Material handling crew, this way!　Place base materials in the proposed construction zone in the designated order!　Complementary materials, wood and stone, are fine on the periphery!

　Following the instructions of the members of the Golden Fang Knights, the hired adventurers and workers bring in the materials for the base 【Restoration】.

　First, we start with the soil.
　The original ground was dug up shallowly beforehand and filled in with the soil and stones used for the foundation of the demolished building.

　Then place the remnants of the building to be relocated on top, and place as much wood and stone as needed from within the dungeon.

　The procedure in this area was devised by the royal palace's architectural engineer.

　It seems that the idea is that the foundation will be stronger than simply 【Restoration】, but since I haven't repeated it enough times to verify the extent of the effect, I personally think it's just a consolation prize.

'Mr. Luke. As I told you the other day, I would like you to not use the soil and rocks in the ground when you do the [restoration].

One of the technicians goes over the policy in between tasks.

He remembers it well. There are numerous underground tunnels here, and they could collapse if we dig deeper.
Yes. Of course it's all right if we do nothing, and the tunnels themselves are uninhabited ruins, abandoned long ago.

　The rocky mountains in the Demon King's Castle Realm have been developed by the demon tribe as a mine.

　At present, mining is conducted far away across the valley, but it is said that in the past, this side of the mountain was also active.

　Maybe they ran out of ore and moved on, or maybe there were other reasons.

　Either way, there are no more demons here now.

　The only thing that existed was the appearance of the dragons, and even then, most of them were disgusted by the magical power released by the warding stone and moved their residence to somewhere in the underground space.

''By the way, it's unusual for Luke-san to be wearing a sword.
A friend lent it to me for protection. It's a sword, not a sword, though.

　I ran my hand over the 'armpit' that I'd lowered to my waist.
　It was the one Sakura had given me before I left for work.

''I see. However, since the Golden Fang Knights have fortified your defense so tightly, I don't think you'll have a chance to wield a sword for self-defense.''

　While I'm doing that, the materials are finished being placed and it's finally my turn.

'Well, and ......'

　He takes out a red crystal from a pouch on his hip.
　The size is just about the size of a knife handle and is angular like a gemstone in the rough.

　Magical power crystals - as the name implies, they are crystal bodies that contain a large amount of magical power.

　This is also a product of alchemy, just like the boundary stone, and naturally it is something that poor adventurers cannot afford.

　As I recall, in order to buy this one, even if it's cheap, you'll need a small gold coin.

''Well then, I'll activate the [Restoration] skill. Everyone please step away.

　He called out to the people around him before touching the pile of materials.

　He then gripped the magic crystals tightly in one hand and activated the 【Restoration】 skill with all his might.

　The remnants and complementary materials are [disassembled] and mixed together as if they were wrapped in magical light and melted together to form a single giant structure.

''That's it. ...... and...''

When I finished the [Restoration] of the first building, the magic crystals I was clutching fell apart in tatters.

''Excellent work, Luke-san. Please do the next one as well. But what can I say, the sight of ...... expensive magic crystals being used like hot water is breathtaking to watch.
If it wasn't for this thing, the current building would have taken several days to [restore]. It would be a small price to pay for a few days' worth of time with gold coins.
That's true, but it's not good for your heart.

　Well, I know the feeling.
　The first time I used this guy, I felt the same way.

　A month's worth of income for the average person.
　I still have two or three such items in the pouch on my hip.
　The amount I couldn't carry and had left in my possession was several times more than that.

　It's a situation that makes you feel dizzy.

Then, Luke-san, I want you to [repair] the armory--

　Just as I was about to head to the next 【Restoration】 target--

'......?　Now, over there: ......

　-- A human-sized 'something' flew from the foot of the rocky mountain.

　It flew with a momentum as if it had been shot out of a pitcher and landed at an unnoticeable speed.

''Whoa!''

　Immediately after the dust cloud rose like an explosion, the knights rushed in one by one to surround the landing site and at the same time set up an alert for the 'next'.

''Watchmen, what have you been doing!
Demons attacking!
It's a fire hazard. Be careful!

　The dust cloud that is nowhere to be seen flickers and a human-like object appears from within.

　It was a distorted version of the dragon man, with wings and a tail, thick scales and claws on its left arm, and two legs that resembled a human.

　It has the wings and tail of a dragon, thick scales and claws on its left arm, and claws that resemble those of a dragon sprouting from both legs.

　However, other than those, it was, in all likelihood, human itself.

　His torso, right arm and leg were covered in solid metal armor, his face was protected by a mask instead of a helmet, and he held a superbly constructed sword in his right hand.

''-- Enemy attack!　All hands, attack!　First you must break through the magic barrier!

　Receiving the order from the knight's field commander, the knights begin to attack without showing the slightest motion.

　The magic power barrier. If you look at it, a layer of magic power is indeed covering the body of the dragon man.

　Probably, that protective wall was used to withstand the impact of the landing.

''Shoot!''

　Bows and arrows and magic are released from the rear.
　They stopped their feet with a simultaneous sweep, shaved off their magic defenses, and planned to settle the matter at once with a white army battle.

　In response to this, the masked dragon man didn't move a single step--

"Oh, wow!

　-- a storm that was caused by waving its wings and blew it all away.

　Underneath the gusts of wind released into the sky, the knights rushed to the dragon man.

　A terrific rigid sword. A high-speed sword that doesn't even leave an afterimage. A breathless storm of stabs.

　The magic barriers, dragon scales, metal armor, and strong swords catch and prevent the tremendous barrage of attacks that the knights unleash.

　And the flame-clad claws and blades sent the knights flying.

''Whoa!''
Ugh!

　It's not that the knights are weak by any means.
　That masked dragon man is abnormal.

　Their power and technique are clearly outstanding.

　Even if Sakura and the Silverwing Knights were here, would they really be able to change the battle situation?

''Luke-dono!　Over here!

　The soldier raised his voice with all his strength to guide me to a safe place.

　Immediately after that, the dragon man roared and spread his wings and flew in a straight line across the ground.

　No way was that soldier!　Just as these thoughts passed through my mind, I was blown away like a piece of paper by the bone-shattering impact of my entire body.

'----!'

　He was thrown into the air, rolling across the hard ground.

　Furthermore, I continued to roll down the slope on the verge of a precipice, and finally stopped in a strangely cool place while my whole body was being hurt by stones and rocks.

　All the while, I continued to circulate the magic power of the 【Restoration】 skill throughout my body.

　The amount of magic power dispersed, the [Repair] action of the damage to my body was weaker, slightly outweighing the damage I was receiving.

　However, if he had done nothing, he would have been crushed and torn all over his body by the rocks, and he would have died out in the process.

''Gefu ...... gefu ......!　That guy ...... was definitely aiming at me, not the soldier who raised his voice .......

　While activating [Restoration] once again, I think about the cause of the events I just experienced while standing up to understand the current situation.

　There are so many things to think about that my head is about to burst.

　This place seems to be at the bottom of a ravine, the shore of a river (the bank) where the spring water has gathered.

　The belt on my porch has been torn off and gone somewhere, but a side note and a single magic crystal are lying not too far away.

　And the reason why I was targeted - it's as if I don't know.

　It definitely shouldn't have been a marvel in terms of strength.
　If attracting attention was the reason, another guy would have been targeted before me.

　If that's the case--

"--He had a motive to target me ...... a white wolf forest rook. ......?

　Hypothetically, if it was an assassin sent with the information that 'the person building the fortress is Luke,' and the role of sabotaging the construction of the fortress.

　If this assumption is correct, it would explain why they attacked me right after they called my name--.

　However, this was as far as he could calmly think.

　He could see the shadow of a masked dragon man descending in a straight line from above.

''d*mn it!　He's a persistent guy: ......!

　I picked up my sidekick and the magic crystal and rushed out of this place in a hurry.