425: A Sweet Cauldron
In the center of the stone boiling hut sat a large cauldron.
The iron trivet was polished and rust-free. And under the trivet was a giant stone slab, with an enchantment carved in the form of a magic circle.
After a brief lecture from the dark elf female technician, I took my place in one of the eight positions, which were indicated by circles, for the mana supply.
—The large amount of mana I possessed was, for the most part, meaningless.
In battle, with my large amount of mana, it would be difficult to kill me, as a Greater Wraith who had optimized my body for combat and had boosted it with physical enhancement magic.
But there was no enemy to wield that power against. I was by no means invincible, but in the sense that there was ‘no enemy,’ I was relatively safe.
So, my mana, aside from supplying the death knights and the Barghests, had no other use.
But today was different. Now, in this place, it was needed.
“Please supply mana to the furnace.”
“Understood. —Activating.”
I poured in the mana that I usually stored and circulated throughout my body, and which I mainly consumed to supply the death knights.
From my feet, the visualized mana flowed into the magic circle like water, and the lines began to glow.
A fire was lit in the center of the stone slab.
The flickering flame soon became a roaring fire, and it began to heat the iron pot.
The dark elf woman, who was the technician in charge of controlling the magical furnace, called out.
“I’ll handle the heat. And as for maintaining a stable state, aside from the initial startup, it’s mostly up to the magic circle, so please do so.”
“Yes.”
She looked a little anxious.
“…Are you sure you’re alright? I think… with this amount, it will take a considerable amount of time. If necessary, we can provide assistance, and the same goes for breaks.”
“Thank you. But I think I’ll be fine.”
It wasn’t for nothing that I was feeding the ‘gluttonous’ death knights on a daily basis.
As I gazed at the flame that continued to burn without any firewood, I felt a sense of relaxation, and I sat down on the magic circle.
A full day had passed, and the contents had been changed several times. The only breaks were in between those tasks.
The person who was stirring with a long stick, to prevent it from burning, had her hair tied back with a cloth, so that her sweat wouldn’t drip, and she was also given a resistance to fire and heat—or so I had thought, but her face was flushed and red.
I was in a state of nothingness. I was sitting cross-legged, imitating a zazen meditation, which I had always wanted to try but had never had the chance to.
The flow of mana was like a river. The mountains stored it, it flowed to the sea, it carved the stones, and then it returned to the mountains as rain. To grasp and to control this flow was to hold all of mana, all of this world, in my hands—
“We’re moving to the next pot. Please turn off the fire for a moment, and take a break.”
“…Ah, yes.”
For a moment, my reply was delayed. I had a feeling I had been on the verge of grasping the truth. But like a dream that you couldn’t catch after you had woken up, it did not return. It was probably a truth like, ‘a girl in a maid uniform is cute.’ I had always felt that, and I knew it well.
“Is there… any problem?”
“…There is. Call Amy.”
“…A problem? What is it?”
Amy, who had been called, had a serious expression on her face. Her dark brown eyes looked at me, who was still sitting, with a worried look.
“Are you… feeling unwell?”
“My heart is unwell. I’m dying of boredom.”
“Give me back my worry.”
It was a good example of how, in just two weeks, even a stranger could say such a thing to a supreme commander of the Demon King’s army.
“…Ah, no. But that must be hard, too.”
There had been a little bit of a joke in it, but the fact that the boredom was quite serious was true. I was relieved that she had shown some understanding.
She sat down in front of me and met my gaze.
“So, what should I do?”
“…I’d like to hear some stories about Liz when she was a child, but is that not allowed during work?”
“…Well, as long as you’re proper, that should be fine. —Hey, is it alright if we talk?”
The technician nodded.
“I don’t mind. …Normally, even with a team of eight, it’s a heavy labor, with no room for talking.”
The furnace, which continued to maintain a high heat, was a mana-eater. Even for her, the technician, the mana consumption itself was not so great, but the control was a delicate task and a heavy burden. She had looked tired, and when I had praised her during a break, she had said that since there were no replacements in the village now, she was prepared to work all night.
In this situation, all we could do was to meet that resolve, but we had to make sure that there were replacements next year.
I thought about that—and then I put it aside and turned to Amy.
“Ah, but I don’t have many.”
“Even the trivial things are fine.”
“…She was good at hunting. And with a bow, but when she took down a Starhorn with a spear when she was eighteen, I was a little taken aback.”
…Wasn’t that a deer, classified as a magical beast, with the romantic name of ‘a star that lights up between its antlers’? Its fur, its meat, and its magnificent antlers were sought after, but it was hard to say that it was being overhunted. Since it was a herbivore, it wasn’t ferocious, but it was not uncommon for a hunter to be defeated. Even for a beastman, depending on its size, to be able to take it down alone was a feat that would earn you respect. By dark elf standards, for a girl who was two years away from adulthood to take it down was a big deal.
“By the way, what was its size?”
“A rather large one. She had its head mounted, and she was saving the money she had gotten from selling the meat and the fur, to use as travel funds to go and volunteer for the army.”
“I see…” And I also became a little anxious. …Normally, you wouldn’t target such a large animal. There were recruitment offices in the larger towns, and the travel expenses to get there should have been manageable, even with a village life. She had honed her skills… and it seemed she had been acting so that she could live on her own.
“She had said she wanted to eat at the street stalls before she volunteered… she had asked the people who had gone to the city about their reputation…”
“…I see.” A pre-adult Liz was cute.
I was worried about her recklessness, even now, but to think that such a child would go on to hone her skills as an assassin who could completely control herself… was a deeply moving thought.
“Was that a boring story?”
I shook my head firmly and denied it.
“No, that’s the kind of thing I want to hear.”
And the story continued.
“Liz, in the old days, didn’t seem to be interested in romance. Though it seems there were some who were after her.”
“Details.”
“No, her eyes were scary. I’ve never heard of anyone who actually made a move. And she had also declared that she would leave the village when she came of age.”
“I see… but for reference, details.”
“It’s an old story. And besides, I don’t want to sell out my friend… or… rather…”
“I understand. And on top of that, details. …Amy?”
Her words had been cut short, and I had felt a sense of unease—and a sense of déjà vu. I slowly looked behind me, in the direction of Amy’s gaze.
“What are you trying to find out… may I ask? ‘Master’?”
Liz, with a smiling face. But her eyes were not smiling, which was, on the contrary, scary.
“W-wait. That’s… the person you love’s past, don’t you want to know?”
“It would be a lie to say I don’t. …It depends on the content. And besides, what are you going to do, asking about things I don’t even know?”
“Nothing. I know my limits. I’ll just quietly expand my Liz folder in my heart.”
“What kind of documents are in that folder?”
Come to think of it, I had just used it normally, but I had a feeling the origin of the word was something like a binder.
“Things that are precious to me.”
“…Ah, the kind of things that other people don’t care about at all.”
“Hey, is this a newlywed couple’s conversation?”
“It probably depends on the person.”
Liz placed her hands on her hips and looked exasperated.
“I love the current you, and we’re married, so that’s enough, isn’t it?”
To be hit with such a straightforward line, even I was a little embarrassed. I fell silent, my cheeks hot, and she turned her gaze to Amy.
“Amy, in moderation.”
“Y-yes.”
“Master? You shouldn’t be slacking off.”
“Yes…”
Liz’s smile turned gentle.
“Even you must be tired, Master, but let’s take a break later.”
‘A break’…? Since we had come to this village, I wasn’t sure if Liz had been able to truly rest.
Liz, her scarf fluttering with a movement that was unrelated to her walking, left, in a rather cheerful mood. Amy muttered.
“…So, which one is the more important one?”
“Probably Liz.”
