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TL: ALT
Chapter 42 – Day 41 of Living in the Demonic Land
When I woke up, Hel looked at me.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“No, Cher taught me about palm sap. If there was something that hardened that quickly, you should have told me.”
When you think of it, since the palm sap hardens quickly, it might be useful for making containers. I hadn’t thought of that.
“But it melts in the heat, so you’d better make a proper jar.”
“I see. I’ll try different things.”
Since we’ve emptied the alcohol bottle, we should have a container.
“Hel, is that why you came to my room this morning?”
“Oh, that’s right! Actually, Cher and I went to the stream in the west to collect palm sap. Then we saw something strange and didn’t know what to do.”
“What exactly was it that you saw?”
“A corpse.”
“A corpse? They’re common here. I guess it was attacked by a monster or something. Did you bury it properly?”
“No, I haven’t buried it yet. I thought I’d check with Makyo first.”
“Please, let’s bury it before we get into trouble.”
A human corpse is the most difficult thing to turn into a monster.
“Where is it?”
“Near the entrance to the demonic land.”
Still in my underwear, I followed Hel to the stream that was the entrance to the demonic land.
“This way.”
As I followed, my bare skin was attacked by branches and leaves, and I saw Cher hiding in the shade of a tree, watching the riverbank.
“Cher, where are you?”
“Makyo, I’m here. Look, it’s moving over there.”
I looked in the direction Cher was pointing and saw a zombie with only its upper body moving along the riverbed.
“Ah, that’s the gold coin zombie.”
It seems that the zombie I defeated before and buried in the ground has resurfaced.
“A gold coin?”
Hel’s eyes lit up.
“I’ll explain later. But it’s more troublesome if the zombie virus spreads. Cher, burn it with fire magic.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes. I’ve already searched it once. There’s nothing valuable on it.”
Cher said, “Then, without hesitation,” and shot a fireball at the zombie, burning it slowly.
The zombie didn’t even scream and slowly stopped moving.
“Could this be an elf adventurer?”
Hel dug the skull out of the coals with a stick.
“It had blond hair and blue eyes. It could be an elf.”
“If that’s the case, it could be my senior.”
“Senior?”
“Yes, a senior who came here to look for a city.”
Hel said as she looked into the skull’s eye sockets.
“Come to think of it, the old gold coin that the zombie was carrying led me to Hel.”
“What? You should have told me that before!”
“Sorry, I forgot.”
We buried the charcoal and bones in the forest and returned to the cave. We couldn’t look at the burned remains forever.
When I showed her the old gold coin, Hel began to study the pattern carefully.
“It’s not a gold coin from anywhere and doesn’t look like a forgery. Has that zombie found Midgard?”
Hel stared into space as if asking no one.
“Is Midgard the name of the city Hel is looking for?”
“Yes. In the city of Midgard, in the magic country of Yggdrasil, it is said that everyone, from children to elders, used magic and that the city was far more advanced than any other country at the time, thanks to magical tools. It also traded with the elven kingdom, but the records of this have disappeared over time.”
“Wow, Hel is an archaeologist!?”
Jennifer, who had been listening to the conversation next to us, let out a gasp of admiration. She has a big reaction.
“I-I-I read about it in the history books, too! There was a country in this demonic land.”
It seems that Sylvia also knows about it. Maybe nobles are knowledgeable.
“Where is that history book?”
Hel asked eagerly, but Sylvia mumbled, “In the castle that was taken over…”
“No, I bought the history book. Just a minute.”
I went to my room and got out the history book and P.J.’s notebook.
“Here you go.”
The note I’d written and stuck in the book said,
“・This demonic land used to be a country.
・Suddenly, without warning, a large number of people disappeared.
・It seems that the flying island was eaten by a giant magical beast.
・There was a religion that considered deer to be messengers of the gods, and it was important to pass on the story.”
And so on.
“There’s a description of the ruins in this notebook. Look at the last page.”
“My only regret is that I was unable to solve the mystery of this demonic land…’ Whose notebook is this?”
“It is the notebook of the man who lived here before me. He didn’t turn into a zombie but into a skeleton.”
“Makyo, but there was a grave on Sky Island, right?”
Cher pointed to the southern sky, but the sky island was in the desert.
“I-I-Is there really such a thing as a sky island?”
Sylvia’s eyes widened in surprise. She has a wide range of facial expressions.
“That’s right. We found an island floating in the sky in the desert. There, we found the grave of a man named Peter Jefferson. The notebook left behind was marked ‘P.J.’ So it’s possible that the man who lived in the cave and whose bones have turned to dust just scribbled a magic circle on the notebook…”
“So you’re saying there are two authors of this notebook?”
Hel realized at once. As I thought, she’s quick-witted.
“That’s the most likely scenario. Anyway, it looks like neither of them were able to solve the mystery of the demonic land.”
“That’s three people, including the elf zombie. Putting the information together, I think it’s safe to say that the demonic land was the magic country of Yggdrasil. I’ve heard that in the elf country, deer are considered messengers of the gods, and I remember reading about the catastrophes in this history book.
“Among demons, deer are messengers of the devil.”
There are different values from the continent where Cher lived.
“If that’s the case, then Yggdrasil may have been hostile to the demon country across the sea since ancient times.”
Hel snorted.
“Where is Midgard? Why did Yggdrasil fall? Makyo, I’m sorry, but I can’t leave here until I solve the mystery of the demonic land.”
She came closer to me. Her well-defined features made her look strange when she came close.
“There have already been several deaths in the demonic land, you know? Even if you die, I’ll still get my rent!”
“I’m starting to get interested in the mystery of the demonic land, too!”
Jennifer said loudly as she came over to me. This girl seems to have some other agenda, so I’m on guard.
“Th-Th-That historical book has been passed down as a family heirloom. Maybe it is my destiny to solve the mystery of the demonic land.”
Sylvia crossed her arms and nodded repeatedly.
“I’m curious, too!”
Cher said as well, laughing. It seems that everyone is somehow connected to the demonic land.
“I’ve had enough of this. Everyone should work for their rent. Even if you find an ancient ruin, I’m the landlord. If anyone finds treasure and tries to keep it for themselves, I’ll kick them out!”
When I said that, everyone nodded and said, “Okay.”
If we all search together, it’ll be harder for anyone to betray us. And if we find the ruins, maybe we can get into the tourist business. I can smell the money.
“Are you making a bad face?”
Cher looked me in the face.
“I’m not supposed to be a good guy. Look, it’s time to get ready for dinner! Get to work!”
We decided to discuss our future over dinner.
Basically, I collect the rent at the beginning of the week. It can be cash, goods, or anything that benefits me. This is the only way I can maintain my dignity as a landlord. After that, I and someone else will go to the military training facility to barter.
“So far, I’ve gone to the military training facility with Cher, but she has to disguise herself. As long as you can carry the load and move quickly, anyone can do it.”
“I think it’s just that you two have abnormal physical abilities, and no one else can keep up.”
Jennifer looked at our bodies with a quizzical expression. These are natural bodies, not doped with anything.
“Don’t worry. Everyone gets used to the demonic land. There’s no problem!”
Cher seems confident because she has been in the same situation.
“Oh, that’s right! It says in P.J.’s notebook that learning space-time magic is essential. Can anyone use it?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Such magic has probably been lost to time. Even if it’s been passed down, I think it’s only been passed down to a few demons.”
Hel looked at Cher.
“It’s gone now. If you use it, you’ll be executed.”
It seems that space-time magic is forbidden even among demons.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I also asked the captain of the training facility for a spell book, and it looks like P.J.’s notebook has diagrams of time magic and space magic, so let’s try a variety of things.”
The other three people besides Cher looked at me with eyes that said, “What is this guy talking about?”
“Aah, do you think he’s lying? Makyo, do that thing. The one where you make the ground rise.”
Cher gestured for me to make the ground rise, but what was the point?
“If you tell me to do it, I’ll do it, but…”
“Everybody, look!”
Cher looked at me excitedly. I could feel the air of inevitability.
Outside the cave, a short distance into the forest where the wood was drying, I put my hands on the ground.
I used magic to interfere with the power of the rising ground and pulled it up all at once.
Zuooo!
The trees passed each other, and the bird monster flew away.
“Kyoeeeeeee!!!”
The imps screamed and ran away as well.
The ground rose at my feet, forming a small mountain.
“See!”
Cher said to the three people watching behind her.
“What do you mean, see?”
“Makyo can make magic.”
“No, Cher. I don’t make magic.”
“I thought he was weird, but not this weird.”
Jennifer was taken aback.
“I’ve never seen magic like that.”
“I-i-it’s probably Earth magic…but what kind of magic is it?”
Hel and Sylvia both look at me questioningly.
“No, I just found a force that was rising, and I interfered with it using magic. There’s nothing particularly difficult about it.”
“See? I don’t understand what that means, but when he finds a force, Makyo can make magic.”
“””Hoh…!”””
They seem impressed, but I don’t know what’s going on. Why are they so surprised?
“What does that mean?”
“In other words, you don’t usually get to see magic being created, but Makyo can create his own magic, right?”
Hel looked at Cher.
“That’s right! That’s why Makyo can really try magic.”
“Eh, isn’t magic something you try out?”
I had developed my own way of learning magic? If there’s an easier way, I want to know about it.
“Usually, you’re taught chants and spells, and you find out if you can do them or not, right?”
“Ah, I can’t do that. Even the old women in the village said that I don’t have any talent.”
“But he can make magic on his own without chanting or spells. In other words, he’s a weirdo.”
Cher pointed at me. She’s totally making fun of me. I want to break her fingers.
“I see! That’s how it is!”
“I get it now!”
“I-I-I thought that was the case.”
The three of them simultaneously clapped their hands in agreement.
“That’s not how it is.”
Am I a weirdo? I don’t understand.
“Anyway, we’ve decided on the direction to take in the demonic land! Everyone, do what you have to do!”
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