Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 

IN THE MAIN TOWER of Castle Getaeus…

The bright morning sun lit my room on the top floor. I opened the window and looked over my castle for the first time in a long time. The night before, there’d been a party to celebrate our return after fifty days away.

“It looks like a totally different castle now…”

“It really does. The dwarves sure are hard workers,” said a girl in a maid’s uniform, busily cleaning up my breakfast. It was Mora, and she seemed to be enjoying herself. The area around Castle Getaeus had actually changed dramatically while I was away.

The castle wasn’t very big in the first place, but it was built on a narrow ledge halfway up a steep mountain cliff. Much of the mountain behind the ledge had been chiseled away, and trees had been cleared, creating a semicircular plateau with a radius of about three hundred meters.

The original castle base had been left in place, but the land around it had been excavated about ten meters downward. The new arrangement looked a bit like a two-tiered wedding cake. A thick castle wall had been built around the newly hewn, green-hued lower level of the castle.

Incidentally, the new, lower-level castle wall had been dubbed the outer wall, and the land inside of it the lower courtyard. The castle wall around the already-existing upper level (what I was looking at now) was now called the inner wall, and inside of that was an upper courtyard.

The upper courtyard, originally the only courtyard, was quiet now. The lower courtyard bustled with dwarves and humans. About half of the humans were from the Schultz clan, and the other half were laborers hired from Relis City, I guess?

Anyway…

This place was originally a fort that we’d simply glorified by calling it a castle. “But now, this is a real castle, worthy of the name. I can really be proud of it.”

“Yes! Everyone was surprised and pleased. You really are amazing, Mister Geo!”

“It’s the dwarves who are amazing… Although I guess I helped by casting spells to make giants and stone materials.”

As always, Mora was generous with her compliments to me. It was a bit embarrassing, but it did feel good.

“But I think this castle is what it is because of you.” Even though Mora had stayed up late serving and cleaning after the party, she didn’t show an ounce of fatigue in her cheerful smile. Just watching her made me feel right at home in the completely transformed castle.

 

***

 

The negotiations with the dwarves and the duke of Filsand had both been big successes. We’d achieved our goals of an agreement to build a trade route and form an anti-daemon alliance. I got a skilled blacksmith from Axeholm, and new party members in the form of a diplomat and warmaster.

All in all, the expedition had been a huge success.

We also got some key information when Reyha heard about the so-called King of Daemons from the daemonists. Up until now, we’d thought that there were an infinite number of daemons that occurred organically, like natural disasters. However, if there was something like a king who controlled the daemons, then maybe we could end all invasions by taking it down. Maybe we could even negotiate.

The fact of the matter was, we needed more information on the nature of daemons.

I needed to tend to the new additions to Castle Getaeus, the expansion, and the trade route development, and still find time to expand the anti-daemon alliance.

I also needed to address the suspicion of the warrior clan that I was an Epicenter. There was a lot to do, but it didn’t feel as daunting as before. Rather, I was full of motivation.

Was that thanks to Mora’s effect on me, I wondered?

 

***

 

After breakfast, I gathered my friends in the war room of the main tower. It wasn’t everyone, but I called Sedam, Ild, Clara, Reyha, Djirk, and Lade. I also invited Elisabel and Diane, for a total of eight people, plus me.

“Now then, let’s start with Sedam. You did a great job protecting the castle while I was away. Thank you for that.”

“Yeah… To be honest, it was pretty difficult.”

Indeed, he’d visibly lost weight, perhaps from the stress of running an entire castle. But still, while I was gone, there’d been no major issues in the castle. He’d even led offensive missions against daemons and bandits. It was significant work. We’d drunk a lot together the night before, thanking each other and complaining to one another. But officially recognizing the work he did in a setting like this was an important role of the castle lord.

“First, as you can see, the castle expansion work is about sixty percent complete. We still have the barracks, accommodations, and warehouses to finish within the greater castle compound.”

“What about the road?”

“The road connecting the three villages within the territory to the castle is already complete. The trade route to Axeholm is complete up to the point the giants had cleared before you left. Valbo is eager for you to conjure up some new giants today.”

“The original plan was for one year of construction…isn’t this pretty ahead of schedule?”

“That’s right, but Valbo seems to have increased the number of personnel significantly. Currently, there are two hundred dwarf workers and five hundred human workers recruited from the neighboring villages and Relis City.”

I nodded at Ild’s supplementary explanation. So, the people in the lower courtyard were hired from outside after all.

“They’re really motivated. How are we on meals and paying salaries?”

“They hired cooks, too, so we don’t need to do much on the meal front. As far as salaries go…”

“The total amount we pay for salary and food expenses for the dwarves and other laborers is about seven hundred gold coins per day,” Ild chimed in again.

Djirk shook his head. “Wow. That’s enough to make your eyeballs pop out of your head.”

I pretty much felt the same way, but the castle still had plenty of capital. “How are the soldiers doing?”

“Great,” Djirk said proudly. “They’re perfect. They got loads of combat experience with that swarm of imps and the bandits that showed up after.” No wonder he was pleased. He had personally trained and commanded the thirty soldiers who’d volunteered to remain in the castle.

“Douva of the Armor House, dispatched from Axeholm, has already established his workshop. From now on, he plans to produce and maintain all the weapons and armor for the soldiers.”

“That’s great news. It seems like a lot of our gear is starting to get worn down.”

I was really glad I’d gone to Axeholm, considering the castle and road construction. Speaking of which, Valbo had said he’d finished building a grand bathhouse in the castle. The night before, I’d drunk too much and hadn’t gotten a chance to try it out, but I couldn’t wait to take a look tonight.

 

***

 

Seven days had passed since we returned to Castle Getaeus.

In the meantime, I’d personally checked in on all of the laborers and dwarf workers gathered in the castle. That was my first priority, since the King of Daemons and his daemonists knew my name and were after my life. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to check out every single person using the ESP Medal. For starters, I decided to use the Detect Enemy spell while doing my rounds, to see if anyone harbored significant ill will, but they didn’t.

Going forward, I would need to cooperate with the dark elves and warrior clan and be wary of infiltrating daemonists.

Also, as an immediate measure, I would spend three days placing Invisible Demons in dozens of places throughout the castle.

In parallel with these tasks, I continued generating giants, Walls of Stone, and Walls of Iron for the castle and trade route construction work every day. Casting all the spells took less than an hour every day, but mentally, it was all quite taxing.

Between my hard work and the unwavering enthusiasm of Valbo, head of House Dauron, our driven dwarves and laborers soon completed both the castle expansion and the construction of the trade route to Axeholm.

Valbo found me to celebrate. “Hurrah! Tomorrow we start the foundation work for the trade route from Axeholm to Filsand! We’re going to need your tunneling worms now!” That dwarf’s enthusiasm was absolutely infectious.

 

***

 

After so many days doing this, that, and the other thing, I finally decided to tackle a problem that I’d put off for a long time.

“Okay, everyone. Today, we will finally start classes to learn the technique for making golems.”

“All right!”

“I’m ready.”

My students and I were in the great hall of the main tower.

I placed a bench in front of me and sat on it. Three students who were formerly sorcerer-soldiers-in-training were in front of me, responding cheerfully. Log was a young boy with black hair and a sturdy build, Daya was a blonde girl with stern eyes, and Tel was a timid boy with brown hair.

All three looked excited to be there.

They used to be in the sorcerer-soldier training center, which was basically a facility for human experimentation belonging to the Sorcerers’ Guild. Through several twists and turns, they’d become my wards. According to my agreement with the Sorcerers’ Guild at that time, I was obliged to teach them the techniques for creating a golem.

Clara was also there in the back row. I tended to forget, but one of the reasons she was loaned to me by the Sorcerers’ Guild was to train in golem-making or other wizardly techniques.

Cooperating with the students and the Sorcerers’ Guild to produce golems for various cities was an important job. They were meant to serve as supplementary anti-daemon forces.

However, Log and the others had already been in the castle for nearly two months, and their training hadn’t progressed one bit. It wasn’t that I was putting it off, though. In order to learn how to read A Primer for Alchemists and learn the fundamentals of alchemy for making golems, I’d asked the warrior-priest Torrad to teach them to read and write.

Naturally, this sort of alchemy wasn’t the same as the precursor to chemistry that existed in the world I came from. It was actually more like a fake chemistry system for creating magic items, which my perfectionist game master and I had made up. We’d based it on some materials we’d checked out from the library during our student days.

Our worldbuilding had turned into an actual technique that exerted real effects in this world, all thanks to the power of the Watcher.

“Now then. Let’s start by opening your textbooks to, umm…page three.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hey, your head’s in the way.”

I only had a single copy of A Primer for Alchemists, which I’d given them in advance. It was spread open on the long desk where the three of them were seated. Behind them, Clara peered over their shoulders. I started the explanation I had prepared the night before.

“Golems, and indeed potions, are nothing more than products of alchemy. I want you to think of alchemy as a technique that reproduces the magic that we wizards train our souls to channel, but through physical rather than metaphysical means.”

The hall was quiet.

This general explanation part was probably boring for the kids. Clara, on the other hand, kept glancing from me to the book, looking very interested.

“So, what is the nature of my magic? Your sorcery is a technique for putting the magical forces that exist in the natural world and inside of you to work. Conversely, wizardry is a technique for harnessing the raw chaos that exists outside of this world to change reality itself. Incidentally, the tamed power of chaos is called ‘magical power,’ not to be confused with ‘mana.’”

“This world…” Maybe the world I’m from and this world were two separate realms born from the same sea of chaos?

Hmm?

That thought I just had… There’s something there… I got the feeling that I’d chanced upon something important.

The hall was still quiet.

“Ugh. I’m sorry, let’s continue.”

Going by the fundamental logic of alchemy, and consequently that of magical power, the entire real world and all visible matter was chaos that had temporarily taken solid form. In other words, if you could control chaos, you could create all matter that existed in the world, and maybe even matter that didn’t normally exist.

However, human beings, as material existences, could not typically touch or even recognize the chaotic essence of matter. That was only possible for wizards, who could make their own will slip into the realm of chaos.

In alchemy, chaos was a kind of proto-matter, an ethereal progenitor substance that could become anything.

It materialized through the following steps:

Chaos

Ether

Element

Material

Chaos was formless, everything and nothing. Ether was pure energy that didn’t have any specific properties. Elemental essence referred to energy with the properties of earth, water, fire, or wind. Then, by mixing and combining multiple elements, matter that actually existed in the world was formed. (Now that I thought about it, it was confusing to use actual scientific terms to try and encapsulate such a fantastical phenomenon…)

“Margilus?”

“Don’t mind me, I’m just pondering how best to explain it. In other words…an alchemist can process matter into its constituent parts. By extracting elemental and ethereal essences, and then using them as ingredients in items and potions, you can create magical effects that aren’t fathomable in everyday life.”

To put it simply, when the fire element was added to a sword, it created a magical, flaming sword. When the water element was added to normal medicine, it became a healing potion.

“Right. But…how exactly do you extract elements and ether from matter?” Clara asked, a bit flustered.

“Easy. Crush it, burn it, melt it, boil it… You need to work with extremely small amounts if you want the process to go well.”

I took several tools from my Infinity Bag and lined them up on the desk. The small tools included an alembic, flask, mortar, pitcher, alcohol lamp, file, and hammer. Some bigger tools included a distiller, strainer, brazier, and more. The long desk was now filled with tools.

“They look like an apothecary’s tools.”

“Yeah, they’re probably similar. The most important is the Smelting Furnace. I can’t take it out here, but I’ll show you another day.”

The Smelting Furnace was basically a heater. However, this was the only tool that had been enchanted in advance, making it a vital magical tool. The furnaces themselves had to be about as tall as a child, so I planned to ask Valbo or the carpenter Zech to build a dedicated alchemy lab later.

“For now, until the laboratory is built, read your textbook and learn how each of these tools are used.”

“Okay!”

 

***

 

“Ahhh…”

“You worked so hard today, Lord.” After giving the children homework and finishing my first lecture, I went to my room to drink some tea. Mora seemed busy, so Reyha was serving me.

“I understood the theory,” Clara said, “but…this ‘chaos’ seems a bit overwhelming. Is it not dangerous?” She sat across from me, drinking her tea with elegance and poise. I didn’t think the slight frown on her face was due to the bitter taste of Reyha’s brew.

“Well, when it comes time to actually start making golems, we will have to be very careful. But I’m thinking I should start them with making potions.”

“Why is that?”

“One reason is that it will serve as practice before actually making golems. Think of it as prudent economic decision, so we don’t waste expensive materials.”

“Oh, I see…”

The silence felt somewhat awkward.

I racked my brain for a topic to change the mood. Just then, I remembered something that I’d wanted to try for a long time. “Now that I think about it, Clara and Reyha, you both like games, right?”

“Huh? Well, I like cards, and I know how to play games of strategy like War Board…”

“I’m very sorry,” said Reyha. “I do not really know much about human entertainment.”

It wasn’t an ideal reaction.

Actually, ever since becoming the lord of Castle Getaeus, I’d secretly wanted to play a fantasy tabletop RPG with genuine adventurers from a real fantasy world. You know, just to see how it went. I didn’t get many chances to work at it, since my duties kept me so busy, but I was already slowly putting together the rules and character sheets.

I did my best to sound enticing. “It’s actually a unique, exciting game that really reflects where I’m from.”

The two of them looked skeptical.

“Heh…”

“Is that so?”

Damn… Even as a genuine wizard, it still wasn’t easy to ask girls to join your campaign.

As I was struggling with this…

“Margilus, it’s almost time.” Ild had suddenly come to get me.

“Ahhh. Mmm.”

It was time for the feast to welcome all the guests who wanted to meet me.

 

***

 

While I was away, dozens of visitors had come to Castle Getaeus.

Most of them were messengers from the city-states of the Ryuse Alliance, all of which desired to join the anti-daemon alliance, just like Relis City.

Elisabel had already finished hearing their requests individually. She was currently on a diplomatic trip to the various cities of the Ryuse Alliance, negotiating terms of entry. Relis City Council Chairman Brauze was also doing some negotiations behind the scenes, so I was confident that all the talks would go well. Most of the messengers returned to their homes, satisfied, but some had insisted on meeting the wizard before going home, so they were waiting for this opportunity.

According to Reyha’s scouting, there was a spy among the messengers. I’m sure they wanted to gather as much information as possible, while also ensuring the benefit of the anti-daemon alliance. Considering my suspect existence, I couldn’t really fault them. Probably all of the messengers who’d insisted on meeting me and refused to go home wanted any bit of Great Wizard Margilus information they could get.

I also wanted to show them that I wasn’t a dangerous person. With the exception of illegal trespassing and harming residents of the castle, I ordered the dark elves to ignore the visitors and let them ask reasonable questions.

 

***

 

“Everyone! I present to you the lord of Castle Getaeus, the Great Wizard Geo Margilus.”

Reyha opened the door at Ild’s introduction.

The feast had already begun. I wasn’t trying to be fashionably late. This was protocol. Apparently, the lord typically arrived later if his guests were lower-ranked.

The great hall of the main tower, where the afternoon lecture had been held, was glittering with decorations. Tapestries depicted mythological scenes as well as geometrical patterns, and a carpet was spread out across the floor. They’d set out lace tablecloths only used for special occasions and candlesticks adorned with jewels. Ild and Clara had collected quite a few decorations for just such an occasion.

Then I saw Mora and the maids bringing out warm, freshly prepared dishes. Two of the dark elf sisters were in a corner of the hall playing a quiet song on their flutes.

There were over a dozen people seated around the hall. They were eating and smacking their lips, but when they saw me, they stood up.

“Greetings, everyone. I am the wizard, Geo Margilus—at your service.”

I exchanged handshakes with several of the messengers, studying their faces. When I sat down in my chair, which had been raised higher than the others, they took their seats as well. I’d already been lectured half to death by Clara about ceremonial etiquette. But I always worried about what I might be screwing up without realizing it.

“I’ve heard of your past negotiations from my own diplomats,” I flattered one fellow. “I hope to build good relationships with the cities of Ryuse and protect the people from the threat of daemons.”

“Margilus!” someone greeted me enthusiastically.

“Hail Margilus, guardian of Ryuse!”

“Thank you both. Tonight, we toast to the future prosperity of Ryuse and Getaeus. Eat and drink to your heart’s content.”

I raised one hand to quiet the applause and cheering. Soon, the guests turned back to enjoying the food and drink in front of them. The gentle music from the flutes continued.

While the messengers were fairly restrained and polite, the atmosphere of the party was still enjoyable. As the guests all belonged to the Ryuse alliance, I did see some familiar faces. But there was some tension, and I could tell that they were observing my words and behavior.

“Mister Margilus, are you satisfied with the food tonight?”

The chief maid—in other words, Mora—asked me about the dishes she’d served as Reyha refilled my wine glass. She stood up straight with a perfect smile on her face. It was the face of a professional.

“Most satisfied indeed. Thank you, Chief Maid.”

My reply followed proper etiquette for a host, but I meant every word. The chicken pie I’d just eaten was exquisite.

“I’m flattered by your praise.” Mora bowed respectfully, the corners of her eyes scrunching in happiness as she did her best not to smile. She then excused herself and resumed serving the guests.

Next, Clara came over to me. “Margilus, may I introduce you to a guest?”

“Mmm, please.”

Clara put one hand atop the other across her chest as she made her distinctive bow. She wore a pure white dress decorated with golden thread. While it left much of her skin exposed, the design fit her curves perfectly and was a treat to look at.

I was so mesmerized that I forgot my manners and spoke without thinking. “You look amazing, Clara. Truly beautiful.”

“Th…that isn’t proper manners…”

Luckily, Clara soon recovered from her momentary stutter and her red lips broke into a smile. I guess that proved we’d become close enough to tolerate a few missteps in good humor.

“My name is Kozmar Beilg. I represent the council of Soler City, a member of the Ryuse Alliance.”

The first guest she’d brought me was a man of solemn expression. I offered him a single bow. He was powerful in his home city, which was the biggest city-state represented at the banquet. I remembered dealing with Soler City in the past.

“Nice to meet you, Councilor Beilg. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Indeed. Your warm hospitality is most impressive, Lord Margilus. I would like to express our gratitude to you once again for saving a village belonging to our city. I have left tokens of appreciation with your steward.”

“I did nothing more than my duty as a wizard. Please give my regards to the people of Soler, especially the city council chairman. All who fight the daemons are friends of Geo Margilus.”

“Thank you for your encouraging words. If the people hear the tales of Margilus, a man who commands giants to bring down stone, hope will bloom anew in their hearts.”

Thigs were going at a good pace.

I was nervous at first, but it went better than I’d expected. Of course, it was all thanks to Ild, Mora, and Clara, who made sure everything was prepared perfectly for me.

 

***

 

One afternoon…

I had some free time and decided to take Reyha on a patrol of the castle. It wasn’t a leisurely walk to kill time, but a serious examination.

Two pigs, a mother and her piglet, were frolicking around the yard. Things seemed quite lively.

“Don’t shake the tip of your sword around! Hold steady and protect your front!”

“Y-yessir… Owww!”

Djirk was training several soldiers in the courtyard. His wooden sword hit the young soldier hard on the shoulder. Ouch. That looks painful.

I didn’t want to get in the way, so I changed directions and muttered something I’d just thought of. “Come to think of it, this castle doesn’t have one of those…”

“What are you talking about, my lord?” Reyha remained as faithful as ever.

“A doctor. Or a physician, or healer, or anything like that would be fine.”

“If you need healing, why don’t you ask Lord Torrad?”

“That won’t do on its lonesome. Torrad’s healing powers can only be used a certain number of times per day. And a doctor’s job isn’t just about healing wounds.”

Why hadn’t I noticed it before? Castle Getaeus was no longer a fortress full of healthy soldiers, but a town where hundreds of people lived, including children and elderly.

Well, it had only been in the last few days that the head count had suddenly increased, and even then there might not have been a problem if everyone was generally healthy.

The important thing was routine health care and hygiene management to prevent the outbreak of contagion or plague. Compared to modern Japan, the customs and concepts of disinfection and disease prevention in this world were considerably lacking. There was a sewer in Relis City, so it was still much better than the medieval Europe that I’d read about, but that wasn’t much of a baseline.

Work that would require a wide range of medical knowledge would be a bit too much for Torrad. I’m sure there was a healers’ guild in Relis City. I wonder if they could dispatch personnel.

“In that case, my lord…”

“Hmm? Do you already have someone in mind?” Reyha didn’t suggest her own ideas very often, so I felt a certain anticipation.

“There’s someone called the master physician in the Schultz clan.”

“Hmm…I see.”

It was Reyha who patrolled the castle every day as part of our defense. She heard things that never reached my ears.

Master physician, huh? Like Diane’s role as warmaster, it probably denoted someone in charge of the clan’s medical care. If they could manage the whole castle on top of that, then things would work out nicely.

 

***

 

“My lord, this is the house of the master physician.”

For a Schultz clan matter, I naturally turned to Diane. I decided to go to the Schultz camp with her at once. After passing through the inner gate from the upper courtyard, we came to the lower courtyard, which had been created by the labor of giants. It was surrounded by a brand-new exterior wall. Dwarves and workers were hard at work constructing the inns and warehouses we’d need when Castle Getaeus became a trading hub in the future.

The huts of the Schultz people were lined up in one corner. The dwarves had probably aided in their construction, too; they looked sturdy and well built. Diane took me to the second largest hut after the patriarch’s. There was a strange smell in the air—sweet but grassy.

“Auntie Sarria, are you in?”

“Oh, Princess. What’s wrong? Did you get in a fight?”

The master physician was a large woman around the same age as me, or a little bit older. She reminded me of the wife of a ramen shop owner near my home in Japan. She was wearing a long, full robe made of the classic Schultz fur.

“It’s not for me. Lord Margilus says he wants to talk to you.”

“Huh? Oh, oh! Beelzebub!” Sarria—who looked like she weighed somewhere around a hundred kilos—got flustered when she noticed me. “I am Sarria, master physician for the Schultz clan.”

“Please relax. I’ve been wanting to speak to you about your role a bit. Do you have time? If you’re busy, I can some back another day.”

Diane seized on one of my words. “Time! You have time, right? If not, you can just make time!”

I didn’t have any appointments, so I was taking a reserved approach, but Diane jumped in more forcefully.

“If you’re busy,” I assured her, “it’s fine, really.”

“Well, it’s all right, Beelzebub—er, Mister Master Lord Margilus, sir. If I can be of service, please, ask me anything.”

“Really? Well, okay then…”

I looked around the healer’s workspace, searching for an icebreaker to get the discussion rolling.

The walls were lined with dried plants and pots containing powders and liquids. Pharmaceutical tools similar to the alchemy ones I’d produced the other day were present in large numbers, things like mortars, mills, and small distillers.

“It’s embarrassing, but when we were driven from the Holy Precincts by the daemons, I left most of my herbs and tools behind.”

“Oh right… I’m sure you can find anything you need in Healwood Village.”

I made a mental note to tell Ild to give her some money. Now that Sarria seemed to have relaxed a little, I shifted to why I was there.

“Well, I wanted to ask you: Do you think there are issues with this castle in terms of preventing disease and staying healthy? Give me your true, honest opinion.”

I watched silently.

The expression on her face suggested she couldn’t bring herself to say what she wanted to. She clammed right up. She didn’t look confused about my question at all.

Eventually, she found her voice. “W-well, I apologize in advance…but first of all, they say it’s not good for livestock dung to be lying around all willy-nilly, so there really should be an enclosed barn. And! They say that it’s best to practice the custom of purifying the hands and mouth with water. Would you be able to increase the wells by one or two more? Water is necessary to clean the dishes and clothes…and for cleaning and managing the lavatories.”

Sarria instantly came up with a concrete plan for environmental improvements. It wasn’t as if I’d asked and she’d come up with it on the spot; she’d already had these ideas in mind. Without a doubt, she had more ideas and knowledge about hygiene management.

I asked a sneaky question. “What do you think is the cause of disease?”

“In the stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, the cause of most diseases is invisible, poisonous air mixed in with the clean air. Such poisonous air comes from feces, rotten food, and mud, so when you touch something like that, you have to remove the poison.”

“And in such tales, how does one remove the poison?”

“With alcohol. The ingredient that makes people intoxicated has the power to eliminate the poison.”

Oh my. Her knowledge is better than I’d hoped…

It was a little abstract, but she was talking about bacterial infections and alcohol disinfection. On Earth, they hadn’t really figured that out until the eighteenth or nineteenth century.

“And I’d like to ask one more thing. If a man was stabbed with a sword in an accident during training, how would you treat him?”

“Well… I would first wash the wound cleanly with alcohol or water. Stopping the bleeding is also important. If the wound is large, I would sew it together with needle and thread. After that, I would feed him kirine grass broth to remove any poison that went into the body. Finally, the wounded should rest and recover.”

“Hmmm…”

I was utterly impressed with Sarria’s smooth and articulate explanation of her treatment method. She could even give stitches!

When I didn’t respond right away, Diane grew anxious. “Is that good enough? Will our master physician’s knowledge be useful to you?”

“Oh, of course. I was only amazed at the wisdom of the Schultz clan.”

“Heh heh… Well, good!”

Sarria was more subdued. “Earning your praise will please our ancestors, Lord Margilus.”

Diane looked up at me, and I gave her a pat on the head. She narrowed her eyes, looking pleased. She was cute in just the way a girl her age should be.

“Oh, I just had an idea.” Diane suddenly drew a dagger from her waist. I never would have expected what she planned to do next.

“You want to see how Sarria treats wounds, right? In that case, I just need to make one!”

I shouted before I knew it. “Stop that at once!”

“Stupid girl!” Reyha snarled.

I hadn’t shouted like that in a long time. Diane’s dagger, which was a second away from mutilating her own arm, got knocked out of her hand by Reyha. She had appeared faster than any of us could notice.

“Wow!” Diane gaped. “My lord, I…”

“Such a demonstration will not be necessary,” I said gravely. “You are an important vassal. Don’t hurt yourself over nothing.”

After the blow to her wrist, Diane’s red eyes were filled more with despair than with anger.

I thought there would be some danger when she’d decided to bring some of the Schultz clan to join us at Castle Getaeus, but I didn’t think she would do something so extreme. I couldn’t think of anything to do to comfort Diane after she’d almost resorted to self-harm except to hug her and rub her back.

“Really? Am I really important to you, my lord? You won’t cast me away?”

“No…I’d never do that. You’re absolutely important. So you make sure to take care of yourself, too.”

 

***

 

A few minutes later, Diane had calmed down. “Okay… I won’t do something like that again. I’m very sorry, my lord.”

“It’s all right. Everything’s fine now, so don’t worry about it.”

I didn’t realize how emotionally unstable she’d become. She must still be suffering from all the tumult she went through back at her hometown…

“A-anyway.” I decided to set aside Diane’s problem for now (it seemed that’s what I always did with problems) and addressed Sarria again.

“I find your medical knowledge to be outstanding. Therefore, I would like to ask you to manage medicine and sanitation not only for the Schultz clan, but for the entirety of Castle Getaeus.”

“You really want me to take on such a large role?”

I wasn’t expecting an answer right away, and I would need Ild to arrange personnel and facilities, but I definitely wanted her to be the chief medical officer of the castle.

Diane and Reyha looked at Sarria, wondering why she was hesitating over such an easy decision.

“I’ll do it,” Sarria answered right away.

“Then you have my thanks.”

 

***

 

Inside Castle Getaeus, Mora and Reyha came to Clara’s private quarters. They were getting together for tea.

“Madam,” Reyha reported. “The jeweler who came from Relis City the other day was a spy, as expected.”

“Oh my, so we were right.”

Mora and Reyha made the tea while Clara arranged baked goods on a plate. Clara normally had a strong sense of hierarchy and refused to do any chores. She only made an exception when having tea with this particular group.

However, there was something fishy about Reyha’s report.

“It seems they held no intentions of conducting an assassination or planning a disturbance. Perhaps they were only checking on things and confirming their means of communication with the lady.”

“Good job. If that’s the case, you can leave it alone.”

“Understood.”

“Hmmm…”

It wasn’t a subject that Mora was very involved in. Hearing the word “spy” made her awfully uneasy. “Spies sure are scary. Isn’t it better to get rid of them?”

“Even if we kick out one or two spies, they’ll just send others. The problem is the side that sends the spies. That’s why it’s better to leave the spies that only listen for rumors alone. That makes them feel more secure,” Clara explained.

“Secure?” Mora’s eyes grew round.

“Our lord’s power is great, and he has a very different way of thinking than most people. That is fearsome to the rulers of the world.”

“That’s why we show the spy that there are many people on Margilus’s side who think normally, and that the lord is also living a normal life.”

Clara and Reyha understood well that Geo’s ethics and values were very different from the dominant ideologies of their world. They were also well aware of how much fear the presence of an individual with the power to obliterate an entire country, and who acted outside of the social norms, would cause rulers.

Mora sighed and tilted her head to the side. “I’m sorry. I’m not educated in these sorts of things…”

“You’re just fine the way you are.” Clara nodded coolly.

“But I want to do more for Mister Geo… Oh! Shall I help you find spies?”

Mora was indeed a normal girl, but she was the first one to jump at the chance to follow the strange existence that was the great wizard.

“You’re like my own flesh and blood. If I were to put you at risk, he’d be very, very angry with us.”

“The master’s punishment… Ah… Y-you’re right. To take such risks is rightly our role.”

Clara shrugged her shoulders. For some reason, Reyha’s face reddened, and Mora still seemed apologetic.

“Listen, Mora.” Clara whispered as she put her hands on both of Mora’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. “The reason I just told you that you’re like family is because you are someone who wants to help him no matter what. For me, the most effective way to help is to use my position and knowledge. For Reyha, it’s to use her skills in battle and subterfuge. Mora…what are you good at?”

“My…” Mora looked down at the floor as she thought, but then quickly looked back up into Clara’s eyes. “I’m good at cleaning, laundry, cooking, sewing, talking to strangers, and helping my father. And everything that gives Mister Geo energy!”

“That’s right. So…how about you focus on that?”

“Can do!”

“Good answer.” Clara praised Mora’s cheerful response, then she thought to herself. Hopefully, Mora’s pure and wholesome style will keep Geo grounded here. Even if that means that I’ll never be more than his loud-mouthed assistant.

 

***

 

Castle Getaeus seemed to be running smoothly.

Nox, a young boy who’d gone to Relis City to procure food, came back with many wagons overflowing with meat and grains.

Ild was quite impressed that an unsophisticated country boy had done so well at his task in the big city.

The students were busy taking Torrad’s classes as well as trying to extract the “water element” from herbs. The alchemy lab was complete, and soon they would finally be able to try making real potions.

The castle soldiers, Schultz clan, and warriors were rotating shifts to guard the area around Castle Getaeus and the trade route.

I’d already requested the dwarves build a treatment center for Sarria, our newly appointed medical officer. Emergency construction was underway. She immediately visited Healwood Village and picked up a number of herbs. At Ild’s suggestion, we decided to hire a number of young people from Healwood Village to serve as assistants to the medical officer.

In the future, we planned to have several soldiers learn first aid techniques.

Trade route construction was also going well. Of course, the complete route from Castle Getaeus to Axeholm and Filsand wasn’t yet complete, but the parts that required my giants and worm monsters for large-scale construction and tunneling were already finished.