Chapter 1 Episode 10: Accident
The next day.
In the end, we never went to the church in Keleban Town. There was a church in the town of Gimul where we were heading, so I’d just go there. Until then, I’d just pray to the stone statues I sculpted yesterday.
Thus, we’d enjoy our relaxing carriage trip until then — or so I thought...
“It’s a little cold...”
“Because of the rain, I suppose.”
“It’s a bit strange for rain to come pouring down so hard in this season, though.”
“Looks like we were unlucky, Elia.”
Several hours after we left town, we were hit by a downpour that was apparently out of season. The road was extremely muddy and caused the carriage to shake more, so progress was slow. Honestly speaking, it had been a while since I’d experienced any bad luck.
Ever since coming to this world, nothing had happened to make me consider myself unlucky even once, unlike on Earth. We were inside a carriage too, so maybe a bit of rain wasn’t even that unlucky? Just as that thought crossed my mind, I was proven wrong. The carriage came to a stop and an escort immediately came over.
“My Lord, it appears the rain has caused a landslide up ahead. We have confirmed that the road will be blocked for the foreseeable future.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“Yes, it’s completely blocked. There are quite a few boulders and trees that have fallen as well, so we cannot pass like this.”
“Any detour?”
“The route is still being confirmed, but it will be quite a distance from here, and all the possible roads have had reports of large bandit groups. According to one of the men with a weather forecasting skill, the rain should stop in a few hours. I suggest we make camp away from the landslide while waiting for the rain to stop, then work from tonight to tomorrow to clear the road so we can reach Gimul Town as soon as possible. If I may ask for My Lord’s opinion...”
Reinhart thought for a moment before answering.
“Yes, that seems best. Long journeys are tough on Elia, since she isn’t used to them yet, and we want to avoid dangerous roads. We shall follow your suggestion.”
“Thank you very much. We shall begin preparations immediately.”
The carriage moved once more. I heard them say there was a tree up ahead that they could take shelter from the rain under, but wasn’t it bad to stand under a tree in pouring rain...? Well, I suppose it was fine as long as I couldn’t hear thunder. I’d just make sure to stay at least two meters away from the trunk of the tree. That should be safer than nothing in case lightning strikes.
The carriage stopped again five minutes later, the people surrounding us bustling about with their work while Araune came inside our carriage.
“We are currently hurrying to set up camp. Please wait a little longer.”
Araune said with a smile, but my eyes were much more worried about the escorts I could see running about in the rain behind Araune. As someone who had previously worked for an exploitative employer back on Earth, I knew that an amateur trying to help out would only get in the way, but I still felt bad sitting around while other people were working.
Come to think of it, I had a rain-warding barrier amongst my barrier magic. It’s been so long since I used it, I completely forgot about it. That shouldn’t get in the way of their work!
“May I use barrier magic?”
“Hmm? Why so suddenly?”
Oh no, I was too abrupt. They wouldn’t understand what I was thinking of going by that alone.
“Outside, people getting wet... Use rain-warding barrier... block the rain. Easier to work.”
“I see, that would be helpful. I’m sure they would appreciate if you could do that for them.”
Once I received permission, I took a coat out of my Item Box that I had made from animal fur. The fur was on the inside of the coat while cloth was stuck to the outside, making it seem inside-out at first glance. But that was the right way to wear it. The outside cloth was painted with the sticky solution of a sticky slime that hardened into a resin-like coating, making it a useful piece of gear that could deflect water. Hunting on rainy days became significantly easier after making this.
I quickly put it on and approached where the people were to activate my barrier magic.
“Rain Ward, cover them and become their shield from the falling rain.”
After chanting the spell, a dome-shaped barrier appeared above the workers to block the rain. Neither the barrier nor the magical energy were visible to the eye, so the people looked surprised at the rain coming to a sudden stop. However, Camil noticed in the middle of his work and waved his hand in thanks. The others followed suit and thanked me too, but I stopped them with a wave of my hand and eyed my next target.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to cover the entire area with one barrier, so there were still four other spots where people were gathered that I had to cover. I started with the areas closest to me and went through them in order, finishing off with a barrier over the carriage upon my return.
“Good work, Ryoma.”
“Thank you... Wave.”
I sent the remaining droplets flying off with water magic, before returning to my seat for some warm tea. Then the conversation changed to the topic of my raincoat.
“I’ve never seen that kind of raincoat before, did you make it yourself?”
“Yes.”
“It seems to repel water very well. Were there any animals in the Forest of Gana with furs that could repel water so ably...?”
“All I did was... paint on the sticky solution of a sticky slime... and let it dry. Water won’t seep in. Repels rain.”
“Sticky slime solution had such a property?”
Wait, they didn’t know?
“You didn’t know?”
“The sticky solution of sticky slimes is only used as a glue.”
Really? For some reason, it looked like Reinbach and Elise had sparkles in their eyes. So even this was a new discovery?! Just how deficient was slime research...?
“Would you let me try that raincoat on for a moment?”
“Just to try.”
I took several pieces out from my Item Box.
“This processed cloth. It’s thin, so it’s obvious it doesn’t let water through... it’s worn out. But if you use the cleaner slime before processing, it isn’t dirty.”
They used to be scraps from bandits and goblin loincloths, so let’s just ignore how worn out it was.
When I offered the cloth out, Reinbach, Elise, and even Reinhart and Sebas took the cloth and wrapped it around their hands before sticking them outside the window to wet them against the rainwater flowing along the barrier.
“Oh! It really is repelling the water!”
“The water isn’t soaking through at all.”
“There’s still the slight cold sensation of the rainwater, but that could be averted comfortably with some fur on the inside, like Ryoma’s raincoat.”
“Ryoma, would you like to collaborate with us to develop these raincoats as a prod...”
“Excuse me. Did you need anything?”
While the four were testing the effects, Araune opened the door to the carriage. Apparently, the signal to summon her while she was sitting outside the carriage had been a hand out the window.
“No, it was nothing. Ryoma was just showing us the raincoat he had developed.”
“Is that so? Then I shall take my leave.”
She moved to close the door, but not before I noticed that her clothes were wet. Araune must have been leaving the barrier to do work as well. I called out to her in a hurry to get her attention as I pulled out a curtain from my Item Box, that was originally from some bandit loot and had been processed to be waterproof.
“Wait, please... Araune.”
“Yes, did you need something?”
“This, for the rain... won’t get wet.”
“You’re letting me borrow this?”
“Getting wet will be cold. At least cover yourself.”
“Thank you very much. I shall borrow this for a while.”
Araune thanked me with a smile and left, leaving the rest of us to discuss the waterproof cloth enthusiastically.
As far as I could tell from the discussion, the main form of rain protection in this kingdom was made from leather. Larger items like tents were heavy and took up a lot of space. In contrast, the waterproof cloth only needed sticky solution to be painted on and dried, making it much more compact and foldable than leather.
Furthermore, rain protection was meant to be used in the rain. This meant that the rain and dirt got everywhere, staining materials such as leather. It could also grow moldy, too. Of course, they could be protected from that with maintenance, but cleaning the dirt, applying oil, and drying it again... it was all effort. In that regard, the waterproof cloth repelled water and dirt so it was much harder to get dirty, and it could be washed in water too. All it needed was a rinse and dry to clean it.
In reality, all I did was use the water magic Wave to brush off the droplets, then hang it somewhere to dry every time. Even then, it was never really a trouble.
After most of the explanations were done, the conversation moved on to what kinds of things it could be specifically used for. I suggested raincoats and umbrellas with my modern knowledge, then heard about the tools in this world... It finally felt like I had come to a typical other world! Actually, I should have received magic as my power... why did it seem like things were leaning towards internal affairs?
Knowledge of modern concepts and products were the equivalent of cheat codes in this world, right?
As we discussed things, the tent preparations were completed. Honestly, I had forgotten that we were waiting.
“Sorry for the wait! The tents are all ready. Also, the others said to tell the kid thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“How much longer until the rain stops?”
“The skill user said another two to three hours, then we’ll begin removing the landslide dirt.”
“All right. Take breaks in shifts until then, and make sure the earth magicians have plenty of rest.”
“Got it.”
We watched Zeph head off to pass on the orders before entering the tent.
To my surprise, there was a large space in the middle of the tent that split off into four individual rooms around the edges. It was a large and luxurious tent.
“The road was a lot bumpier than normal, so make sure you rest well.”
“Yes, I will rest up... to work hard later.”
They were already letting me ride in the carriage with them and providing me with accommodation, so I wanted to do at least this much. That’s why I answered that, but Reinbach looked confused.
“Work hard? What for?”
“The landslide dirt... I will remove it... with my earth magic.”
“The escorts can handle that, so you can rest, you know?”
“I’ve been in your care so much already. It will be for my own sake. Please let me do it.”
“Hmm... Then you can help out, if you insist. However, you must take breaks if you get tired, understand? You’ve already used barrier magic so many times, and running out of magic energy is painful.”
Oh, so he was worried about that. I was very grateful for the consideration.
“Thank you very much, I’ll be careful.”
Several hours after that exchange...
The downpour stopped as predicted, so work began on clearing the aftermath of the landslide. The escorts who could use earth magic were split into squads around me, each clearing away the dirt. In particular, the squad consisting of mostly earth magicians, who were using Break Rock to break the large boulders and Rock to compact the dirt to an appropriate size, was completing the removal work more efficiently than the other squads.
As for what I was doing among them, I had Create Block — a spell I created by combining Break Rock and Rock while I was trying to hollow out my cave in the forest. By using that to create a large number of blocks at once, I could change the dirt into something the slimes could carry.
What I could tell from the beginning was that the others were dealing with the dirt and stone separately, while I was going considerably faster owing to dealing with both of those at once. Furthermore, because the slimes were set up to carry the blocks in a bucket brigade style, all I had to do was use magic. The work progressed at a tremendously fun and fast pace.
Seeing me like that, one of the escort men came over.
“Do you have a moment?”
“How can I help?”
“Ryoma, was it? Just how are you using that magic? My principal occupation is a swordsman, so I’m not that good at magic... But I’ve never seen a spell that deals with both dirt and stone at once. Could you teach it to me, if possible?”
“This is a spell called Create Block. Anyone who can use Break Rock and Rock should be able to use this as well... You know how Break Rock turns stone into dirt, and Rock turns dirt into stone?”
“Yeah.”
“So, you just imagine, turning stone into dirt and dirt into stone as one spell. If you do that, all the stones within range of your magic will turn to dirt... and all the dirt will stay as dirt until they become stone in the next step. This is the step where you make the stone a size you want... In my case, it’s this size that’s easy for the slimes to carry.”
The man nodded in understanding and tried it on a nearby boulder. The resulting blocks were of varying size, but he had successfully turned both stone and dirt into stones of more manageable size that could be carried.
“Ooh! It really worked! It looks like it’ll take some practice before I can get the stones a consistent size, but it consumes less magic energy than doing the two actions separately. Thanks, Ryoma.”
“No... I’m happy to help.”
He asked for permission to teach the others, which I agreed with, as one or two people wouldn’t make much difference, and he ran off to teach the others Create Block.
As I worked silently beside the sidelong glances of the escorts, the sun set before I knew it, and the order to stop for the day was given out.
“Welcome back, Ryoma.”
When I returned to the tent, Elise came out to greet me, but...
“Bwugh!”
“Ryoma! You worked so hard!”
“L-Let go... my n-neck...”
I was about to return the greeting when she grabbed me in a hug.
C-Can’t breathe! My nose and mouth are buried in her chest! I beg of you, let g—
“My Lady! You’re strangling him! Please let go!”
“Huh? Ah!”
“Gwuh! Hah...”
“I’m sorry! Are you okay?!”
“Hah... Yes, I’m fine. Umm... Lilian, right?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Thank you very much. You saved me...”
“No, I’m glad you’re safe. The food is ready, would you like to eat now?”
“Yes, please.”
She then proceeded to lead me to a table in an inner room.
“Hello, Ryoma. I heard you were a great help. Thanks for your hard work.”
“Can you eat? Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“My body is fine.”
“Oh ho, I thought you used quite a bit of magic?”
“It was amazing, that spell. Create Block, was it?”
“That’s right.”
“Thanks to Ryoma’s slimes and that spell you taught to all of the earth magicians, it looks like we’ll be able to finish clearing up the landslide earlier than expected.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
From what they told me, one person from today had mastered Create Block perfectly, while three others were able to use it proficiently, speeding up the process a great deal. For the record, the one who mastered it was Golche, the man who spoke to me first. Eventually, dinner was brought over for everyone to dig in, which was when Eliaria asked me a question.
“Ryoma, Ryoma. How much magic energy do you have?”
“Huh?”
Come to think of it, how much magic energy did I have right now? I heard it was meant to increase with prolonged use of magic, but...
“Is something the matter?”
“I don’t... know.”
“Huh?! But normally a ten-year-old would have gone to the church for... Oh, I see. Ryoma lived in the forest... Then how did you know your limit before now?”
“The feeling of my body... and intuition.”
“And that works out for you?”
“I got used to it, so it’s not a problem. Do people normally get measured at 10 years old?”
“In normal households, yes. They have the church measure their status. That’s when it’s decided whether a future as a magician is viable, from looking at the magic energy number. Us nobles get measured at 5 years old and begin training early, though. Well, if you managed to continuously use so much magic without feeling the effects of depletion, you must have a pretty high limit.”
The topic moved on from there, turning to plans for the future and our destination town next.
After the meal, I was allocated a room inside the tent. There were no more duties left for me today, and tomorrow would start with more dirt clearing before departing on the journey. I should get to bed early to rest... but there was one thing bothering me.
During dinner, when we were talking about my magic energy. Eliaria’s eyes kept glancing at me while we were discussing it. That was a thoughtful look she had, right? While I noticed her gaze, I have no idea why she was looking at me like that. We only talked about magic energy for a little while... but I was starting to think the topic was changed on purpose, so that we didn’t linger on it.
Did I say something wrong? I was curious. But I missed the chance to ask. Next time I get an opportunity, I’ll ask. It would be ideal if there was a way to ask casually, but otherwise, I’d just wait until we got a little closer...
Speaking of which, how long have I been thinking for? Likely quite a while, judging from how heavy my eyelids are.
Unable to resist the call of sleep, I nodded off like that.
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