Chapter 13

Chapter 13

IT HAD BEEN A FEW DAYS since the dwarves started laying the groundwork for building the highway. At Valbo’s request, every morning I set out and cast Create Monster, Infinity, Wall of Stone, and Wall of Iron nine times each.

In other words, there were twenty-seven forest giants laboring under the dwarves’ instructions, each one working fiercely to clear out the forest and dig through mountainous earth. The work was loud, but it was nothing compared to the sounds of construction sites in modern-day Japan.

It was also time to use the Create Earth spell for the large-scale development that would take even giants too much time to complete. In only ten magical seconds, I finished a project that would normally take humans months. Needless to say, Valbo’s jaw dropped.

With my spells, and the civil engineering capabilities of the giants, the original timeline had been sped up even more than we initially thought.

But…ever since coming to Sedia, I had grown accustomed to a life without the bustling, ‘artificial’ sounds of modern life. In a word, the project was noisy.

***

“I’m sorry,” I said to the young folk gathered around me. “It feels like I’ve been ignoring you…”

“Oh…no, not at all.”

I had gathered the boys and girls who had once served as Mage Knights-in-training. We were in the courtyard of the main tower, so the construction sounds weren’t as bothersome here.

I’d heard from Mora that they were getting impatient. It was true that I’d brushed them aside, so I started off by apologizing.

“You’ve been taking care of our friends,” said Log. “We…we don’t mind waiting.”

“We’re fine,” said Daya.

Tel was always mature, but even Log and Daya were unexpectedly forgiving, so I relaxed a bit. Maybe Mora had spoken to them already.

Now that I think about it, they’re the youngest people in the castle—only children. I need to make sure I pay enough attention to them.

“I’m now going to teach you the technology for making golems,” I said. “As you might expect, we aren’t going to try and do everything all at once. While you’re learning, you’ll still have to help around the castle. Can you manage that?”

Log shrugged. “It’s still way easier than what we had to do in training, so that’s fine by me…”

“Good. First of all, I want to give you this. I apologize in advance, but we only have one copy. You’ll need to share it.”

Golem production was a special D&B skill, the ultimate version of Create Monster. In order to master it, one first had to understand the basics of alchemy. The book I handed Log was A Primer for Alchemists, part of Geo’s Alchemy Tool Set. The contents outlined a faux alchemy that my game master and I had come up with based on the contents of the D&B rulebook.

Setting the content aside for a moment, the fact that the words had already been translated into the Sedian language was surely the Watcher’s doing.

The Watcher… If he was going to take so many liberties helping me out, then maybe he could have gone ahead and erased troublesome, dreary things like Epicenters, too.

Oh well…

While I was absorbed in my thoughts, Tel timidly started to ask me a question. Log and Daya were looking at their feet for some reason.

I glanced over. “What is it?”

Log bluntly spoke up on Tel’s behalf. “We can’t read this!”

I blinked. “Eh?”

“Log and I can’t read,” Tel confirmed grimly.

Daya had a depressed look on her face too. I remembered then that the young man, Nox, had mentioned that reading, writing, and arithmetic were considered rare skills. The literacy rate in this world probably wasn’t very high. I’d taken education for granted since Mora could not only read and write, but also understood all the math I’d thrown at her.

I still couldn’t believe it. “Didn’t they teach you at the guild’s training academy?”

“No…”

I would’ve thought that if Heridol prided himself so much on the aptitude of his Mage Knights, they would at least be taught to read and write. But I guess he probably prioritized enhancing their magical powers at the expense of all else. Fundamental skills got left by the wayside.

“Umm…” While I was busy thinking about the educational policy of the Sorcerers’ Guild, Log’s expression grew more and more uneasy. “Does this mean we’ll have to quit and go home…?”

Damn, I’m worrying them. “Don’t be silly. Of course not.”

Tel frowned. “But Log and I can’t study…”

“Hmm.”

Log and Daya hung their heads. Tel looked uneasy.

I thought things would go faster if they could read A Primer for Alchemists on their own to get an understanding of the basics, but I hadn’t thought things through. I’d have to teach them from the very beginning in a classroom format.

But how are they supposed to manage in class if they can’t even take notes?

I came to my decision quickly. “If things are like this, then that just means we need to start by teaching you how to read.”

I could understand the language of Sedia, but I didn’t know enough of the world’s common knowledge and customs to really be a good teacher. What’s more, I didn’t have the hours in the day I’d need to do the job. I don’t think Sedam or Ild are suited for the role, plus I really need them to stay focused on their current tasks. And of course, Mora already has too much work to do.

I considered Clara for a moment, but in the end, I decided Torrad would be the best choice. I told the children I was going to introduce them to him.

“Well…okay…”

“‘Okay?’ I have the fullest confidence that Torrad will be a great teacher, so don’t worry.”

“That’s not it,” Log said quietly. He had an uneasy—no, a suspicious look in his eyes. “Why are you so…nice to us?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? A great wizard wouldn’t abandon a child in need.”

Given how serious they were, my words maybe came off a bit rude. But they needed to hear them. They were children. They had the right to be protected by adults. That might not be what people expected in Sedia, but this was my castle, and we’d live by my rules.

I see… It seems like I’ve been more worried about those kids than I realized.

***

When I went to Torrad to discuss his new role, he was very agreeable. “Perfect. I’ll mold them into virtuous, obedient devotees of my lady Ashginea.”

I frowned. “Hey.”

“Hah! Just a joke, Margilus.”

It occurred to me then that in Sedia, priests really did receive powers from their gods, and so those gods probably really existed. Or at least, it seemed that way. I should be careful to respect the way they do things here when I talk about matters of religion.

This was the perfect opportunity to try and get some more information.

“By the way, I’ve heard that Ashginea is the goddess of winter, correct?”

Torrad nodded. “Yes, and what of it?”

“It seems a bit paradoxical to me. Her having the aspect of ‘winter,’ and yet also being the guardian deity that protects us from the daemons, don’t really seem to naturally go together. Is there a reason why she governs both?”

I’d never really had a chance to hear much about the mythology of Sedia.

A long time ago, I’d created my own original world for an RPG campaign, so it wasn’t like I had no interest in that kind of lore, but there was always so much else to do.

Things were different now. I wanted all the information about Epicenters that I could get my hands on. If the goddess Ashginea was related to the daemons in any way, then who knew what I might be able to glean from studying her? If I was really lucky, I might even learn something about the Watcher.

“Well,” said Torrad, “Ashginea’s status as a guardian deity isn’t really connected to the daemons at all.”

So much for being really lucky.

“The title has more to do with… Margilus, have you heard of the dragonkin?”

“No, I haven’t. Is there such a species in Sedia?”

Was I suddenly going to get a critical piece of information here?

I’m not sure, but I definitely want to hear more…

Torrad was kind and thorough in his explanation. “Not in Sedia, precisely. It seems their empire lies upon the southern continent. They are a people with at least as much, if not more, intelligence than humans. About two hundred years ago, the Dragon Empire arrived at the southern edge of Sedia and began a process of colonization. At the time, those lands belonged to Land Barthes, a nation that revered the god of war.”

The two of them definitely went to war, didn’t they?

“At first, the Dragon Empire presented ample tribute and negotiated in good faith, and so Land Barthes gradually ceded more and more territory to them. Some fifty years ago, the empire started to invade in earnest.”

Called it.

Just when I thought Sedia had more than enough problems dealing with the daemons. But what surprised me the most was that I hadn’t heard so much as a word about this until now.

I guess that was further proof that this world wasn’t a game. There was no GM to tell me all the important information about the world, and no guidebook containing all its secrets. I needed to continue to build my knowledge as a denizen of Sedia.

(I actually didn’t learn this tidbit until much later, but while the dragons lived in the south, there were giants in the north.)

Torrad continued. “At first, Land Barthes was losing, and was forced to give up large swathes of is territory. However, the Empire’s advance ended as quickly as it began.”

“Huh?”

“Dragonkin don’t do well in the cold. They weren’t able to handle our northern winters. No matter how much they fought during the summer, once the cold came, they were forced to retreat… This happened many times before the Dragon Empire called for a truce.”

“I see. And so it is ‘winter,’ and the lady who rules it, that is the protector of humanity.”

I remembered that there was a sizable mountain range to the south. Someone told me once that the climate changed drastically once you made it to the other side.

“Likewise, when snow falls, the daemons seem to be less active. Ashginea is a popular deity in the South. She’s held to be the wife of Langer, the god of war and the patron deity of the Land Barthes nation.”

“Hmm.” Only one thing came to mind as I looked at Torrad’s face. “Hey, Torrad.”

“Yes?”

“Is there still a truce in place? I mean, there’s no chance the Dragon Empire would start a massive invasion, is there?”

“Ha ha ha. The truce has been in force for decades. I can confidently swear by the name of the winter goddess Ashginea that what you fear will never come to pass.”

All the same, I wonder.

Our fate is in your hands, O Winter Goddess…