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TL: ALT
Chapter 205 – Day 36 of Management Life
The residents of the demonic land had gathered in the Sorcerers’ Hidden Village.
“It’s a hidden village, but…”
The sorcerers seemed perplexed. Since they didn’t know many people here, though, they let us stay until Chel woke up.
“Well, you can’t leave someone cursed with a devil transformation in another land, can you?”
The genius sorcerer’s remark convinced them.
Kahiman reported that the southern birdfolk had left the shelter after the great storm passed and returned to their ruined town. He was also quite exhausted and collapsed, and fell asleep right there the moment he finished his report.
“Still, it’s amazing you managed to keep up with those ‘Migrating’ monsters.”
They lent us a room in the sorcerer’s house.
“The Deer God appeared while we were transporting supplies to Midgard.”
Hel popped a dried jujube into her mouth as she spoke.
“The Deer God—a white deer?”
“Yes, it was wrapped in lightning.”
“I saw it, too. I was taking seeds from the Botanical Dungeon to scatter in the wasteland when lightning struck. Before I knew it, a white deer was right in front of me. When our eyes met, I felt like it was telling me to head south. I figured something was up, so I left the dungeon folk to handle it. I never imagined Makyo-san would be dead.”
It seems it came to Jennifer’s place, too.
“I wasn’t dead. I was just buried in mud.”
“No, not even the spirit form responded. Maybe you were outside the flow of time.”
Hel explained the situation while I was sleeping.
“Is that so? Then it might have been the Deer God’s blessing. It showed me a glimpse of the near future, too.”
“A glimpse of the near future? What does that mean!?”
“It showed me everyone coming to fight the Curse of the Great Storm.”
“The Deer God?”
“Yeah, I guess it wields time magic. That deer.”
“A messenger of time…”
History books said the deer was a “divine messenger,” but a “messenger of time,” huh?
“What happens now?”
Lipa wiped the sweat from his brow and asked the question to no one in particular.
“Cliff Garuda’s southern region is devastated. We from the demonic land will do what we can to aid in its recovery. The harpies infected with the Beast Disease said they abandoned Cliff Garuda and are coming to the demonic land.”
“Refugees again? Where will they live? Can they even live there?”
Jennifer was stunned.
“T-traveling alone will be incredibly difficult. Even if they can fly, they’ll have to cross the desert during sandstorms. It might be quicker to train in the ‘Great Hole’ before building a town in the desert.”
Sylvia was making a realistic plan, but there had to be an easier way.
“Along the western mountain range, there are monsters and earth veins running through. Herbs grow there, so I think there must be water sources.”
“Ah, right. Makyo-san can sense earth veins…”
Is Lipa still not used to me?
“They say ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ but with Makyo, it’s literally true. Have you learned something new again?”
Hel questioned me.
“Just magic manipulation. I use power where it’s needed and don’t waste it elsewhere.”
“That’s all?”
“The rest is the same as always. Once I understand the situation, I can see what I need to do.”
Guided by the Deer God, I pulled the stake and freed the dragon. In the “Great Hole,” magic pools erupted and magma flowed. Time could not be frozen forever, even if it meant splitting the continent.
“So, you’re saying we should have pulled the ‘Sealing Wedge’?”
The sorcerer from the house we were borrowing asked in a straight voice. He hadn’t joined our conversation, but he’d been listening.
As a Birdfolk, the Sealing Wedge was something he had to protect.
However, the great storm had also sent monsters flying out of the “Great Hole,” and we couldn’t fight the flow of black water forever.
“Without pulling the stake, we couldn’t have stopped the storm or the black, murky torrent charged with magic. You might not agree, but…”
“No, even if protecting the ‘Sealing Wedge’ was our mission, we Birdfolk couldn’t enter the ‘Great Hole’ to begin with. But if we hadn’t pulled the ‘Sealing Wedge’… Cliff Garuda would have…”
“No one can know that.”
Speculating on possibilities was pointless, but perhaps it was best to carefully explain to the sorcerers, who valued words.
“Maybe the monsters that burst from the ‘Great Hole’ will head to the capital and do nothing. Maybe stopping the Black Water Dragon wouldn’t require a devil transformation. Maybe there’s a way to stop the black torrent that swallows everything with curse magic. Risks and optimistic hopes abound.”
“But…! Isn’t the risk of our nation perishing far greater? If the Lord of the demonic land doesn’t come, our country will…”
The sorcerer who had been listening turned around. The other sorcerers waiting in the corner trembled.
“Just as the law of magic power is magic, the law of curses is cursery. Surely, the flow of time has its own law, too.”
“The law of time?”
“Children grow into adults, pass down what has been inherited to their children, and grow old. In the same way, the law of time must apply to lands and nations too.”
“So the demonic land simply followed the Law of Time?”
“This time, we just happened to follow the white deer’s lead using time magic. The demonic land is full of things that keep moving even after death. A city from a thousand years ago is drifting there. If there’s a god who governs time, I’d say he’s absolutely furious.”
“So it was just a coincidence that we happened to be there, in a place where we could rush to help?”
“Exactly. That’s reason enough for people to help each other. If it were between nations, it might be different.”
“Honor?”
“It’s better not to give it such a grand name. In the demonic land, you see monsters who suffered from such bonds and ended up becoming Nushi.”
“But at least a feeling of gratitude…”
I stopped him immediately as he seemed to be preparing an extravagant token of gratitude.
“I didn’t do it for gratitude. We’re fellow inhabitants of the same continent. Let’s keep things simple.”
Jennifer, usually stingy with money, watched silently. Later, when I asked her about it, she said, “Reconstruction requires money, and the amount you’d get from such gestures is negligible anyway.”
If I linger too long in the hidden village, trouble is likely to arise.
I took Lipa out hunting for food.
While we were out, I stopped by the southern town to see how things were going. The townspeople were inside their homes, shoveling mud and silently clearing away broken furniture. Some things couldn’t be restored, and surely cherished possessions were among the debris.
A few years ago, when I was stuck in a rut, I wouldn’t have known what to do. But now, for some reason, my body moved naturally.
I washed the large pot that had been sitting around and made a soup with wild greens and fish. “I’m not sure if you’ll like it, but please help yourself,” I said. Of course, some people didn’t have room for food in their stomachs. They needed time to process what they had lost.
When I asked what they lacked, most said, “We lack clean water.” Every river flowing through the town was muddy and filthy.
I would shoulder an undamaged barrel, fetch water from a spring in the north, and return to the southern town.
When the military mage corps arrived on flying carpets with relief supplies, I handed them over and headed for the neighboring port town.
It was a cycle.
“Thanks. I don’t know where you’re from, brother.”
Occasionally, someone would express gratitude and try to give me their last silver coin.
“I’m from the demonic land. Disasters are common there, so I’m sure I’ll need Cliff Garuda’s help someday. When that time comes, I’d appreciate it.”
“The demonic land? No wonder. I thought your movements were different.”
“The cooking is pretty rough around the edges, though. It’s quite wild.”
“Nah, as long as it’s warm and gives me energy, that’s good enough.”
The muddier I got, the more I felt I could relate.
In the southwest, harpies were helping with the recovery, lifting broken pillars and discarding shattered furniture. They were the group that said they would come to the demonic land after the great storm ended.
“Usually, no one pays us any mind, but then they only rely on us at times like this. It’s kind of…”
She smiled with a troubled expression. Perhaps her feelings were mixed—a combination of wanting to say “Don’t mess with me” and joy at being relied upon.
“It’s not something you can easily separate. I don’t know what they’re thinking, but treat them well. They’re far more human than we are.”
“You all look like monsters, after all.”
“Is that so?”
“Look! The demon is burning the trash in an instant.”
Looking where the harpy pointed, Chel, who had been sleeping in the sorcerer’s hidden village, was burning the gathered trash.
Hel and the others had also joined in shoveling mud.
“The military units won’t arrive in this town for about another month.”
Lipa explained why everyone was there.
Looking up at the sky, I saw that the sun had already begun to set.
“Hey, Chel. Are you still dressed like that? You’ll scare the townspeople.”
“It’s just easier to fly like this. Makyo, break the curse for me.”
“Come here and spit out the magic. We’ll burn it with the trash.”
I held my hand over Chel’s mouth and used magic to form a slimy mouth that caught the devil’s curse as it was spat out. Gradually, the curse broke.
When the inhabitants of the demonic land gathered, food was quickly collected, and bonfires were lit. Before dusk, every house in town had a bonfire and dinner, even those lacking walls or roofs.
“How long do you plan to help with the reconstruction?”
Jennifer asked while smoking the meat we’d hunted. She must be planning to make extra.
“Once the residents who evacuated to the town or the royal capital return, there should be enough people. I’m heading back to the demonic land tomorrow.”
“I never planned to stay this long anyway.”
“The giant magical beast’s attack is also coming soon.”
“Hey, how many days until the giant magical beast arrives?”
“About nine days. We have ample supplies, but negotiations with Midgard are proving difficult.”
The giant magical beast’s head was gone, like a disaster itself. It’s at its limit. It would be strange if it hadn’t stopped.
Honestly, if it rots, who knows what will happen to the dungeon inside?
Ideally, we would place it in the “Great Hole” and seal it, but will the Midgard residents accept that?
“Even if one disaster ends, another one comes along, huh?”
“Maybe pulling the ‘Sealing Wedge’ is causing more disasters.”
“Don’t say such unpleasant things.”
Chel’s predictions are usually spot on in times like these.
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