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Chapter 223 – Daily Life in the Demonic Land as Autumn Deepens
Since gaining the ability to fly, my daily activities have clearly expanded.
I went to the desert ruins and trained the harpies that came from Cliff Garuda. On the way back, I stopped by the town of the dead in the southwest to check on the lighthouse that Ka-Ryu built. What used to take two days now takes only half a day.
“We can’t survive in such a harsh place,”
The harpies said, yet they survived, sunburned though they were.
Many of the plants here are succulents with paralyzing effects.
“If you get caught in a sandstorm while paralyzed, you’ll be impossible to find.”
“First, teach me how to detect my comrades’ magic power.”
The harpies shared the same plight and had a strong sense of camaraderie. They were desperately trying to learn how to use magic.
Currently, they get their food from the forest, but it would be better if they could hunt in the desert too. They fly to the western mountain range for water and draw it from a small spring.
When they saw monsters swarming the water jug, they immediately squeezed a lot of juice from succulent plants and set a trap. Their plan was to lure the monsters with the juice and then hunt them once they gathered around the water jug.
“You are surprisingly clever.”
“Is this the correct approach in the demonic land?”
“Yes, but monsters aren’t stupid. They won’t drink it as is.”
“What should we do?”
“Observe. Make the liquid look just like water, and mask the smell, too.”
“But what could possibly smell in the desert?”
“Try everything—monster blood, bodily fluids, the whole lot. You won’t know unless you try.”
As I spoke, I threw a rock at the Desert Eagle soaring high in the sky, bringing it down. It hit the head cleanly, leaving the meat intact.
“You’ll be able to do things like this eventually.”
“I can’t quite picture it… But I get what you mean.”
The harpies neatly dismantled the fallen Desert Eagle and roasted it whole. They said the organs would be used for traps and the bones for weapons.
Watching them, I felt a pang of nostalgia. The only difference between them and us back then was that they could fly.
“The harpies have it good. You have the sky as an escape route.”
“What are you talking about? The desert sky is all we have left. Even fetching water is a life-or-death gamble. Flying monsters attack if you get near the Cliff Garuda. Here, if you let your guard down, scorpions will crawl into your sleeping quarters.”
“That’s the demonic land for you.”
“And the nights are freezing. Can’t we do something about that?”
The desert has extreme temperature swings, and firewood is scarce. They’re all huddling together to sleep now.
“Hel made a magic tool for this. I’ll go get it.”
I filled the tower—a former birdhouse that served as their sleeping quarters—with magic, warming it slightly. This should keep them from freezing for a while.
“Wouldn’t it be better if Makyo just stayed here all the time?”
Another harpy descended from the sky.
“Can’t do that. I’ve got too much work. Train a bit so we can secure the route to Cliff Garuda.”
After rubbing recovery potions into the harpy’s wings and muscles—she had gone to fetch water—I flew southwest toward Undead Town.
I flew over the mountains and looked down on the great owls and golems working on the road.
A large flock of mountain crows was there, emitting cries that sounded like laughter. They didn’t attack when they saw me. They seemed to be hunting small monsters in the thickets.
Over the mountain, two-headed wolves and herds of deer ran.
Seeing the scenery I’d been running through from above made the situation clearer.
The one-horned rabbits were skilled at hiding, and the two-headed wolves were surprisingly adept at digging burrows. The male deer in the herd were beautifully colored and alert to their surroundings. Creeping plants. Terrain. Water flow. The volume of information entering my eyes changed.
Below the cliff, Ka-Ryu directed skeletons to quarry rock.
She now had a physique far more human-like than before and was hardly recognizable as a golem at first glance. She had recreated her past body so completely that she now wore clothing.
“How’s it going? Making progress?”
“Oh, Makyo’s here. Well, just laying the foundation will take considerable time. Please be patient.”
Ka-Ryu and the undead had built a temporary lighthouse, but they were aiming for something taller and more impressive. The skeletons, golems, and will-o’-the-wisps craved proper work. They wanted to be productive, not just carry wooden boxes around.
“I thought I could only repair things, but creating something new reminds me of when I was alive. It sharpens my resolve.”
Saying this, I looked at the eye Saketsu had attached to her.
“Things like hair can’t be recreated. Hands, feet, faces, and tongues are relatively easy to reproduce. But I never paid attention to what my ribs were like when I was alive. I’ll just have to leave parts like that to the mechanics.”
With that, she puffed out and deflated her chest. She was a dexterous golem.
“I see. Should I not help?”
“Ah, if Makyo does extra work, it might progress too quickly. The undead need a reason to move their bodies, so please refrain.”
“Understood. You still lack clothes. Is that all right?”
Looking around, I saw that many were indeed unclothed. Even skeletons, wearing only loincloths, were chiseling away with hammers and small stakes.
“That’s quite serious. Doing the same work wears them down, just as it did when they were alive. When their self-awareness collapses, they can’t move anymore. Some become depressed if their clothes tear during work.”
“I’ll bring some as soon as possible.”
They’re not my favorite people, but they’re still inhabitants of the demonic land.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Has the Magic Sealing Clan arrived yet?”
“No, not yet. Even with the earth veins shifting, the thick fog and sea monsters haven’t diminished.”
“I see…”
It would be helpful if the Magic Sealing Clan could mediate negotiations for trading with the towns of the Kingdom of Estinia across the sea. Flying is easy, but trade requires bulk goods, so ships are essential.
Technical matters can be worked out over time, but how will the Kingdom of Estinia’s merchants perceive us? Mindset is the issue. If they discriminate, looting might start.
“Don’t look so sad. It’s only been about a month since we made contact with the Magic Sealing Clan.”
“Ah, right. There have been so many life-or-death events lately that my sense of time is off.”
“I get it. I never imagined I’d be able to fly without equipment.”
“It’s handy. You’ll get the hang of it, too, Ka-Ryu.”
Ka-Ryu just smiled without a word.
As I left, I infused the makeshift lighthouse with magic and flew back to the home cave.
Sandworms traversed the desert, golden bats flew through the forest, and wild arachne built nests. The wild bears had grown larger in preparation for hibernation. Big moths were being eaten.
The river where the plump rock crocodiles lived looked long and straight from above. Ancient ruins touched by the ancients must lie dormant there.
Nearby, a ridiculously huge mushroom had grown, nearly as large as a trent.
As I descended to the ground and looked around the swamp, I saw that the egg mushrooms used for paralysis potions had suddenly begun growing in clusters. Purple sweet potatoes, rich in magic, stretched their vines and strangled imps.
Pinecones were scattered all around, and mushroom spores were blown by the wind like smoke.
“The height of the autumn harvest, huh?”
White smoke rose in front of the cave at the home base. Katan had dug a pit and was steaming a large swamp fish with mushrooms and herbs.
“Katan, your muscles are getting huge.”
“Huh? Oh, welcome back. Really?”
Katan had probably changed the most over the autumn. Dissecting monsters and cooking meals almost daily had added bulk to her already stocky frame. It made sense since she was handling monsters larger than herself.
“Glad to see you’re healthy.”
“Even though I’m building muscle, my magical power is nowhere near where it should be. Teach me later, okay? I’ve been sparring with Kahiman, but it’s tough.”
“Katan seems to want to make a magic knife. The one made from palm sap…”
Kahiman showed off a pile of bent knives.
“Fine, but while your magic is weak, you’re better off using tools.”
“Sylvia-san’s magic tools cut too well, you know.”
“That’s because she’s modeling them after PJ’s woodcutting knives. How about just wrapping magic around a regular practice sword?”
I had Kahiman try that, but he ended up with a magic sword that couldn’t cut anything.
“Changing the shape is really hard.”
“Practice is the only way. It’s not that easy, right?”
“Yeah. Practice, practice.”
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.
“So, what are Chel and the others doing?”
“They’re at the magic stone mine, teaching the dungeon folk how to mine.”
“If they’re working, that’s fine.”
“It’s not fine!”
Jennifer and Lipa emerged from the forest.
“Did something happen at the mine?”
“Even the slightest breeze made the magic stones react. Gusts of wind blew in, and we couldn’t proceed.”
“You couldn’t even dig with pickaxes under those conditions.”
“Is there nothing we can do?”
“Do you mean it’s impossible unless we dig without infusing magic?”
“I don’t know. Makyo-san, please try it.”
“All right, I’ll go take a look. Save some lunch for me.”
“I’ll make it a bento.”
Katan wrapped steamed fish in butterbur leaves for me.
As I headed north to the magic stone mine, the wind blew from the tunnel entrance. Both the dungeon folk and Chel seemed to be resting in front of the tunnel. A tent made of cut wood and grass had been pitched, creating a small clearing.
“Can’t mine magic stones anymore?”
“Huh? So Makyo came after all. Yeah. The reason’s unknown. It probably reacted to a little wind or something.”
“The magic inside is dense. It might not be just that. Is anyone inside?”
“No. Even making noise gives us ringing in our ears. We decided to come out of the tunnels and rest for a bit.”
“Hmm.”
The dungeon folk who were resting were feeding the dragon. I hope it doesn’t eat them.
“Got it. Let’s go in.”
As I stood before the tunnel entrance, my dungeon, which had been stiff and clinging to my leather armor, slipped smoothly inside.
There should be another dungeon sleeping on the tunnel’s support beams. Maybe it went to meet it.
The serpent-shaped dungeon is waking the mine dungeon and exchanging magical power with it. It’s as if they’re about to spar.
The dungeon that had been clinging to me lately had grown too large, so this time it hardened to consume magic and shrink its body. Were they sharing what they saw and heard through magic?
Once the exchange ended, my dungeon detached from the mine timber and returned to my leather armor, covering me once more.
I noticed that the wind blowing through the tunnel had stopped.
Was this the work of the mine dungeon?
When I touched the pitch-black mine timber, a door appeared in the space.
It was probably inviting me in, but I couldn’t enter because I had my own dungeon.
“Hey! Could someone please go into the dungeon for me?”
The dungeon folk—the Demon King and the satyr Sati—heard me and turned to look at Chel.
Reluctantly, Chel entered the mine dungeon.
A few minutes later, he emerged looking downcast.
“I became the Mine Dungeon Master. How am I supposed to run a dungeon?”
“No idea. Just stay by its side. Did you go through the tunnel?”
“Yeah. There aren’t any more doors.”
Chel became the Mine Dungeon Master.
“At least now we should be able to mine magic stones.”
“If I become Demon King in the Meiju Kingdom, there’s an experiment I want to try. Would it be okay to try it in the dungeon?”
“Why not? What kind of experiment?”
“Magic… I’ll tell you if I succeed.”
A dark mage might have been born in the demonic land.
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