know their preferences from their past dungeon. Nice, Teto. I fist-pumped internally. ?The one I created in the past was a labyrinth that served as my residence as well. A long time ago, there was a never-ending stream of humans coming to subjugate me. It was increasingly getting annoying so I created it to drive them back.? "What I created was a resource dungeon to harvest and collect resources that you will normally not find in a forest. It was also a training place to hone our elven warriors, and there were some mana facilities to generate mana. Each floor had its role, so I can''t decisively say what kind of dungeon it was specifically." So the dungeon Dragon Grandpa created was to chase away intruders, huh? It was the typical dungeon an adventurer would usually imagine in their mind. Erneah-san''s dungeon was very close to what I first thought of after hearing about the ancient dungeon''s function: a resource dungeon. "Oh, then how did you make your resource dungeon, Erneah-san?" Hearing my question, Erneah-san puffed her chest in ''I was just waiting for you to ask this'' look and responded. "First of all, even if you manage to completely create a resource dungeon, it doesn''t mean you can gain resources from there forever." "Hmm? Teto is curious why." "Erneah-san is talking about the running cost of the facility." I explained the floor''s maintenance cost to Teto, who tilted her head in confusion. In addition to the required materials and mana during the installation of dungeon facilities, dungeons also collected mana every day to sustain them. "Let''s suppose you are mining from the vein you have installed in the dungeon. If there is no mana to sustain it, the vein wouldn''t be able to restore itself and will wither away just like that. Furthermore, you may have sufficient mana to sustain it, but the vein itself won''t be back to its original self in just one day." "So we just need to generate enough mana to sustain those resources." I replied, to which Erneah-san nodded in appreciation. "You''re right. So to make the best use of it, we often replicate a portion of the natural environment, creating a floor specialized in mana generation and generating mana from it. ?Hmm, this is something akin to a biotype model in our time.? Dragon Grandpa supplemented after Erneah-san''s explanation. Biotype, huh? I repeated the word in my mouth. "Then, how can we create that... ''biotype'', was it?" Teto inquired about the specifics of creating a biotype floor. Erneah-san put up a contemplative expression as she continued. "Hmm, they differ depending on the environment, like the myriad of shapes nature comes in. It could be a simple plant-only floor, a floor specific for animal breeding, or one particular floor for monsters. In our case, we went along with a forest-type layer where we released animals. In the end, it''s entirely up to individual preference." ?Long ago, there was an urban-type dungeon where dungeon masters would often have their own servants or followers residing within the dungeon. Following this, the mana the residents released was gathered for their dungeon.? Creating a forest and releasing animals into the wild was something we had been doing since the ?Empty Wilderness? era. So, I kind of wanted something different this time well, not as different as having people reside inside the dungeon or breeding monsters though. "Monsters, huh?...... There is a danger of actual summoned monsters escaping the dungeon." Monsters from nearby monster-infested regions have been kept at bay with the help of the Great Barrier and the illusion magic Erneah-san passed to us. However, I couldn''t discount the possibility of them breeding inside our territory. I would like to avoid risks of that sort as much as possible. ?I don''t think Majou-dono has to worry about such things too much. Arent there trees like the world trees here that can generate mana? Planting one of those trees inside should be sufficient to replenish a good amount of mana.? "Yeah, there''s also this option. In fact, we already planted the seedling of the world tree we received from you in the new dungeon. It''s still a seedling but it''s already generating an astounding amount of mana." With the affirmation from Dragon Grandpa, I guess we don''t have to worry about keeping up with the mana cost. "In that case, the topic is what kind of facility I would like to have...... I already created a forest so we can cross that out of the list." "Teto would like a dungeon for delicious things!" "Fufu, I knew you would say that. But indeed, especially for stuff like salt which is hard to procure since the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? is inland." This was something I had originally been thinking about as well To create a dungeon that made it possible to procure stuff that was hard or impossible to get in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. The ideal one would be creating a salt-making facility or a tropical environment to grow the plants that were originally impossible to grow in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? climate. I spoke of my plan to the two. Great. Since you already know what to create, you just need to be efficient and you''ll be done. ?Indeed. Tell me if you ever need sea creatures to release in the dungeon, I''ll fly out and catch it for you!? My idea seemed to be good enough as Erneah-san nodded in approval. Dragon Grandpa''s response was also positive and he even offered to help out. S~?a??h the N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Well, this basically settled the outline of my dungeon. Since we were already on this topic, I also wanted to know what other types of dungeons there were. "Alright, I''ll follow this outline. By the way, do you know the types of dungeons other people have made?" It was useless to take reference from the typical dungeons that could be found all over the continent since they most likely were the result of randomly matching the settings of ancient dungeons except that they molded themselves to the type of environment where they appeared. Well, at least that was the conclusion I reached. "I''m sorry...... I don''t know anyone else who may have created a dungeon except me in this era. In fact, this is something I am eager to know as well." ?Then let me satisfy the curiosity of Majou-dono and the Fairy Queen.? Erneah-san showed an apologetic expression after hearing my question. The only one who seemed to be well aware of this was Dragon Grandpa who, after hearing my question, started speaking about the various types of dungeons he had the chance to see. Type Labyrinth: They were designed to repel intruders, and traps or monsters were common in them. They were configured to have a certain number of quasi-lifeform monsters at all times, while pairs of actual monsters were used to create more offspring which contributed to the dungeon''s overall battle power. For example, floors like plains and forests were popular and convenient for this. The only aspect they needed to make sure of was there was enough to feed the monsters as they mated and increased their numbers. Of course, there were loads of disadvantages to this like the time it took for them to mate to their offspring maturing, or the possibility of them getting killed by intruders and other monsters which would create a dent in their number, but it was still doable with the benefit they bring; their capability of releasing mana. Vol. 7 - Ch. 189.2 - A Lecture over Dungeon Creation ?The advantage of a labyrinth-type dungeon is that inciting strife inside the dungeon will spur the evolution of the monsters.?"That sounds fun!" Teto''s eyes gleamed hearing the story of Dragon Grandpa while munching on sweets. ?Indeed. After repeated evolution, what''s born are intelligent monsters capable of understanding words like Dire Wolves or Red Dragons. It depends on what a Dungeon Master requires, so not just monsters, some even manage to turn the challengers who died in the dungeon into Liches or Brave Spirits given they have the necessary aptitude to become one and then use them as handymen. There were also instances where Dungeon Masters summoned spirits and devils and left the management of the floors to them.? "Oh?...... Now that''s something unexpected, I didn''t realize one could leave the dungeon floor management to high-ranking spirits...... You learn something new every day, huh? That sounds quite convenient." Erneah-san chuckled, finding something new from Dragon Grandpa''s story. Given it was her, who loved to skip work, she must be internally rejoicing at finding a new way to relegate her duties to others and getting away from them. However, I was surprised by the revelation that such powerful monsters had been born inside dungeons, and even more so that the dungeon masters managed to control them. I mean, I did not doubt that Dragon Grandpa could take down any monster attempting to break the contract and attack him, but it was a bit hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that some magicians employed devils, who could have done the same to their summoners, without fearing the consequence. However, he further explained there were also cases during devil summoning where the summoner got tricked by the honeyed words of the crafty devils into forming a disadvantageous contract and then getting killed right before the contract could be bound. In all likelihood, the devils had managed to twist the contracts for their benefit over time and devised provisions that were advantageous for them, like ?Demonic Possession? of an evil cultist to strengthen themselves in todays age such was the guess of Dragon Grandpa. ?There were also some outliers who created miasma-filled floors. Their way of defending their dungeon was leaving bones or corpses in the miasma. This would resurrect them in the form of undead, or, in some cases, the lingering attachment would cause the remnants of the dead to turn into ghosts though it wasn''t easy to set it up and I was never fond of the method.? "Well, I guess there would hardly be anyone who would like it......" Miasma-type dungeons were formed by releasing a great number of actual monsters that had low summoning costs inside the dungeon, and by making them go through the cycle of breeding and cannibalism, the the result of this process was a high concentration of miasma. Miasma was also just another, albeit cursed, form of mana so if its accumulation crossed past a certain threshold, it, too, was capable of birthing new monsters. This was how they managed to produce mutated monsters that were otherwise not available in the dungeon''s features. Besides, miasma was harmful to the human body so that in itself served as a trap for the most part as well. However, there was no one way to produce miasma. For example, an impure environment would also be able to replicate the same thing. I think the abandoned mine in Lariel''s managed territory had gone through the same process, it pretty much checked all the boxes on how to turn a fine place into a miasma-filled region with disgusting monsters. I absolutely didn''t want to have something like that inside my dungeon even by a long shot. ?Majou-dono has the world tree, which to be honest is an exception among exceptions when it comes to mana production. Had there been no world tree, the type of biotope Majou-dono would want to make would have to start small scale, which means less mana as well which was the typical case in dungeon creation.? Erneah-san, too, assertively nodded at Dragon Grandpa''s words. ?In normal cases, by carefully maintaining the food chain balance, which in turn would help the monsters propagate inside the dungeon, it is possible to obtain mana. You start by breeding weaker creatures that feed on plants, then limit their numbers with predatory creatures, and so on, working your way up step by step. That is one of the ways to secure mana.? "It is indeed plausible and would work just fine. But what about the risk of stampedes in case their number ended up bloating?" ?This again goes back to a matter of balance. You can start by culling the monster population in moderation. The sole difficult aspect was how to keep higher species monsters in control, which can be achieved by putting actual summoned monsters in the group as their leader as the quasi-lifeforms will automatically move in a coordinated manner under the leader''s orders.? And when their numbers crossed the set threshold, you could naturally thin them out by giving orders. A great trick indeed. Since actual monsters had their own free will, there was indeed the possibility of them trying to escape, but if it was just one of them, this would keep the situation under control, and pairing them with quasi-lifeforms was one way to control their breeding. Well, they might be monsters, but thinning out their numbers would be enough to feed the surviving ones so it wouldn''t cause any discontent among them as well. "Interesting...... I would never have been able to come up with such tricks. Still, if we order to eliminate excess monsters, then......" Following the same trick, we wouldn''t have to be afraid of sea creatures having a population boom in the sea-type dungeon floors. Introducing suitable quasi-lifeform predators would be enough to balance out their population. s?a??h th? ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. The biggest advantage of a quasi-lifeform monster was they were bound to follow the Dungeon Master''s orders. Well, this was the perk of having seniors in dungeon management I guess. Speaking of which, "I have one question, do you happen to know why there are so few facilities to install in the beginning?" ?When a dungeon is born, it incorporates the materials of the surroundings and determines its characteristics based on the information of the absorbed magical power and materials. So based on what kind of monster mana it has perceived, the changes the land it has been born into has gone through, and the prominent elements from the land''s history, matching facilities and objects would be available in the beginning.? "I see......" Well, that explained why there was a ''wilderness'' option in the settings of the initial floor creation. For a long time, this land used to be a huge barren wasteland. All the grasslands and forests that could be seen today were the results of our hard work over the past few decades. So it was bound to have it following that logic. ?It takes time to get used to anything new. Besides, what a lot of dungeon masters find themselves at their wit''s end with is the lack of materials they could use to feed the dungeon for replication. In contrast, Majou-dono''s ?Creation Magic? is basically the elusive key that turned this head-scratcher into child''s play.? "Well, we''ve already tried incorporating various things into our dungeon." "Majou-sama created lots of things which increased the objects the dungeon can create!" Listening to our report, Dragon Grandpa chuckled in amusement. "We also had a headache initially and fumbled around a lot. We even sent the elves outside of the forest just to gather materials to create the facilities we wanted." Erneah-san said with a reminiscing look in her eyes. I guess our conversation awakened memories of the hardship-filled days she went through in the beginning to manage the dungeon. As we were immersed in our conversation, a silver-haired, tanned-skinned Dark Elf approached us. "Erneah-sama, I''m here to fetch you! You had enough of a rest already! It''s time to return!" "Gah, Altair...... I can''t escape, huh? Fine, then everyone, I bid my goodbye here." A look of reluctance appeared on Erneah-san''s face after seeing Altair-san, who had come to pick her up, accompanied by Baretta, though she didn''t make any excuses this time and quietly returned with her. I turned to glance at Baretta, who averted her gaze after seeing that. I guess she must have decided Erneah-san had enough rest and called Altair-san. Well, knowing Erneah-san, she would have sulked and thrown a tantrum if Baretta called Altair-san immediately after her arrival. ?Since Fairy Queen-dono is leaving, I will take my leave as well. It was an enjoyable time, Majou-dono.? Following his words, Dragon Grandpa spread his wings and flew in the direction of the Dragon-Demon settlement, where his nest was. Hmm, I also managed to learn many new things and deepened my knowledge about ancient dungeons. Now, I could finally move on to create dungeon floors without reservation. Vol. 7 - Ch. 190 - Southern Solitary Island & Pseudo-Space A night after the tea party with Erneah-san and Dragon Grandpa, Teto and I were standing in front of the Dungeon Core."It is finally time to create the biotype dungeon we learned from Dragon Grandpa." "Yay! It''ll be fun to grow lots of delicious food on the floating sea island!" I brought up the first-floor dungeon''s layout to plan everything out. First, I set up the range of the dungeon floor. The maximum size of a dungeon floor was 5km by 5km. Next, I used sand and rocks from the materials absorbed by the dungeon and started shaping the outline of an isolated island. "As for the land-to-water ratio, I think 7 for the sea and 3 for the land should be enough." "Majou-sama~, but if there is more land, we would be able to grow more fruits!" "Well, I do plan to release sea creatures and let them breed, so having less sea area would limit their breeding potential." S?a??h th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "What a dilemma...... Teto likes to eat fish as well." It was a hybrid of a biotype and resource-type model that would rely on the world tree to supply the mana for floor maintenance. For the biotype section, I selected the mandatory world tree, then fruits that grew in southern nations like bananas, mangoes, palm trees, cocoa, and sugarcane. In addition, we also chose a cluster of medicinal plants that only grew in the southern environment. As for the sea section, it still has yet to be filled with seawater but my layout for it consisted of seaweed, which was edible and had medicinal properties, in abundance, and reefs formed from small and big rocks. "Let''s see, let''s place a spring to serve as a safety area, then turn the flow of water from the sea to this direction, and finally, plant the world tree in the center of the island...... This should do it." In the center of the island''s plateau, I installed a large world tree with a spring at its base that would serve as a safety area. The dungeon facilities could be installed in two ways: one had auto-restoration while the other had change permission. The former included consumable or usable facilities like clusters of medicinal herbs, ore veins, and traps which could be harvested, mined, or, in the case of traps, triggered or disarmed. Consequently, this would lead to depletion of resources, however, through the power of dungeon and mana, the lost parts could be replenished This was the repop setting. The latter involved facilities that couldn''t be reverted to their original state but changes to them were allowed. This setting was used when you wanted random placement of treasure chests or when you wanted specific installations to undergo growth or transformation. This way, the world tree I had transplanted from outside of the dungeon would be able to grow. "Majou-sama, what is this space on the sandy beach for?" "Southern sandy beaches tend to be sunny places so I''m planning to produce salt there." However, it would depend on the will of the residents themselves whether they would bother to come to the dungeon to manufacture salt for trade or not. I created it as a contingency measure in case the salt trade was to stop for any reason. "Majou-sama, let''s grow beautiful flowers! The island would be brighter and more beautiful with them!" "After all these additions, this is no different from a resort, eh......?" I murmured while looking at the beach house. Following her suggestion, we planted beautiful flowers in the empty lots and built a wooden single-story rest area along the coastline. With each change, it was gradually taking the shape of resorts that could be found in the southern nations, but as someone bad at swimming, I couldn''t imagine myself frolicking around on this beach. The only plausible thing I would do was to change into a swimsuit and read a book in the shade if I went with my preference...... After everything was ready, I injected seawater around the perimeter of the island, planted seaweed and corals, and summoned quasi-lifeform aquatic animals to cull out the excessive population of the sea creatures. "Ohh, it''s almost done, Majou-sama!" "Yeah...... Now let''s see if the mana income and expenditure are as expected or not...... No issues for now it seems." I specifically stored mana in the Dungeon Core earlier to help out with the initial creation cost for today. What I needed to check was if the island floor layout''s cost had crossed the initial amount I calculated. As for the rest, like the maintenance cost of the floor, it was to be covered by the mana produced by the world tree and the surrounding vegetation. "Alright, I''m starting. Dungeon Core, floor creation Execute!" Tremor The next moment, the dungeon itself rumbled, the entrance to the Dungeon Core room which we were in disappeared, and the stairs to head to the upper floor appeared to replace it. "Ohhh! The exit disappeared!" "I think the Dungeon Core room has shifted down by one floor." With the shift in the level of the Dungeon Core room, I guess that completed the birth of the Solitary Island. Then, with Teto in tow, I headed to the upper floor. There, we were greeted by the bright sunlight pouring down from the pseudo-sun and the sight of the giant world tree I had transplanted into the dungeon. "It''s so hot here~ Majou-sama~" "Hmm, yeah. It''s because this is a tropical environment. I agreed with the Teto, it was hot in here. I used magic to defend myself from the intense sunlight and surveyed the situation of the Solitary Island. Near the staircase leading downstairs, there was also a staircase that seemed to connect to the dungeon''s entrance. This should be our way out. As we walked around the island, lush plants and trees came into view, flourishing and bearing fruit. We picked some of them to taste while continuing our survey and moved towards the sea, finding a vast sandy beach below. "Ah, well of course, given we haven''t poured the seawater in yet." In fact, the water from the river flowing from the plateau of the Solitary Island which was situated at an altitude above sea level, had been pouring into the sandy soil but it was instead absorbed by the dungeon due to its characteristic. I didn''t choose to fill it with seawater yet since the dungeon could be managed even after floor creation. "Teto can''t wait for it to be fully completed, Majou-sama!" I took Teto, who was already bursting with excitement imagining the completed floor, to a place a bit further away from the beach and installed a ?Transfer Gate? there. "Are you ready, Teto?" "Yes-nanodesu!" "Very well, here we go!" I adjusted the passage setting in the ?Transfer Gate?, and "Kyaa!? The flow is too strong!" "Ohhhhhh! A lot of things are flowing out!" The water flowed from the mirror-like teleportation gate''s entrance with a forceful surge, eager to escape into the new location. The tumbling liquid wasn''t alone, as it also brought along all sorts of creatures confined within its flow. Microorganisms, aquatic creatures of all sizes, torn seaweed, sand, and hidden beings within the sand all of them were carried by the tide. Along with the influx of seawater on the beach, I tapped on the dungeon''s panel to induce some changes within the dungeon. "Absorb the injected seawater and fill up the rest of the floor with it execute!" Gradually, the vast expanse of sandy terrain was filled with seawater, and the creatures that were washed into the dungeon began spreading in all directions. Simultaneously, I created habitats necessary for the survival of organisms like the imported seaweed, and gradually, the water rose to a level where it reached us. "It''s not the best setting, but I hope these creatures manage to settle here!" "Dragon Grandpa was super helpful, too!" When I considered how much time it would take to selectively breed specific organisms while adjusting the ecosystem''s balance, I sought the help of Dragon Grandpa and had him transport the pair of our ?Transfer Gate? to a location that shared the same climate conditions as our dungeon. Currently, the seawater was flowing from the said place through these gates. "Woah, there are also monsters mixed in between, Majou-sama!" "Teto, if you please!" "Leave it to Teto!" As seawater continued to fill the dungeon, I moved toward the sandy beach, monitoring the dungeon''s condition. Along with other creatures, aquatic monsters also flowed in and tried to attack us only to be sliced by Teto as she unsheathed her magic sword. "Hmm, the water has reached the required level. Now to adjust the movement of the waves alongside random surges of a certain range and done. Synchronizing the ebb and flow of the tides with real-world movements. Placement of quasi-lifeform monsters to protect the dungeon sea complete. Settings for thinning out and eliminating intruding monsters are done... Let''s keep the ?Transfer Gate? submerged for a while for observation." "Alright-nanodesu!" The influx of seawater from the ?Transfer Gate? connecting the dungeon and the warm coastal sea had ceased, indicating that equilibrium had been achieved. However, sea creatures were still coming out of it. This should allow the passage of the creatures that couldn''t enter when seawater came flowing in. So the next step was to let the ?Transfer Gate? be submerged for an extended period. Hopefully, the creatures would decide to settle in the dungeon. As for the invading monsters, the size of the transfer gate limited the strength of the monsters which could enter and potentially terrorize the other creatures. For the rest, I was expecting the dungeon''s quasi-lifeform creatures to take care of them. Vol. 7 - Ch. 191.1 - Witch’s Medal and the Secret Protector of the Witch’s Forest (1) ?Master. Now that we''ve accepted so many people, wouldn''t it be good to prepare rewards for those who have made significant contributions to this land??"A reward-nanodesu?" Teto cocked her head at the idea Baretta proposed while we were discussing the current situation of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. "You''re right, a system with a proper reward and punishment is sorely needed." As of now, Baretta and a few others were primarily in charge of creating laws and rules for the people who had moved here. However, there were no specific rewards for those who made some sort of achievement. "Well, I guess I do need to come up with some kind of a reward considering I''m the leader, at least in name. So...... what do you think would be good?" "For Teto, being together with Majou-sama is the reward-nanodesu!" ?That''s... indeed a fascinating reward. I would like to have this reward please.? "Hold your horses, you guys! Can you please not treat me as a reward!" I really didn''t know if both of them were serious or just teasing me. But to be honest, there wasn''t any conventional reward that could be conferred within the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. For example, this land didn''t have a noble system, and as for the leadership role, there was just me and the representatives of each race. Everyone else was treated impartially. The sole exception could be said to be Dragon Grandpa, though that was fair since he was the Dragon God of the Angelkin and the Dragon-Demon race. So this land didn''t have the custom of conferring status, position, or land. I also thought about offering money as a reward for their contribution, but then again, the problem was that the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? barely had any place where currency was used. So, rewarding them with money at this stage wouldn''t make sense, and we might appear like we were just being perfunctory. "Then let''s have Majou-sama praise them for their deed in person! Teto is sure they will be delighted!" "But this won''t be feasible in case the Master is absent, Teto-sama." "Besides, I don''t believe anyone would be that delighted to receive praise and recognition from me." I haven''t abandoned my desire to travel to other places with Teto, so it wouldn''t make any sense to prepare a reward that couldn''t be given during our absence. For a short while, the three of us wracked our brains to come up with something. "Hmm, maybe a medal will do?" "Medal? Not money?" Hearing my murmur, Teto tilted her head inquisitively. "Yeah, we can award medals crafted from precious metals to those who''ve made substantial contributions. It will just be a token of sorts without any significance for now, but I''m sure money is going to be an integral factor in their lives one day. When that happens, we can establish an exchange rate where they can trade these medals for a certain number of gold coins." Furthermore, if the medals themselves held inherent value as precious metals, the recipients could potentially obtain some cash by selling them outside even if they decided to leave the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. It was somewhat akin to a form of local currency. As I voiced this opinion, Baretta, who had been quietly listening, nodded her head repeatedly. ?I understand. In that case, there will be competition among the residents to collect medals, igniting a sense of rivalry among them. This competition will, in turn, motivate them to work diligently to contribute to the territory. As expected of Master, your foresight exceeds my wildest expectations.......? "Give me a break, I really didn''t think that far ahead...... Anyway, let me try to create some medals ?Creation?!" S?a??h the N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Using my ?Creation Magic?, I created the medals that would serve as rewards. I used the medals from my previous world as a reference and created three types: Orichalcum, Adamantite, and Mithril. Each of these was a rare magic metal. The newly created patternless medals gleamed beautifully. "Amazing! It looks so sparkly and delicious-nanodesu!" "Ahaha, that''s just so like you." A wry smile appeared on my face at the words of Teto, whose eyes gleamed after seeing the three magic metals as if she were eyeing a world-class delicacy. Baretta took them in her arms and said, ?Now we just need to engrave a design on them. The purity of these magic metals is also 100%, so they will surely be magnificent rewards.? The rest of the time was spent deciding on the design and size of the medals with respect to the weight, value, and mana required for creating them. After all, Adamantine was the hardest and heaviest metal and had a relatively high density so if we wanted to create a proper size medal and not just a tiny piece of metal a hole-ridden design was a must. The following day, we had finally finalized and completed the three medals. The ?Witch''s Orichalcum Medal?, with a stylized image of my profile engraved on it, the ?World Tree''s Mithril Medal?, and lastly, the ?Ancient Dragon''s Adamantite Hollow Medal?, which had holes surrounding its edges. On the back side of the orichalcum and mithril medals, the profile of goddess Liliel was engraved, while on the hollow medal, her wing design was pictured like they were embracing those holes. I had opposed the idea of engraving my side profile but under the majority vote from Baretta, Teto, and the others, they smoothly ignored all of my protests and went along with the idea. ......I was supposed to be their leader, right? They were supposed to listen to me, right? SIDE: Elf Refrya The boundary of the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? was enveloped by the great barrier of the goddesses and beyond it was the monster-infested region which was filled with obstruction magic learned from the Eldar Forest Kingdom that created interference to keep outsiders from entering. Currently, a group was making their way through the said monster-infester region turned forest of illusion. "Hey, you guys! Have we still not reached the forest of the rumored Immortal Witch!?" "It''s uncharted territory! We must find it quicker before someone beats us to it!" The two men, while being protected by a group of several men, were trying to find their way to the ?Forest of the Creation WItch?. One of them had served as a guild master in the Adventurers Guild of a city within the now-ruined Crista Kingdom, which was brought to its knees by the catastrophic monster stampede. The other was a priest affiliated with the Five Goddesses Church hailing from the Durge Principality, the nation responsible for triggering the stampede, which subsequently met its own demise due to the calamity it had created. In the wake of their nations'' downfall, they lost not only their positions but also their influence, honor, and reputation within their respective organizations. Well, they themselves were the authors of their doomed destinies as instead of protecting the citizens from the stampede, they decided to flee with the wealth they had amassed and their personal groups of adventurers, mercenaries, and clergymen. This cowardly act of escaping instead of facing their adversary consequently resulted in a negative appraisal from their respective organizations. With any prospect of being assigned to a new town now gone, the only probable option they had was to work as ordinary staff in the adventure guild of a rural town or travel from one town to another as a pastor where church influence was minimal. It was during that time they met and recognized each other''s predicament which wasn''t different from theirs, and together, they planned to seek out a new place that would serve as their new starting ground, the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?. Though they were propelled by their own desires. One thought that if he managed to establish an Adventurer Guild in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?, he would be able to take control of the super rare materials like materials from mythical beasts and world tree branches that were circulating Margrave Reebel''s territory and the Gard Beastkin Nation in his hand. On the other hand, the Priest planned to establish the ?Forest of the Creation Witch? as a sacred place as it had undergone a remarkable transformation from a barren wasteland once known as the ?Empty Wilderness? into a flourishing haven of nature and make it his new foothold by propagating the teachings of the Five Goddesses Church. Moreover, if he could efficiently harness the power of the angelic race that had joined the stampede subjugation, the staff of reincarnation that had cleansed countless undead, and individuals like the ?Saintess of Benediction? and the ?Black-haired Saintess? who wielded the same staff with the support of the church''s authority, he believed he could ascend even higher in the ranks. Harboring such ambition in their hearts, the two walked through the forest of illusion. Vol. 7 - Ch. 191.2 - Witch’s Medal and the Secret Protector of the Witch’s Forest (2) However, others were silently watching that group from a distance as they navigated through the forest.?Grrrrrr? "Alright, I understand how you feel but calm down for now. Shael and others are going to arrive soon, so have patience until then, and let''s keep an eye on them." The one watching the group was the Elven Adventurer Refrya. She pacified the mythical beast Fenrir next to her who was furious at the invaders as they ran their mouths as they pleased and continued her surveillance. Believing that no one was watching them, they were all recounting their scheme of leeching off Chise or the land she had developed quite boldly. Refrya, who heard it all, let out a dejected sigh as she continued trailing them. A moment later, Refrya felt the arrival of her reinforcements, the wind spirits, and sprang into action. "You lot! What are you doing here!" "Ahh, it''s the angel! Please, please take pity on us and provide salvation to us!" S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Following the appearance of Sheal and the others of the angelic race, the group of men immediately knelt on the spot and presented themselves as a pitiable bunch genuinely seeking salvation. "We lost our homeland in the stampede, and even as we tried to take them back, the monsters'' strength proved to be beyond us, ultimately leaving us homeless! We beseech you, is it not possible for the angels, the envoys of the gods, and the Saintess who reside in this land to grant us the salvation we seek?" With voices deep and brimming with emotion, they portrayed themselves as valiant warriors who had spared no effort to protect their nation, yet all their endeavors had failed. However, they hadn''t lost hope and still yearned to reclaim their homeland. They played the role of pitiable refugees so convincingly that if Refrya hadn''t known he was a priest accustomed to delivering sermons, she might have believed he was a member of a drama troupe. While impressed by the Priest''s acting, Refrya appeared behind them, accompanied by the Fenrirs. "Shael, don''t be deceived by their honeyed words. They may sing the tune of reclaiming their devastated homeland, but in truth, they are here to exploit Chise''s forest." "Hmph. I more or less figured that must have been the case. Unfortunately, both Majou and I are currently busy, and none of us have the time to poke our noses into others'' affairs....... So go back the same way you came from." Shael waved the back of her hand toward the group as if to chase them away. Regarding their current situation, Chise and the others were currently visiting each settlement to ensure that the refugees they had accepted were living well and to give them some advice. So, trying to revive a devastated nation was the last thing on their list. "We have come here to build an Adventurer Guild in this uncivilized land! Also, guild cards will serve as proof of identity for the uncivilized people! A guild will absolutely be beneficial for this place!" Next, it was the man from the Adventurer Guild who raised his voice, extolling the convenience of the Adventurer Guild to try to enter this land, but "This is not a matter that can be entrusted to someone like you, a former guildmaster. Moreover, we are aware of your nefarious plan to build the guild here and monopolize the position of guildmaster. Otherwise, the one to offer this wouldn''t have been you, but someone of higher rank like a Grandmaster or the central headquarters of the Adventurer Guild." "Y, You insolent fool! You''re just a countryside Elf, what do you know about the world and me!" When Refrya brushed his words off with a disdainful snort, the face of the man who was the former guild master instantly turned red like a ripe tomato in anger, and following that, the adventurers who had come with him unsheathed their weapons. Seeing their action, Refrya also drew her bow and created a wind arrow with wind spirits that blew away their weapons. "What do I know? Mind you, I am an A-rank adventurer. I am not someone a powerless ex-guildmaster like you can trifle with." "A rank adventurer, Archer Elf...... ?Sword of the Dawn?......" As soon as she revealed her status, the man claiming to be a former guild master plopped down on the ground. Apparently, he wasn''t a high-ranking member, maybe someone like a retired C-rank adventurer or a guild staff who later became a guild master, so as soon as he learned of her rank, he immediately lost all his momentum. "Then how about the church! What do you think about expelling the invading evil races, and spreading the teachings of the Five Goddess Church? After seeing that they were not moved by their sorry state, the prospect of reviving a ruined nation, and even the benefits of the Adventurer Guild, Priest used his last resort, proclaiming to spread the teachings of the Five Goddess Church and pushing for the purging of the demonic races. However "So you''re saying we kill our brethren to spread the glory of the goddesses!? It seems like you''re just here to fight with me, the administrator of this land''s church!" Following Sheal''s shout, the halo above her head the white wings radiated with an intense light. The radiating light was more than just beautiful and sublime, it had become an oppressive force that instilled fear in the group. "This land already has Majou and Dragon Grandpa who have been spreading the glory of the goddesses all over the place far more beautifully than you bunch!" Smoldering in rage, Sheal raised her spear overhead and swung it down. Following her movement, a condensed beam of light left the speartip and burned the ground beneath the feet of the men. Chise had said she was the apostle of Goddess Liliel and had already established a magnificent church in this area. However, due to the diverse races in the forest, a diverse culture that believes in the goddesses, spirits, and dragons had spread throughout the land. Chise herself was treated as an object of faith by the people she had saved, resulting in the birth of witch believers. Needless to say, she was embarrassed to no end, but even so, she didn''t stop them from idolizing her and just accepted it with a defeated expression. Hence, this land was now wrapped in a sense of freedom where anything was acceptable. Teto, for example, would cling to Chise, saying, "Teto also worships Majou-sama!". And yet, there were these bunch, trying to bring in the ideology of demon race discrimination into the land which, despite its chaotic diversity, already had a certain order. It was obvious for Sheal to be furious while Refrya was beyond exasperated. "Enough, will you prefer to live and swear to never set foot in this forest or to become the forest''s nourishment? Choose." "Kuh, refusing to accept the church and Adventurer Guild is the same as rejecting the value of society! You will absolutely regret it!" Facing Sheal''s wrath and Refrya''s plain threat, the group instantly turned around and fled toward the outskirts of the forest. ''Well, this should prevent any more trespassing attempts by them.'' Refrya muttered before joining Sheal who had already descended. "Damn them! They were so infuriating! How dare they call us uncivilized barbarians, and even incite us to attack our own brethren! I really wanted to tear them apart and feed them to the forest''s monsters!" "Yes, yes, you endured it well. Let''s go back and have some snacks, shall we?" "......I want apple pie." Sheal, annoyed with the encounter, began to pet the Fenrir beside her to let off some steam, and, under Refrya''s consolation, she eventually muttered her craving for apple pie. This made a wry smile appear on the face of the Elf. Refrya had learned to make apple pie from Rena, the magician of the ?Sword of the Dawn?, whom she had befriended in her long life and occasionally shared her cooking with Shael and the others. And then, on another day ?This is the commemorative medal crafted by Master. I am distributing them in recognition of your contributions to this land.? Shael and Refrya received a medal from Baretta, Chise''s maid. The mithril medal with the image of the world tree engraved on it was a tad smaller than the mithril coin in circulation, nevertheless, it should be worth several large gold coins. After receiving the medal, while Refrya was uncertain about what to do, Sheal, who didn''t know much about the value of items, flaunted her mithril medal to those around her. ''Truly a place full of extraordinariness,'' was what Refrya muttered when she learned there were also Orichalcum and Adamantite medals, further reminding her of the unusualness of this land. `` Vol. 7 - Ch. 192 - Elf Queen and Sightseeing That day, I was going through the documents Baretta had sorted in the study room.What could I say, I was their leader so such clerical work was something I was obviously bound to do, though I am just waiting for the time to fling such duty or Baretta or someone else. It would be nice to go out on another journey with Teto, I thought while pressing stamps on the documents. Thump, Thump, Thump. "Thump-Thump... Just like my chest when patted... Why no boing-boing?" The thumping sound that echoed as I pressed stamps on documents reminded me of my modest chest, making me feel a bit empty. It would be nice if I succeeded in adult transformation magic soon so I could get rid of my childish appearance. My thoughts drifted once again as I continued to stamp the documents. Well, as someone who had both and which I had gotten from skill orbs I created with it didn''t take long for me to get my work done. I guess a normal person would have needed more time to do that. "And this is the final one..... I''m finally free. Come to think of it, Erneah-san is coming for an inspection today, huh?" My work was usually done in the first half of the morning after breakfast, so the rest of the morning and afternoon would either be spent on my hobbies or just taking it easy and lounging around, though that wasn''t the case for today. Ernea-san, the queen of the Eldar Forest Nation, was scheduled to visit today for an inspection. The inspection was mainly the follow-up of the mythical beasts'' matchmaking plan... or so was the official stance. But as someone who got to know her well, I''m 90 percent sure that the inspection was her scheme to escape her strict work life at the castle and take a breather. She must be coming at any moment now. I was internally guessing her time of arrival while tidying up the verified documents when I heard a noise coming from the corridor. Hmm? Wondering what it might be, I turned my gaze to the door when it suddenly opened with a loud bang. "Chise! As promised, this Queen is here for the forest inspection! Come on, you can guide us!" s?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "Disturbing people is no good-nanodesu! Majou-sama is in the middle of her work-nanodesu!" "Erneah-sama! This isn''t the castle! Please stop running around in someone''s house acting as if you own the place!" Stepping inside the study room after she opened the door with a bang was the High-Elf Queen Erneah-san. Following her were Teto and the dark elf Altair-san, the aide of Erneah-san. Though they were mostly following her in an attempt to stop her from acting rowdy. After entering, Altair-san bowed her head to express her apology for her queen''s act. Further behind them were the Mechanoids from the maid corp, who appeared to be ashamed of not being able to stop Erneah-san. "You don''t need to be down, everyone. Erneah-san usually can''t be stopped with force......" "Indeed. We''re here to enjoy sightseeing in the forest Chise has cultivated. Let''s go, I''m leaving the role of our guide to you." As expected of the High-Elf Queen who has been used to giving orders for a long time. I was about to comply with her fluent command, but "But Erneah-san, aren''t you quite early today? I knew you''d be coming today but I would have preferred it if you had informed me through a communication magic tool." "Come on, this will be my first official visit to the land with an abundance of world trees! I was so excited I woke up quite early!" "You aren''t a kid for goodness......" I rebutted with a stern gaze, though she just continued to look at me with an amused look. I guess she was just mentally young, despite being an Immortal and over 2000 years old. Or maybe she had stopped caring about the passing of hours and schedules. "Well, I just finished my work as well so I guess it''s fine. Let''s go, Teto and I will guide you." "Welcome to the forest that Majou-sama and Teto raised with hard work! Shortly after Teto and I left the mansion with Erneah-san and Altair-san, a Griffon appeared in the garden to meet us. "Oh? This Griffon is here to welcome us, eh? This child looks like he was raised well! Come here, you cutie." Raising a surprised voice, Erneah-san stretched her hand out and caressed the Griffon''s nape, as if scratching it. The Griffon seemed to like this as well as it squinted its eyes in delight. "This place might not be as big as the other nations but there is too much distance to cover on foot. So I asked for help from the flying mythical beasts." "Teto will be riding on Majou-sama''s wand!" "Altair, come with me. You''ve been flying on your own for some time now so take it easy and ride with me today. Besides, you havent been on one of these for quite a while now, no?" After saying that, Erneah-san eyed the Griffon with a sparkling gaze as it knelt to make it easier for them to get on, and sat on its back. Altair-san hesitatingly followed suit. "Alright then, we''re going. !" Announcing our leave to Baretta and the other who came to see us off, the wand on which Teto and I were straddling gently ascended to the sky with the Griffon, which had Erneah-san and Altair-san on its back, spreading its wings to follow after us. "Hmm-hmm. Looking at the forest a lot more carefully, it really is still pretty young." "Well, of course. It hasn''t even been 100 years since its establishment." "But it''s the forest Majou-sama and Teto are proud of!" The average age of the trees in the giant forest of the Eldar Forest Nation, which Erneah-san governed over, was several hundred years old with most of the land being occupied with shade trees that prevented the sunlight from reaching the ground. In contrast, the forest we visited was still young with sunlit, thriving trees dominating the landscape. Particularly, the forest managed by me, Teto, and her familiars, the Earthnoids and Clay Golems, resembled a lush hillside. It was a place to harvest wild fruits, mountain vegetables, and mushrooms. Next, we went around the Marshland, and since it was a place difficult to enter due to inadequate footing, we used the boardwalk to cross the path and admired the medicinal herbs and other flowers and plants that were native only to this type of environment. Like this, we continued to visit different types of habitats for mythical beasts. A glance at Erneah-san showed that she also seemed to be having a great time. We occasionally chanced upon some of the mythical beasts like small-sized Cat Siths, Cu Siths, Ratatoskrs, Carbuncles, and Almirajs. We also met the ones that actively interacted with people to help them out in labor and handing in items they produced like the Gaurens, Heierns, Arieses, and Unicorns. Some like the Fenrirs, Griffons, Pegasuses, and giant Acquilas remained aloof from human connection and were strong enough to frequent between here and the monster-infested region to hunt down monsters. Last, but not the least, we also met mythical beasts specialized in looking out for their home in the easy-to-live region. "The forest and the mythical beasts all look fine and dandy. The mana density also seems to be increasing year after year. There shouldn''t be any problems for mythical beasts to mate here." "We use high-ranking monsters to defend the forest so there is very little safe place for the mythical beasts in our Great Forest." After completing the inspection, Erneah-san and Altair-san spoke in admiration. "How is it, are you satisfied?" "It''s splendid! This is just perfect for the exchange! Next, we''ll delegate the task to those familiar with the demonic races, and from there, we can start with the actual cultural exchange!" From our side, we''d choose individuals from the maid corps of Baretta and the residents of the to be in charge of this. The plan was to set up a and deepen the cultural ties of the two territories. Then, we''d progress with the main task introducing the mythical beasts to each other for mating. As for the other side, Erneah-san would most likely select someone from the Southern Sanfield Empire to be in charge of this project as that empire located south of the Great Forest of the Elves was a multi-racial nation where even demonic races lived. "It was an amazing tour, though it seems like we''re a bit behind for our lunch." "Yeah, Teto''s stomach is rumbling as well~" Erneah-san said as she looked at the sun that had passed its zenith. The time was just a bit after noon. At the mention of lunch, Teto''s stomach rumbled, announcing that it needed attention. "I didn''t bring any lunch with us since the tea and snacks from here are delicious. I''m looking forward to what we''ll have for today, Chise. Especially curry, that was superb. I also want rice next." "Erneah-sama, please mind your manners!" Altair-san chided Erneah-san who, without reservation, demanded rice dishes, though the latter smoothly ignored it with a laugh. "Hmm. Lunch, huh?...... What would satisfy you?" "Let''s think about it when we get home!" It would have taken time to fly back, so I thanked the Griffon that carried Erneah-san and Altair-san and returned to the mansion with . In the kitchen of the mansion, I started preparing dishes for lunch. "Hmm, we do have rice in the storage facility but preparing them would take quite a lot of time." The storage facility was like a refrigerator but different since it preserved food by freezing time inside. So we had lots of dishes made in large quantities in big pots like curry stored inside. "Ah, this might work......" "Oh, it''s also Tetos favorite!" I took out the dishes I selected from the storage facility and immediately started preparing the meal. First, I put butter in a frying pan and heated it, then added grated garlic. After sauting the garlic in butter until it became fragrant, I added white rice and continued to stir-fry it. I sprinkled some salt, pepper, and dried parsley for color, creating buttered rice. Meanwhile, in another frying pan, I made a half-cooked omelet with milk and pepper. I placed the omelet on top of the buttered rice and served it with a side of salad and soup to Ernea-san and Altair-san. "I''ve been smelling the appetizing aroma of garlic and butter for a while now, but is this Chise''s cooking? It''s just rice with an omelet on top..." Erneah-san looked disappointed, and Altia-san too seemed puzzled as she alternatively looked at me and the half-cooked omelet-served rice. "This is a dish that''s meant to be visually appealing so it''s not complete yet. When you cut into this half-cooked omelet with a knife" As I cut into the omelet on top of the buttered rice with a knife, it transformed into a fluffy and creamy omurice. Both of them looked at the gradual transformation of the dish with surprised faces. On the other hand, Teto had already grabbed the spoon and looked eager to start at any moment. "Is this complete now, Chise!?" "Just a bit more. Now I just have to add hashed beef on top, sprinkle some fresh cream, and dry parsley and it''s complete now. Enjoy the ''Omelet and Hashed Beef Rice''." Erneah-san''s eyes gleamed as she saw the dish gradually change into its final form, and once the omelet and hashed beef rice were completed, she immediately made a quick prayer and began eating. "Hmm!? This is quite a discovery! Beef stew or hashed beef on its own isn''t particularly rare, but when combined with omelet and rice like this it''s incredibly delicious!" Erneah-san enthusiastically enjoyed her meal by dipping the omelet and buttered rice into the hashed beef sauce. Altia-san, too, widened her eyes upon taking her first bite and then quietly savored the dish. And the last one "Majou-sama, Teto wants another serving-nanodesu! "Alright, but that was all the butter rice so next would be just plain hayashi rice, is it okay?" "Perfectly fine-nanodesu!" For her second helping, Tetto had the regular Hayashi Rice, and she even finished her dessert. "Chise, this was a delicious meal. Also, I have a personal favor to ask." Resting for a short while after having lunch, Erneah-san said this when it was time for her to leave for the Eldar Forest Nation with Altair-san. "Personal favor?" "You know that, the thing you gifted us? I want a bit of that liquor if you can." "Erneah-sama!" Altair-san raised her voice in anger when Erneah-san made her selfish request. I just chuckled, after all, that was how she always acted on a whim. "! Fine wine!" With a wry smile, I produced several bottles of wine with . This time, I didn''t create aged wines like before. I instead made a variety of wines with moderate aging and a wide range of flavors. There were red, white, and light ros wines, various fruit liqueurs, distilled spirits like whiskey and brandy, and even pure Daiginjo sake, which was Erneah-san''s favorite. "Woahh! The extraordinary liquors of another world, gre " I stopped Erneah-san who was just about to reach out for the bottles and handed all of them to Altair-san. "Feel free to use them as a reward for Erneah-san." "Chise-sama...... you have my eternal gratitude. With this, I''ll be able to motivate Erneah-sama to work diligently for the government!" Seeing Altair-san''s lively expression as she took the alcohol for safekeeping, Erneah-san seemed taken aback. "Majou-sama~, Teto also wants to try them." "Sure, I''ll create a few more, you can drink them whenever you want." "Just why! Why such strictness with me, but so lenient on Teto?! I also want to be pampered too!" "Erneah-sama, you are a splendid queen and an adult. You should stop acting immature with Chise-sama." Erneah-san seemed indignant as she threw a selfish fit, though Altair-san ignored it altogether and dragged her back to the Eldar Forest Kingdom. We watched them leave and waved goodbye to them while thinking that perhaps Erneah-san''s casual and comfortable attitude with me was a reaction to her lack of restraint as an immortal and the responsibilities she had to handle until now. Editor''s note - out of all that happened in this chapter, the comment on the storage facility was the one that triggered me. Pulls out piping hot tea from storage "Ah, yes. Works just like my refrigerator at home." ???? Vol. 7 - Ch. 193 - Ruins of the Destroyed Kingdoms and The Retrieval of Wisdom and Culture Once we were done with the creation of the first floor, Solitary Island, in the dungeon, we left the place untouched for a while to stabilize the creatures brought in from the outside and the World Tree planted at the center of the island.However, there was no problem with gathering salt and tropical fruits, so people from nearby settlements formed a labor force and gathered in the open dungeon. They cooperated to make salt and harvest fruits. However, since they weren''t professional salt makers, the production volume was not very high. Therefore, instead of striving for self-sufficiency through salt production, we decided to have them do it on a small scale as insurance in case the external supply was cut off. As for the creation of the second floor, I was planning to make it a training floor based on a forest, but I decided to leave it for another time. For now, I had the mana generated inside the dungeon stored in the Dungeon Core, and the excess mana was released to the outside. As for us, we were currently "Majou-sama, we''ll be able to see it soon!" "Yeah, we are getting close. The fallen capital..." I had taken Teto with me and left the for the first time in a while. Riding on my wand, we headed west, flying over the former territory of the Christa Kingdom where the stampede occurred. "It''s been two years already... The monsters have surprisingly advanced quite a bit..." A great number of monsters had left the dungeon during the stampede before the final horde of skeletons. The same monsters had now spread all over the nation while wreaking havoc, and in just two years, they each settled in places they found comfortable to live in. "There are also plants rapidly growing!" Now, the cobblestone roads that used to connect the towns of the kingdom were overgrown with weeds that had crept in through the cracks. The well-maintained streets had become rough and were barely recognizable. "A civilization nurtured by magic truly proves to be a fleeting existence, doesn''t it?" Feeling the remnants of the decaying kingdom, we finally arrived at the fallen capital of the former Christa Kingdom. The tall outer walls were crumbling in places, and there were countless buildings with collapsed roofs and walls throughout the town. The once-impressive white castle, which must have been a sight to behold when the kingdom was still thriving, was just another big but dull building now. "Majou-sama, there seem to be many monsters in this town-nanodesu! Are we going to defeat them?" "Well, we didn''t come here to exterminate monsters, so let''s leave them be." Bird-like monsters that had settled in the town were pecking at the fruit trees that had taken root in people''s homes, while cat-like monsters, that seemed to have invaded through the broken walls of the houses and had turned indoor spaces into their sleeping dens, were teaching children how to hunt mice. Unlike in the past, a clear stream of water was flowing in the sewer that had once handled the capital''s drainage, with slime creatures consuming the moss and grass that grew there. Wolf-like monsters ran along the main streets, pouncing on fleeing wild rabbits. However, unlike the outskirts of the royal capital, which could be best described as ''peaceful'', the threat level of the monsters spiked the closer we got to its center. In the cleared plaza before the royal palace, an A-rank monster, the King Chimera with the body of a lion bigger than any cow, wings, and a serpent tail flickering in the air, was peacefully sleeping there. Places like the royal capital possessed all the qualities to become a mana power spot, so when such places lose the support of humans, they more or less become nests of high-ranking monsters. Now, the ecosystem and hierarchy of the monsters that were being built up gradually centered around high-ranking species like the King Chimera. "Royalties and Nobilities who have sought asylum in other nations seem anxious to reclaim the land, but looking at this place, that''s going to be a futile endeavor most likely......" There seemed to be some people who managed to flee from the stampede with their family assets and were planning to recapture the town by hiring the adventurers but given the tattered state of the royal capital and the monsters residing in it, they wouldn''t be getting any conclusion in a few years for sure. On the flip side, however, some courageous Adventurers had been traversing this monster-dominated former Christa Kingdom territory to seek the riches that were left behind in the destroyed royal capital since not everyone could escape with their family assets. But, whether it was to trespass into the castle''s treasure vault, or reclaim the town, these A-rank monsters would definitely be a wall they would have to deal with to achieve anything. "Majou-sama... What do you think about the castle''s treasure?" "Hmm? I can defeat it, but it''s not why we came here." I could do it if I tried. Apart from the royal castle, there should be a reasonable amount of wealth left in the noble residences, the commercial establishments, and the other households. Many adventurers came here seeking such treasures, braving the dangers. We could indeed secure the valuables before their arrival, but that would spoil their fun. Besides, we weren''t here for the free-for-all treasure, but to retrieve the culturally valuable items. "Let''s see...... This seems to be the library we''re looking for." "Oooh! It''s so big!" As soon as we landed in front of the library, located a slight distance from the King Chimera''s territory, the monsters residing inside lunged at us. After clearing them out, we systematically collect the corpses of the monsters and put them in the magic bag. Then, we entered the library, which had been left open. "Sure enough, insect and beast repellents are bound to lose effect in just a few years, huh?" The books near the wide-open library door were made of parchment. " ." I used telekinesis magic to lift nearby books. However, they were severely damaged due to the damage done by insects and exposure to sunlight. Books open to the public might not be rare, and I think I should be able to find them in other countries as well, but I still couldn''t help but lament about how much of a waste it was. I sighed and advanced deeper into the library. "Ah, Majou-sama. The books here are so pretty." "Fortunately, they seemed to have put up state preservation magic on the rare and valuable books." The books that couldn''t be put on display for the public like the priceless spellbooks, research notes, historical records, technical manuals, references, forbidden books, or historically valuable original copies were placed deep in the library in rooms protected by magic. In a world where disasters caused by monsters were common, rare books were either copied and then stored in several locations or preserved and protected by magic. The particularly valuable ones were the books and documents of the Ancient Magic Civilization that the modern people couldn''t read and were still waiting to be deciphered. S~?a??h the ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. However, for me, who had received the translation ability from Liliel at the moment of my reincarnation, they were just like ownerless gold waiting for me to pick up. "I guess this is all the books in the library, let''s move on to the next place." "Yes-nanodesu!" We split up and began to collect various books from the buildings in the old capital. There were many types of books people held dear like, Children''s picture books.Rare ancient books, historical texts, and academic literature for enthusiasts.Collections of theatrical scripts, art books, and pamphlets with satirical drawings.Popular novels.Spellbooks and research records passed down within magic clans.Forbidden books discreetly protected from public view. The books we retrieved from other buildings, not just the library, were in good condition and had state-preservation magic. Seeing them, I could resonate with the feelings of the owners of these books. Even if others deemed them as worthless piles of paper, these books were priceless treasures they couldn''t find anywhere for us. As we continued to retrieve them, we encountered a minor issue along the way, "Umm, Majou-sama, there are picture books and novels at the top of these bookshelves." "Picture books up there?" Children''s books were usually placed where kids could easily retrieve them. Were they placed up there because they were a nuisance to others? This thought crossed my mind as I turned around. But I was stunned the instant my gaze landed on the book Teto was holding. "Oh, these are picture books of naked women~" "T-Teto! W-What are you looking at!?" "Huh? These books are so strange-nanodesu!" "Teto, you mustn''t look at them!" The book Teto found fell under the category of explicit or erotic literature, and since Tetto didn''t fully understand what it was, I took it from her. I glanced a bit at their content and they were too explicit. "Whoa, this is rather risqu... And there are even photo books made with magical cameras and transcribed images... Wow... Images of high-class courtesans..." As I skimmed through the book I took from Teto, I realized it had been quite a while over half a century since my previous life since I had last seen erotic books, and despite being surprised, I couldn''t tear my gaze away from them. "Majou-sama, your face is bright red! Are you alright?" "Cough! Well, you could say that these books are part of culture too. There''s no high or low in culture, so let''s collect them." I cleared my throat, trying to hide my slightly flushed face from Teto who looked worried, and stored the erotic literature, including the explicit drawings and sensual novels, in the magic bag. We continued our book retrieval mission in the ruins of the old Crista Kingdom''s capital. Then, just as we had finished rounding up all the buildings in the ruined royal capital, I found an interesting book. "This... Is it a travelogue?" I found several books that either looked like an individual''s travelogue where they record their personal journey and adventures or travel guides produced by visiting countries. I guess the owner of this residence must have liked traveling so they read the various travel books they collected from all over the world. "The great temple of the Five Goddesses Church, the breathtaking view of the silvery white mountain range spanning the north extremity of the Mubad Empire, the abandoned ruins, the dungeon city, the delicious local cuisines of each place, and the picturesque scenes of capital cities from countries with rich histories......" "They all sound like places Teto would like to visit at least once!" As I casually flipped through the books, Tetto peered over to take a look. "I want to go there someday." "But Majou-sama is free! Majou-sama can go anywhere anytime, even now." "Don''t say something that would give Baretta and others anxiety, so for today, we''re going back." Teto''s words were like the devil''s whispers, however, I was the acting ruler of the so I couldn''t just leave for a long journey so readily. I stored all these travelogues as well in the magic bag and left the ruined royal capital of the former Christa Kingdom. On another day, while confirming the devastated appearance of the dungeon city, which was the focal point of the stampede, from the sky, I journeyed further north to the place where the ruined Durg Duchy was, and there "Whoa...... They sure earned the resentment of many people. Miasma is creeping at every nook and cranny, and from the look, it has become an undead town." "Teto is getting creepy vibes-nanodesu!" The miasma shrouding the remains of the capital of the Durg Duchy, where the sacrifice took place, was so thick that not even sunlight could reach the surface. The negative emotions of the sacrificed people, coupled with the bitterness of those who lost their homes and lives due to the stampede, had converged here and effectively turned the place into a town of the undead. The remnant black skeletons born out of the stampede were roaming around within the oppressive miasma, maintaining the town and killing any living being inside. Furthermore, the land itself had now been cursed by the undulating miasma, even the weeds, known for their tenacity, had decayed. Instead, there were glimpses of some strange plants growing here and there. "Well, I don''t think it''ll be a good idea to intrude here and retrieve the books. Let''s give up on this one." "Let''s go home and have snacks!" It would take either a purification ritual by priests or the natural purification process which might take another decade, perhaps even a century for the miasma clouds shrouding this area to dissipate. I would visit the place at that time to search for the books. With such thought, I invoked my teleportation magic and returned to . Afterwards, we continued our quest for books and explored the lands of several fallen countries a few more times and spotted enhanced monsters, what seemed to be a space-time floatsam, and even newly formed dungeons. We just recorded their locations and left them unexplored. I was expecting them to be visited by curious adventurers seeking thrilling journeys and riches one day. However, if these places remained unexplored, I had a backup plan to explore them alongside Tetto. But until that time came, these records would simply linger in the depths of my thoughts. Vol. 7 - Ch. 194 - Death of Acquaintances and The Newborn Lives After the creation of the dungeon''s Solitary Island, we continued with our observation for a while and occasionally adjusted the place as required like making reefs for the fish, increasing the depth of the sea bed, and making the environment more suitable for aquatic creatures.Once the tropical island on the first floor had been established enough, we proceeded with the second floor which would mainly serve as a mana generation spot and a hunting ground for low-level residents by arranging weak monsters. "Hmm, the self-sufficient supply of salt has been proceeding smoothly. Next, it''s time to plant more world trees on the second floor. We''ll use it as a mana generation region mainly, and set it up for the monsters to automatically appear." "Teto also wants a hidden hideout-like place!" "A secret hideout, huh? A small place would be my choice. A hot spring and tatami-floor style room would be nice on the 3rd floor." What came to my mind was the typical room of a Japanese inn around the hot spring...... Coming up with the layout, I created a secret hideout place for us in a narrow space on the 3rd floor near the Dungeon Core and planted world trees around it. The dungeon was open to the people of the but it was far from being an attractive place that would justify them traveling from all over the settlement to here. After all, as small as it might be, this land rivaled small nations in size. At best, they might be interested enough to come to make salt or sugar, to gather rare tropical region fruits, to hunt the sea''s aquatic creatures, or to train on the 2nd floor by fighting monsters and staying here for a short while. Well, there was the sudden appearance of a dungeon, but I would leave the daily matters to the representatives of each race. As for me, I toured around the with Teto and visited each race. Sometimes, I locked myself in the research tower and went through research that had been on my mind recently. I spend time cooking with Teto in the mansion and reading the books we have retrieved. On some occasions, Selene would come with her child, or Erneah-san with her compatriot for the cultural exchange and to hang out There were also times we sneaked away from the eyes of Baretta and the other maids and ventured outside of the forest with it was basically a whimsical life following whatever thought we had that popped up. While we continued to live serenely following the same lifestyle for around a decade, some of our acquaintances couldn''t escape the passage of time. Three years after the stampede that had engulfed the western continent in its wake, I received a letter about the death of the retired adventurer Alsace-san. The adventurer party and the holy sword were succeeded by his disciple Tonny, and last I heard, he seemed to be following the footsteps of Alsace-san and using his sword for the sake of the people. Around 6 years ago, Selene informed us about the passing of her dad, Albert, the former king of Iska Kingdom, through a communication magic tool. The previous king''s health had started to take a turn for the worse, however, it wasn''t an immediate death so Selene and her family were able to exchange parting remarks with her father, and then, in the company of his kids and grandkids, he succumbed to peaceful eternal slumber. A grand funeral was held in the capital city of the Iska Kingdom. Duke Gyunton of the Gard Beastkin Nation, too, was experiencing declining health and passed away last year after transferring the title of Duke. I had passed them supplements made from the leaves of the world tree, however, that still couldn''t defy their fate. But their passing was a peaceful one, they left the world experiencing the care of their family and loved ones until the end. These changes were not foreign to the as well, as most of the elderly refugees that we had accepted also passed away one after another. In the settlement where they lived, the graduates of the boarding school, both the humans and the halflings, made their new homes there and raised a family. "Is it the season of parting, I wonder?......" As I turned 80, my acquaintances left the world one after another. Its influence had at last reached nearby our place. "Majou-sama, Teto-sama...... I apologize for disturbing you." "What''s with that grave face, Yahada? "Did something happen? Eat delicious food and shoo away your troubles!" After hearing our question, Yahada, who had come to visit us with a stern face, seemed to have finally prepared himself as he soon worded out his reason. "......Today, the Chief of our tribe has...... passed away." Teto and I were surprised. His condition hadn''t been in an optimal state for quite a while, so we knew this day would come sooner or later. We quietly received the news. When the health of the Dragon-Demon chief had started deteriorating a year ago, I had casted recovery magic on him and handed him some potions during my visit. However, my treatment wasn''t as effective as I wanted it to be. Healing magic worked by promoting the self-healing ability of an individual while potion took effect by amplifying the effects of medicines through mana and helped out the body''s condition. My effort did improve the health symptoms that were occurring due to old age, but the root cause remained untreated as it couldn''t stop the aging of cells. "The Chief was 321 years old. He recently received treatment and medicines from the Lamia apothecaries and the maids, but he had reached the end of his lifespan for our race and he, at last, laid his life to rest." The chief of the Dragon-Demon race had continued to handle their village after they migrated from the floating island to here as its oldest member. He helped us with a lot of things as well and half of the reason the we had before became the of today was due to his help. "......We''ve lost a remarkable person." "......Teto also received delicious food from him." "Having Majou-sama and Teto-sama say such words, Chief''s efforts have certainly paid off." Yahada bowed his head at our words. Even though they had robust bodies and a long lifespan comparable to elves, there was still a limit to them. I knew very well about the capabilities of our maid team and the medical skills of the Lamias, and they must have done their best until the end. My involvement wouldn''t have changed the outcome either as I didn''t know any magic to extend one''s lifespan nor could I create a rejuvenation potion or something that could restore life force. At best, I could cast recovery magic and delay his parting for a few days. This wasn''t the first time the people who had migrated to this place passed away due to aging or illness. However, hearing about the passing of yet another acquaintance once again made my forlornness swirl inside me. "How was the Chief''s final moments?" "Was he in pain? Did he suffer?" Teto and I asked. "In his final moments, he departed peacefully with a calm expression to the realm of the underworld goddess, Loriel-sama. The Chief had entrusted the future of the race to the rest of us, knowing there wouldn''t be anything but prosperity that would follow us." Yahda strongly asserted. New life had been born among the Demon-Dragon race, and they no longer had to worry about scarcity of food like on the cramped floating island they once lived in. The gears of their once-stagnant life on the floating island had once again started moving, liberating them from the confinement of the past. He was able to watch the mythical beasts freely roam the wilderness, the forest, and the sky. "Chief had been deeply grateful to Majou-sama and Teto-sama." "I see...... It''s great that his last moments were spent peacefully. We will attend the funeral." "Teto also wants to bid him a final farewell." Since I was immortal, I didn''t know what kind of words I should offer to Yahada and chose some innocuous words. In response, he deeply bowed his head with gratitude. The following morning, Teto, Baretta, and I visited the Dragon-Demon settlement and saw the peaceful figure of the chief in the coffin. S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Around him were the members of his fellow Demon-Dragon race and the Angel race they had been living together with on the floating island. A little farther from where the coffin was, there were also Dragon Grandpa, the Mythical Beasts, the Earthnoids, Golems, and Earth Spirits, and the chief of the other races who came to bid the chief a final farewell. Each and every one of them had been someone whom the chief watched over or watched over him in return. "Majou-sama, Teto-sama. Your final words" "......Hmm." We approached the coffin as the new Patriarch of Demon-Dragon race urged us, and looked at the still visage of their chief. "Thank you for all your efforts. May your next life be filled with happiness. And someday, let''s meet again in the cycle of reincarnation." "We will be waiting with delicious food!" I myself am a reincarnator. The chief would reincarnate once again so I wished him happiness for his next life. Baretta just lowered her head. And with our parting words concluded, the Chief''s coffin was closed and cremated with the breath of Dragon Grandpa. Amidst the intermittent sobbing voice, the fire of the Ancient Dragon burned the remains of the chief to ashes in a span of a few seconds. I continued to offer my prayers until the fire died down, and once the fire was extinguished and the ashes cooled down, the chief''s magic stone was reclaimed. It was the custom of the Demon-Dragon race and the Angel race to cremate the dead body and leave the remaining magic stone to the kins of the deceased as they would inherit their power and will. Once the funeral was over, the banquet began to brush off the mournful atmosphere. The Dragon-Demon members served the dishes they had prepared for this day. We also took part in it. In the company of adults were also the kids of the Demon-Dragon and Angel races that had gathered. Among them, I listened to the delightfully innocent voice of a young child, her face beaming and her hands and mouth sticky with food as she fumbled on the word ''tasty''. The mechanoid woman who was called Mama gently wiped the child''s dirty mouth and hands while casting a loving, tender gaze upon her. She was the girl born between an Angel race and a Mechanoid. A beautiful child who took after her Angel race father''s looks, however, she didn''t have the halo or wings of the Angel race. Instead, she inherited the Mechanoid race. As we were watching the little girl, the mother probably noticed our gaze as she bowed her head to us. "Don''t mind it, all that matters is you are happy." She had wanted to live with her Angel race husband, and so she had been handling the Angel race settlement like some sort of locally assigned staff while taking care of her child. She wasn''t a lone case as there were also other Mechanoids like her who married the males of other races. In fact, as if to take over the changing generation, the children of the Mechanoids who were the first ones to give birth were now working and learning the ropes of the maid work as the 3rd generation maid corps when they entered their early teenage years. "Well, let''s respect whatever the child wishes to do." The child of the Mechanoid looked at us with a puzzled expression. Her face adorably changed with each second, like someone was playing with clay. The service dolls I had created gradually acquired emotions and a soul. However, they were mechanical beings to begin with, so many of them struggled with expressing themselves, but the children born from them possessed equally rich expressions as any other race. It has made me excited about the future of the new generation of Mechanoids. In addition to the Mechanoids, there were also the children from the Dragon-Demon and the Angel races, each one emitting a glow akin to the brilliance of life. "Chief...... I am confident that the future awaiting these children will be as radiant as the clear sky after a storm." The grief was there with the loss of the familiar ones, however, the new rising generation was also growing steadily, enough to dispel the sadness. Editor''s note - Quite a somber chapter but I like how the author pulled it back in the end and finished with a hopeful note. Vol. 7 - Ch. 195 - The most fun yet the most challenging request In the middle of the night, as I was sleeping with Teto, we both found ourselves back in the dream oracle space."I wonder what''s the purpose of Liliel and the others today..." "It should be to have tea with Majou-sama! What will you make today, Majou-sama?" Occasionally, we were summoned to this place to have tea while talking about everyday affairs. However, a tea party needed tea and snacks so I usually created them with and ate them together. In the beginning, it was just black tea and cakes, but gradually it changed to sweets and other snacks from my previous life at the request of Liliel and others. And now, we''d sometimes have dishes from Japanese family restaurants, junk foods, or at other times, the cheap sweets that I created. However I must say, should any believer see their beautiful and divine goddesses eating junk food with cola in one hand while chatting, they would definitely faint from the shock. Well, even for me, it was only in this dream space where I could quietly create and eat food items from my previous life. In reality, there were just not that many chances to create them...... "Well, I''m thinking of having wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) today." For today''s menu, I came up with dorayaki, fortune cookies, manju, castella, yokan, fried dough cake, and rice crackers. I made them with . I had just arranged the green tea to go along with these snacks when Liliel and a young girl appeared softly floating. "Liliel, hello." "Welcome-nanodesu! Majou-sama has created a lot of things!" Liliel gently pushed forward the young girl who came along with her. She glided through the air and floated in front of us. The young girl had shoulder-length white hair with a halo shining on her head and wings growing from her back most probably, she was a goddess like Liliel. "Perhaps Underworld Goddess Loriel?" "The final goddess-sama!" This continent called the Ninth Continent has five goddesses and I had pretty much met most of them. It was only the Underworld Goddess Loriel who I hadn''t met so far as she was in an eternal slumber. However, recently I heard well it was just my skewed timing sense as it has already been a decade since the stampede in the western continent that she had finally woken up. So I expected to meet her one day. The white-haired young goddess who looked no older than 12 years like me opened her sleepy eyes and stared at us with her pale purple irises. "Huh, by prayer ah, what?......" <...... I am tired.> Loriel, as she was quietly floating in the air, plopped down on the ground, suddenly losing strength. While Teto and I were surprised at the sudden situation, Liliel let out a troubled sigh. <...... Don''t wanna. It''s not fair that only Lili Onee-sama and the others get to eat delicious food. I will also eat them.> Loriel said, raising a voice of protest against Liliel while lying on the ground. "Uhm, it wouldn''t be good to sleep on the ground, let me create a bed !" I created a soft bed with creation magic and along with Teto, we shifted Loriel from the ground to the bed as she flashed a satisfied smile feeling the fluffiness of said bed. Liliel said, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Loriel just casually glanced at her as she lounged languidly on the bed and pulled a dorayaki with what seemed to be psychokinesis power before putting it into her mouth. <...... It''s tasty.> Her face still harbored a sleepy expression, but the slight upward curve on the edges of her lips as she happily ate the snacks gave a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, creating a soothing sight. Then we each reached out for the sweets of our liking and sipped on the green tea. Since we were on a bed, though, it looked more like we were there to goof around...... "Come to think of it, Liliel, did you call us today to meet Loriel?" A goddess''s request...... I had already undertaken the others'' requests so far, so I wasn''t going to reject them at this point. But the scale of Leriel''s request involving the crisis of the western continent was just too big. As I braced myself for what might come this time, Loriel spoke. <...... Even though I was asleep, I continued the cycle of life and death on this continent.> "Yeah, I''ve heard about it." "It must''ve been awful!" As the souls of the dead entered the cycle of reincarnation, and new lives were born, the mana they exuded served to fill the world. That should be why she had kept it working. S?a?ch* Th? ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "And a portion of them returned to the cycle of reincarnation after the stampede." As I filled in the words, Loriel nodded her head in affirmation. Loriel spoke with a serious expression but it didn''t last long with her holding another castella in her hand and the traces of it on the corner of her lips. "Huh? We were talking about scooping out souls from the space-time rift, why did the topic change to a festival?" "Oh, it sounds fun-nanodesu!> Teto looked excited, but I was at a loss about what to do for such an important task as a festival. Just as I wondered what kind of sacred ritual would suit the occasion, Loriel, as if she had read my mind, answered. I see, that solved the riddle, but weren''t festivals all held around the world? Or so I thought. Liliel explained, and Loriel nodded in affirmation while reaching out her hands for some fortune cookies. "I think I get the gist of it. Winter holistic festival, huh? It sounds fun." Drinking and eating under the sakura trees while enjoying the sight of the flowers and the fluttering sakura petals the flower viewing event has become a staple in the though each village also has its own harvest festival. Having a festival on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, for the deceased a requiem festival sounded perfect. "Each year, huh?...... Well, that sounds more challenging than I thought......" "But it sounds fun-nanodesu!" The intention was to hold a festival to call back the wandering souls to this world, but I also wanted it to be a festival for the people currently living here. I inexplicably felt that it must be done with the help of the residents of the . Vol. 7 - Ch. 196 - Preparation for the Winter Solstice Festival ?Pardon me. Master, good morning.?"Good morning, Baretta." "Hmm~ Good morning-nanodesu~" I returned the greetings of Baretta, whose polite knock before entering the room a woke me up, and left the bed. As I slipped out of Teto''s arms, the latter also woke up and said her greeting while rubbing her drowsy eyes. After staying in a groggy state for a while, her eyes snapped open as she exclaimed in a loud voice. "Ah, Teto almost forget-nanodesu! It''s festival time!" ?Teto-sama, what festival?? "We received the oracle of the Underworld Goddess Loriel. She wished for us to hold the winter solstice festival." I told Baretta what transpired in the Dream Oracle while changing. ?As expected of the gracious Master. The Goddess has once again rewarded you with another oracle...... Understood. We, the maid group, will immediately start preparing for the winter solstice festival.? "Ah... It''s something being asked of me so I''m going to help out." "Teto will help out as well!" Teto and I offered to help out since there were only around 2 months until the day of the winter solstice festival, which meant that we needed to hurry up to make it in time. However, Baretta quietly shook her head. ?There was either a yearly flower viewing event or the tribal festivals of each village in the ?Forest of the Creation Witch?, but it lacked one such event that could bring out all the villages to celebrate as one community. So I think this is just the right chance. I''ll contact the representatives of each race and discuss the addition of a new festival.? Starting from getting permission to use the ?Transfer Gate?, discussing the significance of the festival, selecting the location, preparing the venue, deciding on the festival dishes, preparing the ingredients, and selecting the entertainment... There were numerous decisions to make, most of which were taken over by Baretta and the other maids. "Is there anything we can do to help out?" ?I would implore Master and Teto-sama to act more dignified at the very least.? "What a pity...... But Teto at least wants the role of food tester." ?Very well. Then I''ll be taking Master and Teto-sama''s help in tasting the dishes.? "Fine. Also, can you prepare some dishes using pumpkins for this event like we always do?" ?Pumpkin......? May I ask for the reason?" "It''s one of the customs from my previous world... I guess." The yellow color symbolized protection against evils. Furthermore, in my previous world, there was a tradition of eating nutritious pumpkins during the winter solstice to wish for good health. The winter solstice festival this time was for guiding the wandering souls which revived some of my memories about the jack-o''-lanterns from Halloween they held the same nuance, evil protecting charms. ?I am not aware of this kind of tradition but perhaps there are some places where such customs exist. Hmm, I see, so this is the reason why Master requested to eat pumpkins in winter.? "Teto likes the pumpkin cream stew and the other dishes made by Majou-sama-nanodesu!" It has been decades already since Baretta joined us. I usually requested her pumpkin dishes whenever it was near the winter solstice which she usually made without asking anything, but it seemed like she was always curious about the reason. Finally addressing the lingering question, she appeared incredibly refreshed, as if she had at last soothed the itch that had been bothering her. Well, this decided the pumpkin dishes on the winter solstice festival''s menu, while the other matters like the festival preparation or calling out the representatives of each village were in the end handled by Baretta and the other maids. We had just passed the details of the oracle, but the preparations for the festival had not yet officially begun. So being told to just pass my time like usual instead made me restless. " And that''s why, we have come here to discuss with Dragon Grandpa." "We are here to ask for help!" And since I couldn''t just sit idly like usual without thinking of a way to help out, we came to the Dragon Grandpa''s place to consult with him. ?Hmm, a festival for guiding the wandering souls, huh? The Goddesses too seemed to be hoping for something like the ancient old festivals.? "Old festival?" "Were there similar festivals in the past?" When Teto and I inquired, Dragon Grandpa replied beamingly. ?Indeed. The winter solstice festival in the bygone past was about celebrating the rebirth of the sun when it used to be at its weakest point, and from there, it evolved into a day to wish for the rebirth of souls through reincarnation, though even the nuances and custom changed with the passing of eras.? "A festival''s meaning could be so easily changed?" Teto cocked her head in puzzlement. Well, given Dragon Grandpa was speaking from his knowledge, the changes must have covered several centuries or even a thousand years. ?Well, of course, the meaning and nuances of the festivals are like clay that changes depending on the humans'' convenience. What used to be a solemn ceremony for a part of the nobility class changed to a lively event for the public. Rarely does anything remain static while weathering the passage of eras. But if there is anything that indeed remained unchanged, then it was the thoughts and hopes of the people celebrating that day the prayers they offered to the gods.? ''I see'', I quipped, listening to the story of Dragon Grandpa. "So I guess then the winter solstice festival would be dedicated to the Goddess Liliel, the one overlooking this place, and Underworld Goddess Loriel. Also, symbolizing the rebirth of the sun, this includes the Sun Goddess Lariel......" "But then, the other two goddesses would be left out!" "Yeah. Then how about a prayer to the Water Goddess Loriel for easing the fury of the cold snow in winter, and the Wind Goddess Leriel to wish for the arrival of warm spring?" ?Fuhahaha! Indeed, the festival should be held at the convenience of Majou-dono! I''m sure the goddesses wouldn''t mind the prayers as well!? Hearing of our desire to hold the festival for all five of the continent''s goddesses, and not just two or three, Dragon Grandpa laughed out in amusement. If we intended to follow that, the festival would change to the ''Five Goddess Festival''. "In that case, what do we need for the winter solstice festival? Loriel wants light to guide the wandering souls." ?For that, preparing bonfires and torches should suffice. I''m sure leaving the fire to burn throughout the night would become the beacon that the goddesses want for the lost souls.? "That''s quite a great idea. I just need to consult with Baretta later." Bon festivals in Japan from my previous life had the custom of lighting the welcoming and ceremonial fire. Fires were lit to welcome the souls arriving during the festival and once again to send them off on their journey to the afterlife from the present. Thinking about how it sounds like a mixture of the Christian winter holistic festival, Halloween, and Japan''s bon festival brought a chuckle to me. After discussing with Dragon Grandpa for a while, I could say I finally had grasped a clear vision of the winter solstice festival. "Thank you, Dragon Grandpa. Look forward to the festival." s?a??h th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. "We don''t know what we''ll be going to do but look forward to it!" ?I will be. This huge body of mine unfortunately can''t help out so easily but I pray for your success. I, too, am looking forward to the festival.? After saying our goodbye, we left the dwelling of Dragon Grandpa and headed back to Baretta, sharing the vision of the winter solstice festival that we would like to hold. Vol. 7 - Ch. 197 - Majou-sama, taking charge of the festival The preparations for the winter solstice festival began with representatives from each village participating in the meetings and discussions.I also joined them in the meeting and witnessed by myself what kind of festival they were going to hold. My idea for the festival was quite simple: to celebrate the festival based on the oracle from Goddess Loriel, to light the bonfire, and to relish the pumpkin dishes to pray for good health in the winter. Each village usually held its own version of the winter festival so I expected the festival to be just medium-sized, but to my surprise, the villages excitedly shared their ideas. "We really got a lot of ideas, huh?" "So amazing! Are we going to do all of these?!" Teto and I looked at the list of the proposed events while being impressed by their fervor. The males proposed the idea of a dance and a martial arts contest and the women proposed the idea of singing in choirs, while some of the other residents proposed plays or acrobatics. The one to decide on the basic framework of the festival was indeed me, but as the ruler of the , I also valued autonomy so I didn''t interfere with their event suggestions. The daytime events all seemed enjoyable, and since it was the festival initiated by the oracle of the goddess, the representatives of each village were incredibly excited. They all intensely brainstormed among themselves, thinking about the areas they excelled in and what they perceived might be fun to garner my or the goddesses'' attention, and put forward all sorts of ideas. If I had said anything there, I was sure they would have instead put my will above anything else. Teto and I selected the events that seemed more feasible to implement from the list, which was further narrowed down by Baretta. The pumpkin dishes would be served throughout the day, but eating only pumpkin dishes might dampen some of the festive spirit so I suggested that each village come up with their own menu. Then, we locked down on the best dishes from among them. As for the insufficient amount of materials, the idea was to gather more from the or to procure them via trade with the outside world. S?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality. Like this, everything was progressing favorably, except "Yay, congratulation-nanodesu!" "No, hold your horses for a bit, just hold on! Why in the world am I going to perform the ceremonial dance!?" No, even before that, I was more surprised by the ceremonial dance thing, what the heck was that!? Facing my protest, Baretta conveyed to me the will of the masses as their representative. "Yeah, I understand, but why the ceremonial dance thing? Won''t just silently offering our prayers while facing the bonfire with everyone enough? I can use my purification magic while everyone prays......" If it was just offering a ''silent prayer'' on the platform while everyone did their part, I could have done that, but I couldn''t bear the thought of performing a ceremonial dance in front of everyone when I had never done it before. Those were my thoughts, however, Teto strongly opposed my idea. "This is no-good-nanodesu! Majou-sama is also a part of the festival, a part of the people living in this forest-nanodesu! So Majou-sama should also participate!" "Teto......" Up until now, I usually stayed back behind everyone, just silently looking after them. However, Teto just now urged me to not be a mere bystander and join in as one of them. I couldn''t say that it wasn''t embarrassing, but indeed, unless I took the necessary steps I might never experience the sense of unity with the residents of the . as you dance and perform the purifying magic will appease the souls more efficiently.> "Fine, I understand. What can I say when Teto pleads so emotionally and you come up with such a logical argument? But remember, I''m only going to do this once. Have someone else dance with the next time, got it?" In the end, I caved in to their demands. Teto excitedly hugged me, while Baretta''s lips arched upward as she respectfully bowed her head, saying ''As you will, Master''.