Chapter 39

It’s been a week since the incense leaf war .

Today, I’m heading to the forest with Gizel and Shibi to supply the living Ortem with magic .

My home-made incense leaves are not keeping up with the production at all now .

However, I’ve given the Chief my own allegorical description of the cultivation of incense leaf .

Once the Chief has perfected my method of cultivating the incense leaf, he can call out to the entire village and ask for help, and we’ll be ready for mass production at once .

… However, I said, “I didn’t think that I needed precise magic up to this point…”, It seems that it’ll still be a long way for that to be possible .

The Chief had said that he wanted to use this as an opportunity to make the magic ore coinage more permissible now .

If this can be achieved, this village will be much easier to live in than it is now .

Thanks to the fact that many people are now able to afford the low price of the incense leaf peeps, the atmosphere in the village seem to be better than before,

If the mass-production system is implemented, I’m sure leftovers will keep coming to me .

I don’t have to worry my father telling me what to do anymore, I can carve Ortem all day long .

I’m happy, everyone’s happy .

No one has any loss .

Karlco? I don’t know that name .

“Hey! Abel!”

We had just reached the incense leaf field deep in the forest when an angry voice shot up at our backs .

When I turned around, Noswell was there .

I thought he wouldn’t get involved with me anymore because he’s been quiet for the past few days, but he showed up .

What, do you actually like me?

Noswell glares at me with a wrinkle in his face .

I look around .

Oh, uh… where are the two followers?

I thought that it would be the same even if they’re here or not, but I still feel lonely when they’re gone like this .

I wonder if they stopped following him because the influence of the house was gone .

I have no end of grudges against Noswell .

It started when Mr . Mountain was severely snapped off, then you tried to take Gizel as your wife, at the end, both parent and child rained bodily fluids all over me, I’ll have no end of grudges with you .

I still don’t like this guy . I don’t like it…but somehow I’m starting to feel sorry for them .

“… Not really, I don’t really have business with you anymore . ”

“I, well I have! Don’t joke, Don’t joke with me! Father, you know, he looks like that but his heart is delicate! After that he’s been in bed because of the shock! It’s your fault!”

uh, ohhhhh…………

even if you tell me that…

“Then what? Is it good if I go to apologize? Come to think of it, there’s a magic that makes you excited, but I’ve heard it works for therapy when you’re depressed . That’s what the book says . If you want, I can… . ”

“Stay back! It’s going to get worse when you get here! He’s been wrapped up in a blanket all day and Abel is making a nightmare out of him!”

I didn’t know if he was that mentally weak…

The Chief also said, “The Karlco family has been eerily quiet, I wonder if they’re up to something”, but he hadn’t yet fully recovered from his mental damage .

Apparently, the last ruckus was too much for him .

”If I can no longer cultivate incense leaf, then I… what is the Karlco family supposed to do now! You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Even if you say that… You’ve been having too many good times . Since the Chief should be able to expand the size of this incense leaf field, why don’t you also help supply the living Ortem with magic?　Or you could go hunting like the others… . ”

“You, you, you want me or Dad to be the Chief’s lackey! My dad is a lot better than that guy!　And hunting is only something a fool would do! I’m not one of those guys, you know!”

Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble……

Doesn’t the Karlco family have enough assets to live and play for the rest of their lives?

… No, maybe most of the assets they possess are incense leaves .

There’s no way the Karlco family is saving up magic ore coins…

What’s more, because of this, we have a lot of unsalable garbage on top of that .

Now I’m seriously feeling sorry for him .

“… the incense leaves that are in your house, should I trade some of it?”

“… now that you are in advantage, you’re now feeling full of yourself! You’ve really, really made me angry! I’ll show you the power of the Karlco family!”

This is not good .

I believe Noswell was touting that he could beat the Greater Bear .

He’s desperate now .

You never know what he’s going to do .

“Oh light, Draw”

At the same time of Noswell’s yell, a bullet of fire was shot from the magic circle .

… on the Noswell’s side .

“Ahhhh! Hot! It’s hot!”

The fire-battered Noswell stumbles around, screaming .

A magic circle is like a blueprint that you give to a spirit .

If it is completed late, a third party can thus alter some of it and change the outcome .

It seems that Noswell was just going to get stuck and make a threat .

The magic itself wasn’t very powerful .

It was a level that would be quelled if Noswell rolled around .

That’s good .

I could have just scratched out the base of the magic circle, but I gave it back to Noswell impatiently because I was on the spur of the moment .

This is where we would have been in big trouble if Noswell had used magic to try to kill us in earnest .

Noswell fell to his knees in dismay after the fire was out and stopped moving .

His shoulders shaking slightly .

“why… why this… why…”

Ah, this, he’s going to cry .

“I’m… I’m sorry . ”

“……………… . ”

But that magic circle didn’t look like it had been built very well .

The power was definitely toned down, but the details weren’t very clean .

The fact that he could beat the Greater Bear may have been just a pretense .

In the first place, if it was encrypted, there would be no easy way to redraw the magic circle .

When I use magic, I make sure to encrypt the battlements .

I don’t know…should I leave him alone now?

Just then, there was a clunking, clunking, clunking sound behind me .

When I turned around, I saw Mr . Mountain No . 2 and No . 3 standing up .

It is the Guardian Ortem of the incense leaf field .

Those two bodies have large, articulated legs attached to them .

It was quite intimidating when they’re standing up .

This is not good .

It seems that Noswell’s use of fire magic was taken as a hostile action .

I know that Mr . Mountain No . 2 and No . 3 are moving with the least use of magic but, because of it’s small amount of magic, it’s hard to give it orders from the outside .

“No-, Noswell! Come on, stand up! Hurry!”

Noswell waved away my outstretched hand .

“Annoying! Stay back! Go away! Don’t look, don’t look at me! Looking down on… me?”

Heading to Noswell, Mr . Mountain No . 2 and No . 3 make a mad dash .

It was as if they were trying to avenge No . 1 .

“Stop! Stop!”

I scream, but it doesn’t listen to me at all .

Maybe I should remake it after all .

Noswell staggered up and rolled away several times .

Afterward No . 2 and No . 3 followed .

You can’t replace your belly with your back .

It may interfere with the detailed functions, but the only way to stop it is by overriding the magic and forcing it to take a different move .

I waved my wand towards Mr . Mountain and the others .

“Dance, Puppets“

Two lights hit Mr . Mountain and the others .

Mr . Mountain No . 3 stopped in his tracks, turned around, and leaped to the light .

He covered for No . 2 and received two lights .

No . 3 stopped moving as the order to stop was overridden .

No . 2 cheerfully went after Noswell, and soon he was out of sight .

I don’t think I can keep up with them on my own two feet .

We, well…… He’ll be okay, yeah .

Mr . Mountain No . 2 and No . 3 only have the ability to protect other Ortems with their bodies, and the ability to relentlessly chase after external enemies .

He went after them leisurely, but when he caught up, he could only wave his arms exaggeratedly and threaten them .

Mr . Mountain is harmless to humans and animals .