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TL: ALT
Chapter 189 – Day 20 of Management Life
For some reason, I was the only one not allowed inside the tower last night, so I had to sleep outside. At dawn, a large white mountain appeared in the western sky.
That must be the “Sealed Bone.” Though white, it displayed colorful patterns of red, pink, and pale blue.
As the sun rose higher, I realized that the patterns formed a gigantic coral reef.
The area of sea that had been shrouded in fog the other day was now completely cloudless.
On top of the tower, a wyvern spread its wings, stretched its neck, and yawned. With the dawn, the birds began their commotion.
Kahiman emerged from the tower and greeted me, saying, “Good morning.”
“Is that the ‘Sealed Bone’?”
“Probably. I sense immense magical power.”
As Kahiman and I gazed at the “Sealed Bone,” barely visible above the forest canopy, Sylvia’s voice echoed down from higher up in the tower.
“Wh-why? Won’t you let me ride the wyvern?”
I felt apologetic that someone from the demonic land was causing trouble so early in the morning.
“Hey! It’s sunny! Isn’t today the perfect day for flying?”
High-energy Hel arrived, carrying her modified flying door. She couldn’t use magic, but she could apparently use magical tools. Since using magic no longer hurt her, she seemed eager to try all sorts of things.
Neither Kahiman nor I had asked to see it specifically, but she probably felt scared to experiment alone.
“Here we go!”
She floated gently off the ground but stopped at about knee height.
Her face flushed red. She seemed to be pouring all her magical power into the flying door.
“…Haaah!”
As she exhaled, the door slowly descended.
“That’s my limit for now.”
Satisfied, she smiled brightly.
“Kahiman, since Hel couldn’t use magic before, being able to use a magic tool is a huge step forward.”
“Yeah.”
After I explained, Kahiman clapped and praised Hel. No laughing.
“As a magic tool maker in the demonic land, I might have to make a magic-sealing bracelet.”
Hel said this, getting carried away.
“Ma-Makyo! The turtles!”
Sylvia, up in the tower, called out to me in an unusually loud voice.
She seemed to see something.
I boarded the flying door, channeled magic into it, and soared high into the sky. I moved it suddenly, causing Hel to cling on desperately.
“Look at this! This is incredible.”
Looking around, I saw that master turtles were gathering toward the “Sealed Bones.”
They varied in size, but each one was large enough to comfortably accommodate people.
White waves crested on the sea while floating trees and wyverns darted through the sky.
“…Is this where the Sealing Clan survived all this time?”
Hel’s hair fluttered in the wind as she spoke.
“With all this technology, why didn’t they venture beyond these seas?”
I had a different thought than Hel.
“Th-that’s not fair! You two get to see it from the sky!”
Perched atop the tower, Sylvia spoke resentfully. Soon, even from the tower’s height, it was possible to see the master turtles gathering.
Inside the tower, the Sealing Clan members changed into garments adorned with beautiful patterns.
They had been instructed to keep their stomachs empty, as the meal would be served via “Sealing Bone.”
“It looks like someone’s wedding ceremony.”
I asked the old Minotaur.
“It’s the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Since we only go to the ‘Sealing Bone’ every few years, we have to do it all at once. Otherwise, we’d just keep aging while remaining children.”
“Do the clans living in the other master turtles hold coming-of-age ceremonies, too?”
“Yeah, it’s a joint ceremony. What kind of coming-of-age ceremony do you have in the demonic land?”
I realized I’d never considered a coming-of-age ceremony in the demonic land until he asked about it. After all, everyone there should already be an adult.
“I hadn’t thought about it at all.”
“Becoming an adult brings responsibilities to the clan. I think it’s a good ceremony for deciding the direction of your own life.”
“You’re right. I’ll give it some thought in the demonic land, too.”
I thought it was just a ceremony to get kicked out of the family home, but for the Sealing Clan, it meant something more significant.
“Is something wrong?”
I’d been lost in thought, and the old Minotaur was worried.
“I was wondering… If I had been born somewhere like this, would my life have been different?”
“Of course not. But you won’t become the adult you imagined during the rite anyway. A man who planned to join the Dragon Riders and head to the southwestern seas ended up becoming the Tower Master. Being flexible is far better.”
The old Minotaur seemed to want to leave the island.
“Don’t you think that makes you seem indecisive?”
“It’s your life, no matter what others say. Duty and affection can sometimes be shackles. But they can also save your life. People’s hearts are fickle. If you’re aware of which way your heart is leaning, though, you can find balance. Isn’t that what being an adult is all about?”
No one I’ve met has ever thought like this. Everyone just leans one way or the other.
“The Sealing Clan are mature, aren’t they? They overdo the balance to the point that they lose sight of their own direction. I remember one who couldn’t leave town during his adventuring days. He ended up getting his ass kicked by a prostitute and buying the demonic land…”
There are those in the clan who can’t leave the tower, either. Participating in the Coming-of-Age Ceremony doesn’t suddenly make you an adult. You become one gradually. Their struggles are still a little way off.”
The old Minotaur watched the young people dressed in brightly colored clothes.
“Surprisingly, it’s good that the lord of the demonic land is a vulgar man. I thought he only pursued his own strength, but I was wrong.”
“It’s not that I want to be strong. I just want power that’s convenient for living in the demonic land. The truth is, I want to expand my kingdom and make life easier.”
“That won’t happen.”
The old Minotaur laughed heartily at that.
We arrived at the “Sealed Bone” before noon. We disembarked by passing through the master turtle’s neck.
Whether by choice or not, the master turtle was gnawing at the edge of the “Sealed Bone,” exhaling a great breath.
Seven master turtles had gathered at the “Sealed Bone.” It was said that most of the island’s people would disembark there.
The Sealed Bone, which was shaped like a lid over a pool of magic, was a giant turtle shell. The space inside was vast enough to hold an entire island. Coral of all sizes lay in layers like tree stumps, creating undulating ridges.
Paths ran through the grooves. Beneath large coral formations, there was a plaza where magic item vendors had set up stalls.
“Sealed Bone has so much magical power that it’s become a holy place for magic item manufacturers,”
A goblin girl explained.
Hel had already split off and vanished.
As expected, the Sealing Clan members passing by were mostly goblins and orcs. However, we also spotted lizardmen, the lizard-headed race, and kobolds, the dog-headed race.
There were no humans or dwarves in sight, though, so we stood out.
“The original species?”
“The original species…”
“Are the ones with them the Sixth Master Turtle’s group?”
“Did they revive genetic manipulation technology?”
“They’re adults. Are they visitors?”
“No way…!”
Various voices echoed around us.
“My apologies, Lord. We’ll explain everything at the central plaza ahead. Please bear with us.”
The Minotaur Tower Master apologized.
“No, I’m the one who should apologize. She’s already acting on her own, so I can’t say anything.”
“What!?”
“I don’t think she’s up to anything bad. She just seemed intrigued by a magic tool she spotted along the way.”
“I see.”
In the center stood a weeping cherry tree as large as the spirit trees seen in the Elf Kingdom. The Magic Sealing Clan had already gathered. Since they came from their respective master turtles, there were many of them.
“These are the demonic land’s lord and his entourage, who have come from the east! From this point on, ensure there are no missteps!”
The Minotaur declared abruptly in a loud voice.
With so many gathered and attention starting to focus on them, the timing might have been good.
“I heard the demonic land was a kingdom that collapsed long ago. Does this mean it has been revived?”
A bearded lizardman asked. He had sharp eyes, and his equipment was flashy.
“No, it’s part of the Estinia Kingdom. We’re currently making it habitable. We only recently discovered people living in the dungeon. It’s far too early to call it a revival. The reality is that there are still many golems and the undead who couldn’t fully perish a thousand years ago.”
After his brief explanation, he stroked his beard and murmured, “Hmm,” seeming satisfied.
“How did you get here? Ships would be smashed to bits by the rough waves and reefs!”
A large orc with two pairs of tusks asked this, his arms crossed like tree trunks. His flashy outfit suggested that he might be an adult who had just reached maturity.
“We rode a flying door.”
“A flying door?! What about the mist monsters and floating plants?”
“We shot them down.”
“Hold on! Even if you used magic tools to travel from the mainland to the Master Turtle, your magic wouldn’t last.”
The large female ogre who wore sturdy cloth garments spoke up.
“Even without the ‘Sealed Bone,’ the lord’s magic power was off the charts on the measuring device. Magic power forged in the demonic land is beyond our comprehension. Tower Master of the Second Master Turtle.”
So the ogre woman was the Master Turtle’s Tower Master.
“I’m a believer in experience. Care to test this armor?”
A black-furred kobold tapped his armor, which looked vaguely familiar.
“Don’t do it. Your lungs will be crushed.”
The Minotaur warned.
“I also think it would be best to refrain. Those who stood behind the Seventh Master Turtle stopped by, but our attacks were ineffective.”
A goblin who looked like a shaman also advised against it. He was said to be the tower master of the first island Sylvia and Kahiman reached.
“Don’t you want to see what the outsiders are made of? Fine. If you call yourself a lord of the demonic land, then strike me for real!”
The kobold seemed confident.
But I remembered that armor shattering to pieces from a Haze Turtle’s charge.
“Well then, I won’t hold back. This should do it.”
I struck the armor with the same force as the Haze Turtle’s charge.
Clang!
The metallic clang echoed as the black-furred kobold spun wildly and flew backward. The impact would hurt, but it wouldn’t kill him.
“Experience has taught you a lesson, hasn’t it?”
The Minotaur muttered, sounding exasperated.
“When I first started living in the demonic land, a monster once charged me while I was wearing similar armor. It shattered completely, but my body was unharmed. Since I struck with about the same force as that monster, I believe the kobold will be fine, too.”
“Ah, he’ll be fine. Serves him right. The Lord of the demonic land needn’t concern himself.”
“Since the master turtle accepts him, we cannot refuse. Welcome to the Turtle Archipelago.”
“It’s been centuries since a living outsider has visited. We welcome you.”
Please witness the Coming-of-Age Ceremony and the Magic Tool Contest.
Each master turtle welcomed us.
“What a surprise! Lord of the demonic land!”
The black-furred kobold ran over, laughing. “Thank goodness I’m thick-headed.” I was glad he didn’t hold a grudge.
After that, food was served throughout the “Sealed Bones,” and the Coming-of-Age Ceremony was held beneath the weeping cherry trees.
The First Master Turtle Tower Master, a large lizardman, offered congratulations to the new adults. They replied, “We are still young and inexperienced. We seek your guidance and encouragement.” They received their bracelets.
It seemed that all Sealing Clan members who came of age were given Sealing Bracelets. Maybe I should wear one, too.
“There are no Sealing Magic Bracelets for Makyo. They’d break.”
Hel, who had been somewhere, brought us a dish of baked potatoes topped with cheese and meat.
At the Magic Tool Contest, they were selling a pot that supposedly allowed conversation with other Master Turtles, so I bought it immediately.
“Conversations won’t reach beyond the mist, you know.”
The magic tool maker said that, but I couldn’t resist buying it. If I could talk to people far away, work efficiency would increase, and task division would be easier. Most importantly, it would save us from having to travel.
“It’s fine. If you sell magic circles, too, I’ll buy those. Can I pay with magic stones? I’ll hunt sea sharks as many times as you need.”
“Magic stones are no problem…”
I immediately flew out of the “Sealed Bone,” boarded the flying door, lured nearby sharks, killed them, and disassembled them on the Master Turtle. When I delivered the meat and skin to the clan members who stayed in the tower instead of going to the “Sealed Bone,” they came out in surprise.
“Sometimes fish meat might be nice.”
Even though they live on an island, the Sealing Clan rarely eats large fish. Apparently, they didn’t even know how to catch sharks.
“When they leap out of the water, just grab their snout and twist it around. Then, stab a knife through their eye into their brain. I learned martial arts, so I didn’t even need a knife.”
The orcs and goblins in the tower tilted their heads but said, “We’ll try making shark dishes,” and carried the catch to the kitchen.
I returned to the “Sealed Bone,” paid with magic stones, and asked Hel to improve the jar for long-distance communication.
“Where the hell did you get magic stones?!” A shark? Did you ride a flying door and catch a shark? What about dismantling it? Did you ask the young man in the tower? Did you dump the guts in the sea?”
Hel asks too many questions.
“Y-you’re gonna get the wrong idea!”
Sylvia joined in, starting her own commotion. Kahiman was conveniently hiding in the shadows behind some coral.
Maybe it was the noise, but we ended up drawing attention.
Perhaps the Sealing Clan had never seen a lord get scolded before.
“It’s fine. It happens all the time.”
Only the old Minotaur laughed.
After the “Sealing Bone” ceremony concluded, everyone made their beds wherever they pleased and spent the night.
I fell asleep quickly since the latter half was mostly spent being scolded and forced to accompany Hel and Sylvia shopping.
Around the time the moon reached its zenith, Hel woke me up.
“The Master Turtles are calling.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
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