When entering the entrance of Rockford, the town of Fake, I went inside after Keti reported that she had searched for me and there was nothing wrong with me.
"I hope there's no damage here either...
　Lionel told him anxiously, but Rockford was perfectly fine.
　There was no sign of the town being destroyed, nor was there any place where the ground had subsided.
　We could see Paula's golem moving in the central square. We decided to move that way, relieved.


　However, a large number of dead ants were left in the central square, and several holes were opened, indicating that there had been a fierce battle, which could be seen from the situation.
''Everyone, are you okay? I'm back. If anyone is injured, we'll fix them right up.
　I called out from outside the square, and the five-meter tall golem disappeared and Paula collapsed.
''Paula!''
　Dolan supported Paula before we could run up to her.
'Thank God. Master Luciel, I'd like to ask you to help me plug the hole.
　Dolan looked at us and made his demands.
　It's clear that the central square is full of holes, so it's better to plug it up, so I decided to help immediately.
I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. The other side of the world is that you and Dolan are the only ones who can help fill in the hole.
"Ha.
Grand-san asked for permission to use the magic stone.
''Luciel-dono, do you mind if I use the magic stone?''
''Yes. It won't take that much, so I'll allow you to take the magic stones out of that pile of ants... or rather, the ant demons we've retrieved and use them.
Okay.

　It didn't take much time to fill the hole, but perhaps the fatigue of defending it through the night was building up, and both Lythian, Doran, and the people who had participated in the battle in the town seemed to be doing their best to stand.

''We'll take care of this place, you all need to go home, eat and rest for once. If anyone is injured, please call out to them.
　When I told them that, some of them came to treat their injuries, but the rest thanked me and went back to their workshops.

'Dolan, do you want to eat?'
I ate the meal you left for me.
Okay. How's Mr. Toretto?
Toretto isn't a fighter. He's a demon decomposer.
　I guess they're changing it to something that could be used for magic stones or armor or something else.
''Alright. Get some rest.
　Doran bowed his head to us and walked back to the workshop, carrying Paula on his back.
　Lisian followed as well.

''Grand-san, please take measurements for Lionel and the others' weapons and armor.
Won't Lady Luciel come back?
'Yes. I'm going to do some thinking here and clear my head for a bit before I go back. Lionel, Ketty, and Kefin can go back, too.
　Mr. Grand nodded in approval and followed Doran, but the three of us discussed it and it looks like Lionel is going to stay at my side.

　As I watched Ketty and Kefin head off to Doran's workshop, Lionel was the first to speak.
'I don't think we're going to go down the hole again, but just in case.
I didn't think about it, but...
　I thought I could handle being on my own, but as soon as it was put into words, I felt embarrassed, and I looked to the square.

'Luciel-sama's position is natural with a squire at your side. I suppose I'll have to get used to it eventually.
Well it's just hard to get used to, isn't it?
You'll get used to it after ten years.
　That's a long time, like ten years, and it's hard to think about it.
　Is it my ego to want to break Lionel's and Ketty's slave contracts and have them become proper followers by then?

　As I looked out over the square, I decided to talk with Lionel about the future.
'At this point, I have to ask you. There may be a time when you'll have to go to the Empire at some point, is that okay?
"....If it's in the form of a slave, I think I can control my feelings. But if the slave contract is terminated, I honestly don't know what will happen.
''........I see. Our future plan is to take Doran to the Dwarven Kingdom and then go to the town of Meratni. I suppose in some cases we'll have to think about going to the Church of St. Surul, but the problem is after that.
Can you decide where to go yourself, Master Luciel?
Yeah, if nothing else. So I'm in the magical independent city of Nerdal, right? I'd like to go there. Maybe we could use magic, and wouldn't it be awesome to be in a country that floats in the air?
I see. But as I recall, the only way to get to that country was to ride the dragon baskets in the Empire or go up to the labyrinth of the labyrinth nation city of Grandul, and then the representatives of each country had to ask Nerdal to pick them up from there?
Is that so?
'Yes. I've never been there, but I heard that story a long time ago.
'I see. Well, I'm going to have you spend a few months in Meratni getting everyone's armor in order. Once you get back to the beginning, Master Brod will train you. Besides, I'd like to see Lionel and Master Brod fight, too.
'I'm sure Master Luciel would enjoy it many times over if he were here.
　Lionel's eyes sparkled with delight.

'So, about that Esther thing, you really didn't remember it?
''It was more like ... my memory had been diluted considerably rather than lost.
How much is that?
'I had a vague perception that I'd heard of it years ago, or not.
Do you remember when we met out there?
I don't think I would have known if I hadn't been watching carefully.
Not a vision or a hallucination, but oblivion?
'It was like a mixture of recognition inhibition and cloaking effects. The fact that it was very similar to Keffin's ninjutsu, I don't think I'll forget it once I get used to it...
Well what do you think?

"...If she was an Imperial infiltrator, it is possible that she could enter as a slave. But when it comes to managing something that is simply unrecognizable, we must not allow her to arouse the Empire's suspicion of her.
'I wish I could see through the acting, but with the spirits involved, the quality is extraordinarily poor.
'They certainly didn't look like a bad race of people, so I won't stop you from making them your squire, but in that case, you'll need to be vigilant.
'Well it's not my gut feeling, but the fact that Forenoir wasn't hostile is a mystery to me.
Is this Lady Luciel's horse?
'Yeah. I've heard that animals have many times better intuition than people.
　I've heard that people's intuition is based on memory, but I've heard that animals have a survival instinct that makes them so.
　Forenoir didn't mind approaching me on his own. I figured maybe it was because he didn't mean any harm.
I wish I had a wizard that could talk to animals.
I'd really like to have you make one.

　This is how we discussed various things, and afterwards, we passed the time by lightly matching hands and manipulating magic power.


''We should be able to get quite a few magic stones from the corpse of the demon we got this time. I want you to aim to complete that one with it. In terms of priority, I want the first one to be the armor, and the rest to be decided by Doran to proceed.
'All right. Paula, you'll work on solidifying the magic stone, and Lisian, you'll work on giving the magic stone attributes.
...it's just the way it is.
When you're done, can we develop a new one?
''Of course. I'm going to help you dismantle it tomorrow, too, and it's going to be quite a few magical stones, so I know it's going to be a lot of work, but let's go for it.

　Mr. Grand seemed surprised when I told him that, but I didn't mind and obliged everyone to go to bed early today while I made dinner.
　After dinner was over, I went back to my room and told the Pope a new fact that I had learned with the demon ball.

　I haven't been able to confirm your registration yet. But I would like you to bring this Estia or something like that to the headquarters of St. Schuler's Church once.
'I don't think it's a problem, but is it okay?'
　You've already undone the slave crest, haven't you? And if Forenoire didn't show hostility, then it's not a problem... and it's something to be concerned about.
I understand. I'll return to church headquarters once before I go to Meratoni.
　I know this is a lot of work, but I'm counting on you.
Ha!
　I was the last to reply and cut off the communication.

　The Empire is involved in the darkness of it all.
　Lionel didn't look like he wanted to go separately, and I don't think he's going to go now.
　He'd have to meet with Estia again to find out what's going on.

　Just when I thought Yenis was done, she gets caught up in the dwarven kingdom, and it hasn't been so lucky lately. It's not a mentally ill problem, but sometimes you just need to relax...

　The dragon's seal involves an evil god, and the spirits are swept around whether they are free-spirited or have feelings for their subordinates.......
　The blessing seems to have some meaning, but it seems to be limiting my options as a result, so I regretfully practiced my daily magic manipulation and continuous chanting before going to sleep.


　From the next day, I was scheduled to dismantle the demons, take out the magic stones and sort them out, but Toretto-san was also going to help me dismantle them.

The speed at which I take out one of the magic stones and Toretto-san finishes dismantling one of them is almost the same time, it makes me lose confidence in many things.
　I laugh powerlessly, and Mr. Toretto laughs and replies.
'There's no way I'm going to be able to beat you, Luciel, a novice fledgling, for a job I've done many times since I was little. If I could surpass you, I would surpass your gender.
Don't go over. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Now, let's get to work.

　I was completely destroyed in my mental power, and in a state of complete barreling, I concentrated on the demolition process.
　The dismantling site would cast a cleansing spell every thirty minutes, and everyone thanked me for it. This was how they immersed themselves in the demolition work.
　After the demolition process continued, I realized something.
''Lisian can use spirit magic, right?
''Yes. I'm good at wind spirit magic.
''By the way, what happens if I try to use earth spirit magic?''
'I've never tried it. But it should take away a lot of magical power. It depends on how well it works with the spirits and how much magic power it uses.
''I see. By the way, can you also use light spirit magic?
''I think I can use it if I give you the image of magic. I've asked the spirits to give the attributes to the magic stones I'm working on now.
　So it's no wonder that if Estia makes her use her light spirit magic to use her recovery magic, she'll run out of magic power all at once.
''Is there any grant that Paula and Lisian can't do if they team up together?
''It's not so sweet. Light and darkness can't be made even if you have quite a bit of magic power, so in some cases, you'll need items to give them attributes. If it's a dark magic stone, you'll need holy water or something similar.
That's a lot of work, isn't it?
'Yes. That's why I have a great admiration for Lord Leinster. It's said that he had an aptitude for all the attributes, and I'm envious to think that he could have created all kinds of magic stones.
Okay.

''I'm sure Luciel-chan will be a wise guy one day. Then we'll develop a lot of things together?
Luciel, then you can marry me.
'That's a great idea. I'm going to run for office with you.
Paula and Lythian can't be bothered to do anything about it.
　I had to laugh.
　The demolition process could go on for a long time, with food and tea breaks in between.

'........it's hard to do this all day long.
Nothing in any job is ever easy, you know.
"There are setbacks, perseverance, hard work, and then finally an entrance.
'You don't have to love it to do it. But even if you have the talent, if you don't have the pride and the passion to create something new, it won't last.

　An exercise in magic for me?
　Come to think of it, I didn't even have time to think about it for two years........
　I wonder what would have happened to me if I hadn't been called to the headquarters?

Would Luciel help you?
　When Paula asked me that question with a pop, I couldn't answer immediately because I was starting to feel like I wasn't me.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not me, because I'm starting to feel like I'm not me.

It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get a good deal more than you think. These days, if there's a life I can save, I'd like to save it, but maybe I don't even want to save it all.
'When you're that old, it's natural to be lost. I'm not as old as you, Luciel, but I've been wondering for decades whether I should follow the legendary lineage and go into manufacturing, or start something new with this technology, and I'm still struggling with it.

　Toretto-san has something to carry on his back too, but he doesn't always seem to be lost.
　But still, decades, if it's at least with the raccoon beastman Walabis-san........
　Even if I didn't say anything, I feel like I'd have to be prepared to lose something important if I said any more, so I switched my thoughts and Paula began to speak.
''Magician, my goal is to get you to level X in magic tool making. My next goal is to create something better than Master Toretto.
''My goal is for me to be a trailblazer in the development of new magic tools as well.
　Lythian answered after Paula with a heartbeat.
　We both have a goal and we're able to push forward...?
　Why did I look at you two and feel jealous?
　Because you have a goal? Or is it because you have your own?

My goal...
Is your goal to create a peaceful country or a world where no one gets hurt?
A talent search?
Aren't you supposed to be fixing the world?
'None of them, but I don't have such lofty ideas. Just something I can devote myself to without risking my life... maybe it would be interesting to make a pharmacy or a magical tool.
'You're still young and you should try things. But the reality is that every world is often painful, even if it feels sweet at first, so don't give up.
　You may think you're naive in every world, but at the end of the day, it's what you can do when you hit a wall.
　A goal or a dream.........
'Luciel is my apprentice........interesting.'
'I'm sure Luciel-san would have a lot of magic stones...'
　Another bother was pouring out of both of them.

'Yes. It's lonely when your only long-term goal is to grow old and senile.''
　When I said that, a moment later when I thought Mr. Toretto had disappeared, he was suddenly in a hug.
''I didn't know you were that sick. Even now, in this world over here........
　I got goosebumps all over my body and chills, but Paula and Lisian helped me out.

'I won't give you Lucien,'
''Please don't invite our Lord, Luciel-san, to go that way. Master Toretto would be a suspicious bunch if that were the case.
Oh, so what do you two want?
"I'm gonna be working on a grimoire until I die.
''The human race has a short lifespan, so I'll stay with you until Luciel-san becomes senile. I have a partner and a rival.
　If anyone listens to this, it's a reverse proposal.
Thank you. First of all, I'd like to think about my mid- to long-term goals and my dreams.

　It was three full days later when I finished dismantling the huge amount of ants.


　The next day I started training in parallel magician chanting.
　It's the same with setting immediate medium- to long-term goals, but if I put off what I was lacking, I was going to face something I couldn't get back one day.

　Ten days passed quickly as Lionel's and Ketty's measurements were finished, and I laughed at Kefin as Mr. Toretto crowded me when he took Kefin's measurements.

'We're leaving then, okay?'
Yeah.
　Dolan was nervous.
　Well, it was only natural since he was meeting with King Rockwell.
'But are you sure you're going to follow me?
'Of course my grandfather would go!
It's a hostile situation!
　Why they're enemies is because they've been enslaved, I guess.
　Still, I'm glad that these two really got along with each other.

　The relationship between the two of them is probably the reason why that Dolan is able to accept Lythian as an elf.
I've got some new ideas, and you'll be in charge of the workshop.
　Mr. Toretto smiled as he winked, but the subject was now Lionel, not me, and Ketty was full of hushers and caution.

'You should see three months for the three of us to get it roughly finished, and we'll be fine. And as for the ore, I'll return any excess.
But you said you needed ore, right?
'This matter reminded me of something important. When I'm done making my armor, I'm going to go out to the mine.
"Brother Grand.
There are a lot of little strings attached to working for Lord Luciel, like Doran. When all those things are taken care of, will you hire me?
If Mr. Grand wants to work, though, it would be interesting to buy a large piece of land in Yenis for everyone to build a new town.
'Oh, I'm in, then I'm in. It's pretty exciting to build a new town, don't you think?
'More than a decade ... maybe more, but can we have that kind of dream?
If we could create a place of rest and relaxation like this Rockford without too much interference, I feel like I could do something about it.
　Everyone laughed and agreed with me.
　I felt lighter for the first time in a long time, so I thanked everyone and headed out of Rockford to the Dwarven Kingdom, setting my sights on a dream that I would actually make come true one day.