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Chapter 191 – Day 22 of Management Life
In the Skeleton port town, the golems, including Ka-Ryu, were rebuilding the town.
Even from a distance, their work repairing magical machinery was remarkably swift.
“That was fast.”
After arriving at the port town at night, setting up a tent on the outskirts, and going to sleep, Ka-Ryu sensed my magic and came over.
“Ah, I met with the Sealing Clan.”
I told Ka-Ryu this while infusing her body with magic.
“How was it?”
“There were a lot of horned creatures, like goblins and minotaurs. They were friendly, though. Their body manipulation techniques were incredible. Just a little instruction made a huge difference. They mentioned Yggdrasil, too. They were friendly, and probably no one remembers the persecution from a thousand years ago.”
The golems who persecuted them seem more concerned about it.
“I see…”
“Also, they seemed interested in the world beyond the Turtle Archipelago but lacked the technology to cross the mist. But we went to the island, right? Looks like we gave them hope. They’re listening to the master turtle on the island and trying to become inhabitants of the demonic land themselves. We’ll need to build a lighthouse at the harbor, or they’ll cause an accident.”
“What do you mean? No, I should have anticipated this when I left it to Makyo.”
Ka-Ryu sighed and placed a hand on her neck. Her arms seemed thinner and her hands smaller than the other day.
“Did you remember something, Ka-Ryu? Your resolution as a golem is increasing.”
“Just a little. The military golems are also trying to recreate muscles. They’re made of dirt and sand, but since they trained their bodies while alive, that’s what’s coming back.”
Hel, who had been measuring the magic power underground with the magic gauge, returned.
Sylvia and Kahiman still hadn’t returned from the mountain, where they had gone to return the giant owl. I thought, “Everyone, go to sleep,” but they seemed restless and eager to move.
“The magic seems weaker than ‘Sealed Bones,’ but the concentration of magic is high. Maybe monsters are born more easily here. If we’re going to make magic tools, we’ll need the magic-sealing carpet from the tower. But even the Arachnes couldn’t make that carpet right away…”
I thought she was talking to me, but she just sat down next to Ka-Ryu and started muttering to herself.
She placed a hand on her neck like Ka-Ryu and murmured, “This is troublesome.”
“Huh? Ka-Ryu, you were here? Seems the port town’s reconstruction is progressing.”
“Ah, Hel. It is, but isn’t it progressing too much over there? Also, it seems our lord has increased the number of subjects.”
“It should have increased by about a thousand at once. Trade will start soon, so we’ll need a Great Owl’s hut and a lighthouse.”
Is Hel planning to trade with the Great Owl? She must have decided that sailing the sea with those ferocious sharks is impossible.
“I heard a little about it. It seems that’s how it’ll be. We’ll need ships on the east coast and paved roads to the Estinia Kingdom’s enclave, won’t we? There’s so much to do.”
“But it’s increased even more.”
Upon hearing this, Hel turned to face Ka-Ryu.
“There’s more? Didn’t the Cliff Garuda population increase, too? What are you thinking!?”
“Don’t say that. I’m not deliberately choosing the more troublesome path either.”
I told Ka-Ryu about the plan involving the time-traveling giant magical beast and sealing the Cliff Garuda’s “Great Hole.”
“That’s insane…”
“We also have to figure out how to break the giant magical beast’s time magic circle. Plus, we need to decide what to do about the Midgard dungeon inside, since the flesh will rot.”
Hel stared at me accusingly.
“We’ll just have to see how it goes. For now, I’ll go cut some stones for the lighthouse.”
I headed alone into the mountains, searching for solid rock. I lured approaching monsters into a pitfall trap that someone had set. It must have been Kahiman’s.
When ghost-type monsters appeared, I radiated killing intent to drive them away. Though they should have been dead already, I was grateful they avoided me properly.
The slope facing the harbor was lined with leaning trees, likely due to the sea breeze. Small monsters scurried about in the low shrubs, using them as hiding places to protect themselves from predators. I didn’t pay much attention to non-aggressive monsters. Still, when I focused on the Sealing Clan’s body control, they suddenly stood out.
By straightening my posture and heightening my magical sensitivity, I could sense magic within the earth. Small insects and monsters wriggled about, but there were also places devoid of monsters, like gaping holes. Large rocks were usually buried in those spots.
I was looking for hard rock, but then I realized that I could just have Hel reinforce it later with a magic circle.
I extracted the rock with the magic cube and formed rectangular blocks. Using the flying door magic circle to carry them wouldn’t be too physically demanding, either.
However, I didn’t have enough blocks to build the lighthouse, so I climbed the mountain again to search the surrounding rocks.
“Huh?”
A humanoid-shaped rocky formation was hidden on the slightly ascending slope.
Concealed by low shrubs, Kahiman seemed to be hiding there.
“Kahiman, if you suppress your presence too much, it actually makes you stand out.”
“Huh…?”
“Your technique for suppressing your presence was perfect. But…”
I dug up some soil and held it in my hand.
“See? Even in this soil, there are tiny insects. People sensitive enough to sense them can spot you.”
“I-it’s fine, Kahiman. Kahiman, people like that are rare.”
Sylvia, who had been nearby, trying to camouflage herself with a branch among the shrubs, appeared.
“No, I’ll think about it.”
Kahiman took the soil and tiny insects from me and studied them intently.
“Wh-what is Makyo doing?”
“Just gathering stones for the lighthouse. Tell Hel to draw the same magic circle as the flying door and bring it over. While you’re at it, draw a time magic circle like the one on the East Coast to protect it from erosion.”
“Y-yeah, it’d be great if we could make a template for the magic circle out of wood or something.”
“That would really speed things up. Should we ask?”
I picked up one of the cut blocks and headed down the mountain. When I reached Hel, she was performing a strange ritual.
“What’s wrong? Why are you so flustered?”
Hel, who was dressed in a black robe and performing the ritual, looked even more panicked.
“Well, I just wanted to suggest that if we made the magic circle template out of wood, we could draw the flying magic circle on stone and make it easier to transport,” I said.
“That would be difficult, wouldn’t it? If the paint bleeds or the template is even slightly off, it could cause a major accident. Besides, I’m busy right now. Could you please step aside for a moment?”
Hel began tidying up the ritual items, such as turtle shells and bird feathers.
“What are you hiding? Are you trying to perform some weird ritual?”
“It’s not a weird ritual. It’s proper spirit communication.”
“What purpose does it serve?”
I stared at Hel suspiciously.
“People have secrets they don’t want others to know. I certainly can’t betray my comrades.”
“Comrades? Are you communicating with the Elven Kingdom or something?”
“I wouldn’t dream of thinking of those Elven Kingdom folk as comrades!”
It must be someone from the demonic land.
There’s no need to contact anyone here spiritually. It must be someone far away—Jennifer, Lipa, Chel, Katan, or Saketsu.”
“Did someone do something? Like Lipa on the East Coast slaughtering demons who came to trade with the Dungeon Folk?”
“He wouldn’t do something like that!”
“Then maybe Jennifer got drunk again…”
“N-no, Jennifer doesn’t drink. She promised she’d only drink when I’m around.”
Sylvia, a victim of Jennifer’s drinking habits, muttered.
“Then maybe Chel…”
“Stop prying. I’m not trying to hide anything. I just want to be left alone for a while.”
It seemed that something had happened while Chel was fighting the masters of the demonic land. True, Chel was acting alone. She’s one of the most powerful magicians in the demonic land, and she’s survived as long as I have, so she shouldn’t be doing anything that dangerous.
“Well, as long as she’s not dead, it’s fine…”
“Ah, y-yeah.”
Hel stammered.
“Huh!? Is she dead?”
“No, she shouldn’t be dead. If she were, she’d be dancing naked on Makyo’s head…”
“What kind of deal did you guys make? Is it pretty bad?”
“Hmmm… It seems she’s safe for now. She even sent word via an animal spirit.”
“Makyo-san, maybe you should go…”
Kahiman tapped my shoulder.
“Nah, Makyo should probably stay put. There’s a problem that we’d rather handle just among the women of the demonic land.”
“Ah!”
Sylvia seemed to notice something. “Is this some pact only the women made? Not that I’m judging.
“Well, then. I’ll build the lighthouse here. Do as you please.”
“We golems will build the lighthouse. At least let us make amends with the Sealing Clan.”
Ka-Ryu, sensing something, refused my suggestion.
“Then shall we search for the earth veins? The magic gauge…”
As I reached for the magic gauge, Hel snatched it and hid it in her robe.
“We’ll handle finding the veins. It’s fine.”
“I see. Then I’ll leave it to you. I’ll head to Cliff Garuda to see if I can find any magic stone mines with the sorcerers. Kahiman, let’s go!”
“No, the women in the demonic land need to see the sorcerers.”
For some reason, Ka-Ryu chimed in.
“Kahiman, I need a little help with something. Get ready for the journey.”
“Huh…?”
Hel patted Kahiman on the shoulder, startling him.
“Then I’ll go help Lipa…”
“Not a good idea.”
Apparently, meeting the dungeon folk or going to the East Coast wasn’t a good idea either.
“You don’t want me to do anything?”
“Just go back to the cave at home. Go inspect the trading town or something. You are the lord of the demonic land, after all.”
Hel spat out the words dismissively.
“The demonic land’s lord, yet I’m being kicked out of the demonic land? It’s my land, you know.”
I said, but Hel, Sylvia, and Ka-Ryu suddenly closed in on me.
Is Chel in such a difficult situation? If so, I should probably help, but I’m sure my presence is an inconvenience. Did she catch the beast-demon disease? If so, I’d better not get close; my magic power is too high. Will she recover?
“All right. I’m heading back to the cave. Call me when you’re done.”
I quickly got ready, left everything to Hel and Sylvia, and started running toward the cave.
Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve been back to my home cave.
It wouldn’t be bad to relax there and treat it like a vacation.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, at a military base in the desert, Chel was undergoing treatment with Saketsu.
“So, do you think it can be fixed?”
“Well, not exactly ‘fixed’… But I think we can fit you with prosthetic arms or legs. I’ve studied golem technology, so I believe we can create something functional that can be adapted to your needs. But… I’ve never actually seen anything like this before.”
“True. I’ve only ever heard of it in fairy tales. A form like this…”
In the darkened room, Chel, now in an unnatural form, gazed at the ceiling. She placed a hand on her neck and murmured, “This is a real problem.”
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