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TL: ALT
Chapter 193 – Day 24 of Management Life : Each of Chel’s Rescue Stories
The trading town is surrounded by a forest. There are plenty of trees that can be used for building materials, and water sources are nearby.
While this environment is habitable for humans, it is also habitable for monsters. To ensure everyone’s participation, the residents work together to set traps in the forest, fostering a shared awareness of the need to protect both nature and the town.
Once a sense of solidarity has developed, I will discuss the rules of the demonic land in the town square.
“I have no intention of taxing the working folk for the time being. The demonic land attracts those who would be banished elsewhere, so there is no discrimination based on race. Since farming isn’t possible here, gathering and hunting are the primary means of procuring food. Anyone wanting to start an industry should consult Sasha and organize.”
When I turned to Sasha, several requests had already come in.
“There’s demand for the magic stones and monster materials of the demonic land.”
“We might not be able to provide magic stones right now, as this could trigger a civil war in the Demon Kingdom. Other nations’ magic tools are advanced, and demand is high. As for the monster materials, the local weapon shops will probably decide. They’ll probably bring samples soon to set fair prices. Is that all?”
“What kind of magic tool shops are there?”
One of the prostitutes asked. It didn’t matter who spoke up, but the soldiers seemed uncomfortable and were about to stop her.
“Don’t stop her. I want to hear as much as possible from potential subjects. Since there are many merchants here, I’ll explain: In the demonic land, when a job comes up, we gather people who can do it and get it done. Profits are split evenly. Rather than company ventures, think of it as the demonic land’s current projects. We want you to gather people for each task and manage it. So, magic tools, was it?”
It’s better to avoid the trouble of summoning people and monopolizing technology. The demonic land has no time for that.
“Right. What’s available?”
“We’ve seen flying carpets, ovens for cooking, and magic tools to keep ingredients cold and cups that keep drinks cold. Also, there are foundations for indestructible buildings. There’s also shock-absorbing armor and knives with extendable blades. Since I saw many of these things for the first time in the demonic land, it’d be good to have a place to learn magic circles. After all, the Kingdom of Estinia is isolated from other nations and eras when it comes to magic tool technology.”
I don’t know if my explanation made sense, but the soldiers started to get restless.
“I heard East Kenya was almost invaded by the Elven Kingdom recently, and the lord of the demonic land drove them back. Did you repel them using magic tools excavated from the demonic land?”
The female soldier who had been restraining the prostitute asked.
“No, that was largely due to the terrain of the demonic land and the power of its monsters. We used magic circles, but hardly any magic tools. Besides, it seems the invading elves’ goal was the ‘Dragon Bone’ within the demonic land. However, we still don’t know how to effectively utilize it. Our level of technology and knowledge is incomparable.”
“Trade is important, but fundamentally, we must learn, correct?”
Another female soldier asked. Those who were more educated among them seemed to grasp the precariousness of the Estinia Kingdom.
“Exactly. Cliff Garuda has a group called the Sorcerers, and they’ve summoned magical tool technicians from the Elven Kingdom. For now, we can gather materials, but consider us starting from scratch. If you know anyone researching magic, please bring them here. Military personnel are welcome too.”
“Understood.”
The soldiers seemed to grasp the situation and asked for permission to set up a “birdhouse.” Apparently, they’ll use birds to exchange letters.
“Go ahead and do it. Thanks.”
For now, the discussion is over.
“So, what kind of magic is Taro-chan using? Tell me.”
The prostitute tugged at my arm.
“Sure. Can you use magic?”
“If we could, we wouldn’t be in this line of work.”
“Right. Well, then. Let’s start by putting your hands together.”
By the time I had finished explaining magic power to the prostitutes, even the town merchants and soldiers had stayed behind.
I had no choice but to practice hand-to-hand with everyone.
◇ ◇ ◇
In the Cliff Garuda forest, Lipa and Kahiman startled each other.
Lipa, who had not seen Kahiman in just a few days, felt threatened by his ability to mask his presence so perfectly. Meanwhile, Kahiman was astonished by Lipa’s talent, which made him the target of monsters everywhere.
“Kahiman, that’s amazing! You grew that much just from a little time apart?”
“Lipa-senpai, even if you tried, you couldn’t do that, could you? Is that just normal for you?”
Lipa conversed while fending off a leaping black panther with his wooden sword. Kahiman was slightly taken aback. Lipa hadn’t even looked at the panther.
“Could you teach me how to mask my presence?”
“Well, even if you mask your presence, wouldn’t Senpai still get found out?”
“I wonder…”
“Makyo-san said that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Isn’t it better to focus on developing what you’re good at?”
“Lately, I’ve been unsure what I’m actually good at.”
As he watched Lipa dispatch the attacking monsters with a single strike each, Kahiman thought to himself, “What is this person talking about?”
Living in the demonic land had honed Lipa’s ability to instantly spot the weak points of charging monsters with a mere glance, though he still hadn’t realized it himself.
“Anyway, we need to find the sorcerer.”
“There’s a harpy flock over there.”
A flock of harpies flew in the direction Kahiman pointed to.
“Let’s try talking to them.”
Lipa leaped up with a thud, pulled out a flying broom, and instantly closed the distance to the harpies. There was no hesitation whatsoever.
“Can you talk?”
The harpy only looked confused at Lipa’s question. Deciding that it was just an ordinary monster without clothes, Lipa immediately returned to Kahiman.
“I wish it had been a harpy working with the sorcerers to find the Earth’s veins.”
As Lipa started walking again as if nothing had happened, Kahiman sensed a madness different from Makyo’s.
“Don’t you have any sense of caution, Lipa-senpai?”
“Of course I do. I live in the demonic land. If I didn’t, I’d be dead.”
“So you confronted that harpy just now because you didn’t sense any threat?”
Lipa was surprised by Kahiman’s unexpected talkativeness, but he intended to answer properly.
“Humanoid monsters have weaknesses almost identical to humans, right? Plus, if their weapons are fangs and claws, you just need to watch their movements. Since they were in a flock, you could position yourself to use one as a shield.”
“You did all that while flying?”
“Yeah. Kahiman, since you can suppress your aura so well, you should pay close attention to your positioning.”
“Yes, could it be that Makyo-san…”
“Ah, Makyo-san doesn’t worry about positioning. He just changes the terrain himself. Seeing people like that makes you realize how ordinary we really are.”
As Kahiman watched Lipa say this, he thought, “Absolutely not ordinary.”
“Ah! That harpy is wearing clothes!”
Looking in the direction Lipa pointed, they saw a harpy flying with an iron breastplate.
“Doesn’t look like a pattern.”
The next instant, Lipa flew right in front of the harpy, startling it.
A few seconds later, he called out, “Sorcerer, I found it!” and came to fetch Kahiman. Uncertain what he could do, Kahiman decided to grab his belongings and follow.
“You are…!”
The masked sorcerer cried out upon seeing Lipa. The flock of harpies flying overhead spotted them too and landed on the ground.
“I am Lipa, messenger of the demonic land. Truth be told, someone has been afflicted by a curse unlike any seen in the demonic land, and I have come seeking your aid.”
“I am Tokitamago of the Curse-Breaking Clan. Having witnessed the lord of the demonic land defeat the Nushi of the mine firsthand the other day, I would love to help. But what kind of curse is it exactly?”
“It’s a curse where a Demon Clan member who is exceptionally skilled in magic grows two pairs of wings on their back, their right side turns black, and magic stones seem to cling to their skin. Have you seen any cases like this in Cliff Garuda?”
“Hmm…? Just a moment. I wonder if it’s in the records…”
Even with his mask on, it was clear that the Cursed Magician, Tokitamago, was looking up at the sky in deep thought.
“If it’s not too much trouble, I brought back a magic tool for detecting earth veins made by the Sealing Clan, though I hesitate to call it a reward.”
“What!?”
The masked, cursed sorcerer and the harpies gathered around.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, Sylvia and Hel arrived at the port town in the Kingdom of Meiju aboard a giant shark.
“Ah, the sea breeze is making my hair frizzy.”
“Y-you can go now.”
Sylvia flung the shark monster back out to sea from the shore.
The fishermen, who had been watching while mending their torn nets, panicked and rushed off to summon the town guards. From the west, the direction of the demonic land, came an elf and a human. Master Michelle, also known as Chel, was said to reside in the demonic land, but these were different.
Soon, onlookers gathered on the beach.
“It’s quite noisy, isn’t it?”
“Sh-should we wait a while?”
The two noble beings remained calm and unhurried.
“I take it you are inhabitants of the demonic land!”
It was Pete, who had arrived on a trade ship from the demonic land. He had gained Makyo’s favor and now handled affairs concerning the land.
“Indeed, we are envoys from the demonic land. If we were invading, we would have brought Makyo with us. There’s no need to be so wary.”
“Do you know anything about the devil?”
Sylvia was tense, yet she didn’t stutter.
“Devil… you mean that devil?”
“Yes. Chel—no, Master Michelle—has been cursed by a devil. We’ve come all the way to the Meiju Kingdom because we must break the curse at any cost. We have no intention of fighting.”
Hel spoke to the black eagle perched on the shop’s roof. If there is a familiar, the voice should reach the one who commands it.
After waiting a while on the sandy beach, Sekito, a soldier with a red face, approached. He had also come to the demonic land once on a trading ship.
“Welcome. You say that Michelle-sama has been cursed by a devil…?”
“That’s right. We want to investigate if there are any remaining records of the demon lord. Could you assist us?”
“I can’t do it immediately… If you wait here, I’ll look into it.”
“If you can’t handle it here, I’ll head to the capital.”
“The results won’t change much, no matter where you investigate.”
No one knows about devils, the monsters from fairy tales. Even if they did, they wouldn’t speak openly about them. If there were any information about devils, it would surely be a state secret.
“Then I’ll search on my own.”
“People of the port town! We need you as witnesses! We only wish to protect your fellow citizens. We mean you no harm!”
Hel’s voice echoed across the sandy beach.
Sylvia slammed the large bone hammer on her back into the sand.
BOOM!
Dust swirled up, and Hel and Sylvia vanished from the beach.
A murmur spread through the onlookers who had gathered from the town.
Sekito and the guards searched the surrounding area.
Meanwhile, Sylvia and Hel leapt onto the roof of a shop and captured the Black Eagle.
“Will you take us to your master?”
Sylvia commanded the Black Eagle, which flew eastward. Hel and Sylvia followed. The Black Eagle wasn’t particularly fast, so they easily reached the brick building by moving across the rooftops.
The guildmaster’s room was on the second floor of the adventurers’ guild. The usually bustling guild interior was quiet now, as if something had happened on the beach.
The Guildmaster had sat down at his desk to finish some work during this time of quiet, but then he heard a tapping sound at the window. When he turned to look, he saw his black eagle outside, spreading its wings.
“What is it? Something happened at the beach?”
As he said this and opened the window, two women burst into the room. The guildmaster rolled, tumbling all the way to the opposite wall.
“Hello there.”
“Q-quite the impressive familiar.”
Hel and Sylvia began rummaging through the bookshelves and papers on the desk in the middle of the room.
“Who are you!?”
“We’re envoys from the demonic land. We need your help. Oh, and we’re taking this map.”
Hel tore the map off the wall.
“A-any tales or folklore about devils? Anything at all? Do you know of any?”
Sylvia sipped the tea brewed by the staff and slipped cookies from the plate into her pocket.
“Devils!?”
The guild master, still sitting flat on his backside, gasped in surprise.
“You know about them?”
“No, I don’t. But such things haven’t appeared in hundreds of years.”
“So they existed hundreds of years ago. Where can I find that information?”
“Certainly not in a port town like this. If you really want to know, go to the library in the royal capital or in the town of Meril Turquoise, which is located to the northeast.”
“Thanks for your help.”
“Well, honesty is the best policy.”
The two envoys from the demonic land left the room.
The guildmaster was relieved that he was a former combat-class adventurer. He could gauge their strength to some extent, but each of the two he’d just seen looked like a large monster. The damage to the room was limited to the map, tea, and snacks. His familiar, a black eagle, preened its feathers by the window.
“Phew… I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.”
The guildmaster returned to his work.
◇ ◇ ◇
In the Genetics Research Institute’s dungeon, Jennifer was telling the director and the Demon King off.
“Why didn’t you organize this before it got this bad? I can’t possibly search through these documents like this!”
Faced with her fierce expression, which made it seem like horns might sprout from her forehead, the staff had no choice but to obey.
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