Now that we've got the wheat, we can talk about refugees in earnest.
　I said, calling up my usual members plus Ial.
　Either way, there will definitely be trouble.
　But it's better than not taking action.

　For now, we'll have a house built some distance away from us. You'll live there in a house, and we'll get you all together. Is that okay?
　'Yes, sir. No problem about it. The material is.....
　I'll make the arrangements and I'll help you. In return, you'll help me build defense equipment.
　Thank you.

　Ial bowed deeply to me.
　The reason for dividing the refugees and our living quarters is to avoid conflict.

　Human beings are a species that only sees the bad things about the other person at a distance. On the other hand, if you look at them from a distance, you see only the good things about them.
　And then there's Lulu and Lulu's parents.
　It's dangerous for these two to meet up.

　In fact, I would like to make them reconcile, but there's nothing I can do about it.
　If you try to force them together, Lulu will only get hurt.

　However, it's impossible to be friendly when you live apart from each other.
　That's something to think about.

　We'll build and farm together as much as we can. It will strengthen our solidarity.
　'I agree!　And if you're working on it, there's less chance of a fight because you don't have to talk about anything else.
　Ron shows his approval.
　When you start a new class at school, you can't help but feel nervous about each other.
　But the relationship between us eases rapidly from May to June.

　We have a school festival in May and June.
　Maybe that has an effect on me.
　I'm aiming for the same phenomenon.

　Hey, guy. What are you going to do about the training?　Can you follow the same menu as we did?
　''Well I can't. Can you teach him a lesson, politely, without slowing him down?
　We need them to fight with us.
　It's not their fault, but they are the cause of the problem.

　It's not good for us to say that they are just being protected.
　Well, they won't complain about it because their lives are on the line.

　What about food?　The same amount as us?　Or do you want to reduce it?
　"...I know there are pros and cons to this, but we'll take the same amount.
　The food was borrowed from King Rosais, so there was enough to go around.
　So wouldn't the refugees be less likely to complain if they distributed it equally?

　Well, some might argue that it's weird to have the same amount of food as we do, but...
　You're going to have to be patient with that one.

　Then we'll hold regular banquets and get to know each other better. I don't see any problem with that policy?
　I looked around at everyone and listened.
　Everyone nodded, except Lulu.

　........Lulu, what should we really do?


________.

　Now for the black powder.

　We've got the ingredients for the black powder.
　Now I have to make it.

　It's not particularly difficult to make. All you have to do is grind and mix the ingredients together.

　Prototype number one, for now. If it works, I hope it works...''
　For now, I mixed all the ingredients together equally.

　I put a small amount of this on a rock.
　"Hey, Alms. What is the phenomenon of an explosion?
　'Hmm, the phenomenon of things burning in an instant...?　I don't know much about it either. At any rate, I think you could hit it with a hammer and find out.

　I hit the gunpowder as hard as I can with the hammer.
　Nothing happens.
　Twice.
　Nothing happens....

　Huh?　I think I've got the wrong ingredients.

　No, no, no, it's charcoal and nitre and sulfur. Yeah, that's it.
　I mean, that's it. The ratio was wrong.

　I made a small pile of black powder and inserted a long string into it.
　After some distance, the string is ignited.

　The black powder started to burn vigorously (.........).
　It's no good.

　'Oh! It's burning like crazy. But can you beat it with this?　
　No, it was a mistake...

　Well, it's not going to be that easy.
　Maybe less charcoal. There's no explosive element.

　So, it's either sulfur or glass.
　Do we just increase the amount of nitre, or do we just increase the sulfur?

　I don't want to reduce the amount of nitre at the prototype stage.

I don't want to reduce it at the prototype stage.


　Black powder is now no. 66.
　It's starting to look like a bomb in its own right.
　The amount of nitre seems to be the key.
　But if there is too much of it, it won't explode on its own. It's important to add or subtract.

　Well, it's good that the black powder is about to be completed, but there's a problem.

　Heeheen!
　The horse freaks out.
　No, I knew the horse would be surprised. I'd rather they were surprised. It's better to surprise the enemy's horse.
　But we want our horses to get used to it.

　We try to periodically get them used to it, but it never works.
　Horses are delicate creatures.
　They are so sensitive that the first time I tried to make and attach them to the stirrups, they went wild.
　You can't train them that many times.

　So.....

　'It's okay, it's okay, there's nothing to be afraid of. Calm down.
　Lulu pats the horse's head.

　'I'm here, you'll be fine. See.........
　Seo-yeon while brushing the horse's body and abstracting it.

　'A male would be able to do this much... what?　Female?
　Tetra looks into the belly of a horse.

　A master sorcerer can put his soul on the beast.
　Because they can touch each other soul to soul.
　In short, they can know what each other is saying by feeling.

　Horses are smart animals.
　If you talk to them properly, they will calm down.

　So if you can't train them a lot, you can improve the quality.

　I want the horse to be comfortable with gunpowder by the time we go out on the range.
　It wouldn't be so hard if we started with a pony.

　That could take years, so....


_______________________________________________________________.


　Two hawks circling above me.
　Sudden stop, sudden drop, sudden rise.

　It's as if the two hawks are playing tag. No, they're actually playing tag.

　One of them - the hawk with Lulu's soul on it - touches the hawk with Tetra's soul on it.

　'Yes!　Lulu wins!　Take turns!
　Sojourn calls out to the two hawks.
　The two hawks stopped at Tetra and Lulu's shoulders.

　Tetra and Lulu, who had their backs to the tree, opened their eyes.
　''Ew, that's not good...''
　"Blah, blah, blah.

　The two men spit out a green substance from their mouths.
　This is a poisonous plant called Rikonso. It has the effect of separating the soul from the body.

　　Normally the soul doesn't leave the body unless it dies.
　But there is a way to separate the soul from the body while we are alive.

　First, for two to three days, you have to skip food and bring the body to a weakened, near-death state.
　After that, they chew a special poisonous herb - a grass called Rei-Soul Grass.

　Anyone can use this method to wean the soul from the body.
　And a sorcerer who has experienced removing the soul from the body many times can remove the soul even without food.

　However, whether they can come back is another story.
　Ordinary people's souls leave their bodies as soon as they eat the soul release plant. And in less than ten seconds, the soul ascends to heaven and cannot return.
　And death.

　It's true that it's poisonous, and it's limited to three or four times a day.
　This is training, so I don't allow them to do it more than twice.

　And if you do it too much, you'll form antibodies.

　Basically, unless the sorcerer is in a very desperate situation, one of them will always protect the shelled body.
　Two reasons.

　The spellcaster is able to save the soul from returning to its original body by itself.
　And to prevent another soul from entering the shelled body and taking over or casting a curse on it.

　However, if you set up a ward, you can prevent other souls from entering, and if you are only out for a short time, it won't be difficult to return.

　Good work. For now, just lick some honey to cleanse your palate.
　I handed them a small bottle of honey.
　They lick the honey with a smile on their faces.

　I'm sorry to put you through the wringer. You're the only sorcerers who can carry a soul.
　I'm fine. I'm fine.
　I'm happy to help.

　They laugh and reply.

　Suddenly, I meet eyes with the hawk.
　He turns away from me.

　Apparently the hawk that Tetra, Lulu and Sojourn have doesn't like me.
　I guess I told them to go get rid of it a long time ago, which was a bad idea.

　These three animals are now fine adults.
　According to Julia, they are larger and stronger than the hawks that are generally used to carry souls.

　In other words, that's how much of an advantage they have.
　In aerial combat, the type of animal you're riding on makes a big difference.

　If you think of fighter planes in modern warfare, you'll understand.

　"Come on, boys.
　When I said that, the hawk threw his chest out.

　Do you understand words?

_______________________________________________________________.


　'Well, well, well, Mr. Armes. I've got your order.

　Mr. Ains smiled smugly.

　'I'll give you a little discount. You've bought a lot,'
　Thank you for that.
　The likelihood of this was a little higher.

　'Then I'll check it out.
　With that, Ains-san takes out the item I ordered.

　It's a large bow. It's a so-called long bow.
　It is the newest bow in Cilicia. The arrowhead is iron. There is hardly any equipment on the Adelunian Peninsula that cannot be pierced with it. Just ... can you handle it?
　Yes. I've got some great archers in my crew.

　Gram and the others will be able to use it.

　'Then it's no problem. I've packed the same thing in the carriage. I've also put some arrows in it.
　　With that, Mr. Ains handed me a long bow.

　'Next is a shield. It's a wooden thing with iron on it. And leather armor.'
　Yes, I'm sure.
　I really wanted steel armor, but as expected, I couldn't afford it.
　It's just that good things come at a good price.

　''Next is the piece of iron.......what is it used for?''
　It's a secret.

　It's mixed with black powder.
　To increase its deadly power. Bombs don't kill that much on their own.

　So, a spell stone. What do you need it for?　So many little ones. Well, they're small and essentially not for sale, so that's fine.
　Yes, thank you.

　Fortunately, the curse stones that fell under the category of magic stones seemed to be the kind that were not suitable for curses and were very cheap.
　This magic stone would be used to write a magic circle of ignition instead of a fuse.　
　It would be inconvenient if the fuse ignited every time you bothered to throw it, and if the fire went out in the process, it would be a dud.

　''A very strong drink. This is also what you ordered, right?
　'Yes. Yes.
　It's not like drinking at a banquet. It's for disinfection.

　And lastly, a few precautions.
　Mr. Ains says as he puts on his gloves. Then he hands me a pair of leather gloves.

　He takes out a small jar.

　'It's aconite poison. Be careful, because even a bite of it can be catastrophic. If you want to apply it to your arrows, please wear gloves and put the arrowhead into the jar. If you soak it in a cloth, the poison will enter the wound and kill you.
　Yes. I'm well aware of that.

　If you have poison, you can certainly kill your enemies.　
　It may be a bit cowardly, but we can't say that.

　Fecal matter is enough to poison them, but we're few in number.
　We're aiming for the short term. So we need a quick-acting poison.

　The enemy's main equipment seems to be made of wood.
　Then we'll have enough arrows to pierce it. And if I hit the arrow....

　That's what I mean.

　The longbows have several times the range of the Adelian peninsula's bows, so they can make a one-sided attack for a while.

　'And this is a service,'
　Mr. Ains handed me a sword.
　What is this? It's got a grain pattern, but....

　A sword made of dragon Damascus steel. This is a metal that can only be struck by the desert people, a tribe living in the east of the mainland of Cilicia. It is perfected by mixing a special metal in the heart of the dragon called dragon gold with iron and forging it for three days and three nights in the heat of the dragon's fiery pouch.

　I'm not sure what's going on, but...
　I mean, isn't that d*mn expensive?

　'Yes, but I don't want you to die. I haven't been taught the process of making paper yet, you know. Besides, I hope you'll continue to be a favorite of mine.
　Well thank you very much. I can't tell you how to make paper so easily, though.

　I laugh and turn away to leave Mr. Ains' shop.

　''Well good luck to you.''
　Yeah, I'll be back.