◆Norbu



　We left Lex and came to our first destination, the village of Isla.



"Well, in each town or village you come to on your pilgrimage, you have to solve the problems of the villagers, right?"



Oh, yes. Yes, that's right."



　Since we don't know when Mr. Rex and the others will join us, we first reconfirm with Tracy what we are going to do.



"Okay, then, let's solve the villagers' problems before my brother and sister get here!　Hey you guys!　What's your problem?



　As soon as he said that, Gyro-kun immediately charged at the villagers who were discussing something nearby.



"Oh?　Oh?　What the hell?



"We have to help people in trouble. Are you in some kind of trouble?



"I'm in trouble ...... Oh, you're a pilgrim. What a surprise!



　The villagers nodded in understanding when they realized we were pilgrims.



"Well, we didn't know you guys were participants, since you usually have a bunch of guys coming in here like monsters.



"Ah, haha ......"



　That means that the people of this village have been approached by those people every time a pilgrimage is held to see if they are in need of any help.



"I think it's a problem in itself that those people keep coming in."



"Yes,......, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"



　Oh, the villagers almost nodded their heads.



"Anyway, I'm honestly grateful that a participant asked me about it. I have a problem. I mean, we were all wondering what to do about it right now.



　The man who answered me was an old man who is the village headman.

　It seems that he had just the right problem to worry about.

　Though it's not good for a servant of God to say that it's just right.

　Anyway, we decided to listen to the problems of the villagers.



"Actually, there is a forest a short distance from this village in that direction. ......



　The old man points in a direction slightly off from the direction we came from.

　What's that?　I'm pretty sure that direction is ......



"A young man from the village who went there to gather medicinal herbs came back in a hurry to find that a large number of demons had settled in the forest. Fortunately, the young men were not injured because the demons were unaware of their presence."



　Oh, I knew it, this is the forest where Lex and the others were headed, isn't it?



"Considering the distance between us and the forest, the demons could come to the village at any time. That's why we were wondering what to do.



　Certainly, it must be frightening not to know when a demon will attack.

　But that makes me wonder about something else.



"Well, didn't you consult with the participants of the pilgrimage?"



　Yes, if it's such a challenge, I think it's only natural to consult the pilgrims who came before us. ......



"But by the time I wanted to ask for help, there was no one there."



""""""What?



　So you left the village without anyone solving the big problem of the village being attacked by demons?



"But you see, the young men returned from the forest after the participants of the pilgrimage had unfortunately left.



"You're not so lucky. ......"



　Indeed, it is quite unfortunate that the greatest benefit of the pilgrim's journey was not received in such a short time.



"That is why I was thinking about what to do with the people of the village. We were thinking of building a wall around the village to protect it, or abandoning it and fleeing to another town.



A village?　Are you serious?



　Abandoning a village is a big decision.

　Like the village where we lived, it is not easy to abandon the houses and fields that everyone has worked so hard to build.



"Of course, I don't mean moving to another town. I'm going to send an envoy to the Holy City to ask them to defeat the demons. However, there is a strong possibility that the village will be attacked before the strike team arrives from the Holy City, so we need to flee or fortify our defenses.



　I see what you mean.

　But even if we run away, there is a fear that we will be attacked by demons who target travelers on the road.

　A group of adults would be wary of the demons, but children, the elderly, and the sick may be present, so even a journey of a few days can be dangerous.



　In that sense, strengthening the defense of the village may be better for those who are not strong enough.



"I don't think we have to worry about them since Lakshi and the others are going to check on them, but considering the demons on the way, we should be worried about the ones out of the forest. So we need to build a sturdy fence to protect the village."



　But the village head shakes his head in disapproval at Mina's words.



"No, no, considering the number of demons the people in the village have seen, I don't think a sturdy fence will be enough to protect them. It has to be a much sturdier wall, a wall that would protect the town for sure.



"A wall to protect the town?　That would be a pretty big construction job!



"Well, I want a wall made of stone or some other sturdy material, not wood, and as tall as the house.



And a sturdy wall the same height as the house?



　It is no wonder that Tracy exclaimed at the mayor's request.




　After all, if you're going to build a wall that big, you're going to need ......



"A sturdy wall as tall as a house is something that would take an expert a long time to build!　How long would it take us amateurs to build it alone? ......"



I mean, that's already a fortress wall.



"What should we do? ......"



　Tracy slumps over with a puzzled look on her face.

　Of course she does. This is completely out of the realm of what a traveler can do.

　But on a pilgrimage, you have to solve the problems of those in need.

　Abandoning the people of the village in this situation would be tantamount to abandoning the pilgrimage.

　......As a priest, I can't abandon the people of the village.



"I guess so,...... then the only thing left to do is to ask the temple to escort the villagers to the Holy City or a nearby town and ask the temple to defeat the demons while they are there. That would give us time to pack our bags and ......"



"No, I think I can handle that."



""What?""



　The mayor and Tracy roll their eyes at my words.



"You want a stone wall large enough to cover the village, right?"



　First of all, before I do anything, I confirm the conditions with the village head again.



"Uh-huh. But as the lady over there said, you can't do it alone, can you?



"Yes, that's right!　A big, sturdy wall protecting a village or town takes months or years of work by craftsmen!



It is true that a fort or a large town can be built relatively quickly because there are many craftsmen and workers to help them.

But there are not so many craftsmen in this village. It was the same in the village where we lived.



Even if we let the villagers help us, the quality of the wall will be uneven if they are not experts.

It would be difficult to withstand the attacks of demons.

The problem is that even if the walls are built, they cannot show their hardness to the fullest unless the materials used for the joints are completely dry.



But now I can solve all these problems.



"Well, you'll just have to wait and see.



　I levitate with flight magic to get a panoramic view of the village.



"And I flew!



A man is flying in the sky!



What?　What's going on?



　I could hear the village people on the ground being surprised, and I felt that I had done something wrong, but I would reflect on that later.

　But we'll reflect on that later. For now, we have to defend the village first.

　...... Hmmm...so the size of the village is like this.

　It would be better to have a little more room for future expansion of the village, if we include the fields. ......



It seems to be easier to build a village of this size than the one in the Elven Township. Grand Circle Tchaika!"



　I activate the magic, and the ground around the village rises up, and a thick stone wall protrudes from it.



"Oh, oh, oh!



What's happening?



　Then, when I was sure I had enough height, I released the spell and came down to the ground.



"I'm done putting up the wall."



"""" what? """"



"All you need is a wall about the height of a house, right?　How about this much?"



"Mm-hmm?　Yes, it's good. ......



　We checked with the village head and he looked at the wall covering the village and nodded that there was no problem.



　Well, I have experience in building a magical wall when defending the elves' village.

　Thanks to the small size of the village, we were able to use stone instead of soil, and it did not make much difference in the consumption of magic power.



"But we need an entrance and exit, so we need a gate.



　As one would expect, covering everything with stone walls would make it difficult to get in and out, so we made holes in the walls at the entrances and exits along the streets.



"Okay, I'll go cut some wood for the gate!"



　With that, Mr. Gyro magically flew away.



""""He flew away again!



"Then it's time to build the gate. But it's a lot of work to make a big and sturdy gate. ......



　Mina, who was looking at the entrance and exit and thinking about something, jumps up.



""""He jumped up again!



"Clay control!"



　When Mina-san used her magic, the sound of something moving could be heard outside the village.



"What did you do?"



"We built a moat around the perimeter of the wall. Now we'll have to hydrowave there!"






　Furthermore, Mina began to magically release large amounts of water around the village.



"Oh!"?



　The people in the village were amazed at the sight of what looked like a waterfall falling down the side of the village.



"Okay, now we have a moat to protect the village. Now we just have to wait for Jai ...... Janet to bring the wood.



　I see. A water moat.

　A simple but effective combination to use with the wall.

　It can also be used to buy time until the gate is completed.



"I'm back!　How's that working out for you?"



A little later, Mr. Gyro came back carrying several trees.



"What?　He's carrying trees?



"Big!　And he's carrying a lot of trees!



"How strong are you, girl?"



The villagers were again surprised to see a young girl coming home carrying several big trees.

Hmmm...I wonder if we were surprised like that in the past.

I can't say the same for Lex now that I've become the norm. ......



"Well done. Now all we need to do is to make it into planks and tie a string to one side to make a simple drawbridge, and we'll almost have a wall to protect the village. This drawbridge can also be used as a shield to protect the entrance until a proper gate is completed.



"I see... ......"



"Also, I made the moat wider and deeper, so be careful not to drown the villagers."



"Mm-hmm. All right. ......"



　And just as the village carpenters were completing the thick, simple suspension bridge, Lex and Megli arrived.



"Hey, guys!"



"You're late, brother!　We're all done doing good deeds on our own."



"What?　Already?　That's great, guys!"



　When Mr. Gyro told him that we had already completed our good deed, Lex rolled his eyes in surprise.



"Heh heh, yeah."



"What good deeds have you done?"



"That's what ...... seems to be."



"But first, Raxi, how was the forest?"



　Gyro-kun was about to give a glowing account of the events in the village, but Mina interrupted him and gave priority to confirming the situation in the forest.



"Yes, as they said, there were a lot of demons there.



"Well, there are demons!　Is that true?



　When Lex told us that he had confirmed that there were demons in the forest, the village chief rolled his eyes and exclaimed in surprise.

　Huh?　Didn't the village head already know about the forest?



"Yes, but there weren't many of them, so we killed them ourselves. Here is the evidence.



　Mr. Lex simply answered in such a simple manner, pulling out a large number of dead demons from a magic bag and piling them up.



""""Hogeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!



In no time at all, Tracy and the villagers were reduced to a heap of dead demons.

　Well, it is true that there are too many things that would surprise us if we were shown something like that out of the blue.



"Also, I've killed the demons we found before we came to the village, so don't worry!



"Ha,hahi......Ah, thank you very much. ......"



　After storing the piles of dead monsters back in the magic bag, Lex turns to Tracy.



"Tracy, how far is our next destination?"



"Huh?　Uh, yes. Our next destination, the town of Casgar, is about half a day away by horse-drawn carriage. But since it would be dangerous to arrive there before midnight, I think we should stay the night in the village and leave first thing tomorrow morning.



　Indeed, the sun is setting soon, and we should probably spend the night in this village.



But then we would be separated from those who have gone before us, wouldn't we?　They're not that far away from us, and they're planning to arrive at midnight, aren't they?



"But it is dangerous to travel outside the city at night. The other temples have a lot of people in them, so they may be able to handle it, but we are only seven people, remember?"



　Certainly, the number of people is an important factor when going out of town.

The number of approaching demons is different between traveling on the road with a small group of acquaintances and traveling with a large group of strangers at the same time of departure.



"No, it looks like we're going to use a demon repellent potion to get to the next town in one go".



　Liliela, who had been silent so far, joined the conversation.

Speaking of the potion for repelling demons, I heard that Mr. Lex commissioned its production to save the impoverished village, as I recall.




At one time it was the talk of the town, as it allowed many people to travel safely.



"Liliela, how do you know all this?"



When Mina questioned Liliela's information, Liliela answered with a smile.



While everyone else was doing their good deeds, I was gathering information. While everyone was doing their good deeds, I was gathering information and found out that the other participants were planning to run through the night using potions to keep the demons away. Maybe they are trying to buy time in case we have to spend the night in this village. Usually at night when we are more prone to demon attacks, we would stay in the town or camp out outside but we would be warded off.



　I see. It is true that not many travelers move around at night.

　They are probably trying to gain some distance while we are stranded in this village.

　And to keep up with the other participants, or perhaps that is the real reason.



"A potion to repel demons... We can't afford such an expensive item.



Hearing that other temple attendees were using the potion, Tracy sighed and shrugged her shoulders.



"Are the potions for repelling demons expensive?　I thought those weren't supposed to be that expensive."



"Le, lacsi, the price of the goods also includes the cost of transportation."



　Mr. Megli points out to Mr. Lex, who is wondering with his head tilted back, that transportation costs are not taken into account.



"Oh, that's what you mean. But if that's the case, we'd better hurry too.



"Hey, Mr. Laxi!　I told you it's not safe to go now!　We don't even have a demon repellent potion!



　Lex says we should go on now, but Tracy disagrees, saying we should stop.



But if we're stuck here, we'll never catch up. But if we get stuck here, we won't be able to catch up with them. Fortunately, if it takes only half a day by horse-drawn carriage, we can get there much faster.



"What?"



"Huh?　Tracy, you didn't know about this?　Ride-on carriages are much slower than regular carriages because of the emphasis on comfort, you know?"



"What?　A passenger carriage is important for riding comfort?"



Yes, about half the speed of a normal carriage. But we can run faster than a carriage with our body enhancement magic, so I think we can get there in about a quarter of the time.



"Yo, a quarter?



　Tracy shouts in surprise when she hears that it takes only a quarter of an hour to reach the destination after half a day's ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

　Yes, I understand how you feel.



"Let's go then!"



"Oh!"



"Well, I'd like to stay in a nice hotel if possible."



I don't like the idea of being ahead of you forever.



"Hmm, I'll catch up."



"Well, I'm not so sure, but I'll try my best. ......"



　To be honest, I'm worried that I'm slower than everyone else and that I used a good amount of magic power by building the barrier. ......



"Oh, by the way, you've been using body strengthening magic all morning today. Here are the mana potions for everyone!



""""" ugh """""



　As soon as they saw the mana potion that Mr. Rex took out, indescribable moans escaped from everyone's mouths.

　Oh, I remember those hellish training days. ......



"I'm afraid of the forced recovery ......"



"No, no, I don't need recovery magic anymore!"



"Awww ......"



"............"



"Huh?　Huh?　What's going on, gentlemen?"



　Tracy was the only one who didn't know what was going on, and she was confused when she saw us.



"Come on, let's hurry up!



　We gulped down the mana potion with a pained expression on our faces, as if we were literally biting a bitter bug.



"Ugh, that memory comes back to me: ......"



　I drank down the mana potion with all the painful memories, and my magic power was restored, albeit reluctantly.

I feel like I've lost a lot of something else, though.



"Well then, let's go, everyone!



"""""" Oh,oh! """"""



"Fcuk!"



　And so we headed off to the next town.

　...... ugh, we might as well have stayed the night in this village.



　Chief.



""""......""""



Everyone was speechless.




　Over the years, we have come to make accommodations on the pilgrimage in exchange for benefits from the temples.



　Specifically, to make it easier to complete the good deeds that are the trials of the journey, we should prepare for simple troubles.

　Well, nowadays, other temples require the same kind of favors, so that no one takes time to do good deeds in our village anymore.



Of course, the people of the village do not know about it.

　Only I, the chief, and some of the elders know.

　It would be bad for the people of the temple to know of such wrongdoing.



　But this time, not only that, but the priest of the God of Commerce has ordered us to buy time by making unreasonable demands of the participants who will come after us.



　And I asked him to build a wall to protect the village from the demons, as I had been ordered beforehand.

　I did not know that demons really lived in the forest. ......



　But the result is a huge wall, much bigger than expected.

　The result was a wall that was far more massive than expected, and unquestionably more solid. And it has a water moat.



"Unbelievable. ......"



　When I touched the wall in front of me, I felt the cold stone.

　I knew it was real.



Who the hell were those people?



"He was flying in the sky, could it have been a real angel?"



　I don't know what kind of nonsense you're talking.

　After all, a man flew through the air and a wall of rock sprouted from the ground.

　If this is not a miracle, what in the world is? ......



"Is that really what those people are ......?"



　We stared in the direction they had gone, and found ourselves kneeling and clasping our hands together.



We kneeled and clasped our hands together."""hahaha......""""