Having cleared away most of the large rubble, Rei glanced toward the section of the wall where carriages could now pass through, then headed off to his next task.
In preparation for constructing the new wall, dozens of mages and Spirit Mages were already gathered there.
Normally, even in Gilm—a town that attracted a large number of adventurers—this many mages and Spirit Mages would not typically assemble in one place.
Moreover, even among mages, those who could use earth magic were not particularly numerous.
The fact that so many were gathered here was simply because Gilm had collected a large number of people who could use earth magic for this expansion project.
...Normally, pulling off something so costly would not be an easy feat, but this was Gilm.
Using the wealth that gathered precisely because it was a frontier region, they must have assembled this many mages.
Well, neither side is taking a loss, so I suppose there's no particular problem.
Rei thought to himself and walked toward where the mages were gathered.
The first to notice him was a mage in his twenties talking with a companion nearby.
"Eh? Is that the Crimson? Why is he coming over here?"
At those words, the others around the man turned curious gazes toward Rei.
However, even though their gazes were curious, there was no trace of disgust or aversion in them.
Given that mages were few in number, it would not have been strange for them to hold a kind of elite mentality, thinking themselves chosen ones. But in Rei's case, as a mage, he had achieved many feats... so many, in fact, that they were rare in recent years.
Also, naturally, rumors of what kind of person Rei was had spread. Given the rumors that he would casually kill anyone who made an enemy of him—even a noble—no one present intended to make an enemy of Rei.
In the first place, Rei was not a pure mage but was regarded as a Magic Warrior.
Since casting magic fundamentally required an incantation, it was obvious that even if someone opposed Rei, a Magic Warrior, they would be approached and attacked during the time it took to chant.
Amidst all this, two figures eventually approached Rei.
Though one was a Dwarf and the other a human, Rei could immediately tell that both had rugged, craftsman-like faces.
"Hey, you Rei?"
"That's me, but?"
"...I hear you can use earth magic over a fairly wide area. Is that true?"
A stir ran through the crowd.
At the Dwarf's words, the surrounding people began to murmur.
Rei, who was said to specialize in Flame Magic, was actually quite skilled in earth magic as well. This must have been hard for them to believe.
Or perhaps, they did not want to believe it.
In reality, Rei was a mage who specialized in fire, just as the other mages—those who had not gathered much information about him—believed him to be.
However, Rei had a means to overturn that notion.
Death Scythe, produced through Beast Magic. That was the means.
"Yeah. Though I can't say it's quite on the level of my Flame Magic. Besides, the magic I can use is limited."
At Rei's mention that the magic he could use was limited, those around him let out subtle sighs of relief.
For a mage to become an Alias Holder, and then be better than them in a different magic from his alias, was a situation that would cause slight—no, considerable unease. It would not have been strange for them to feel envy or jealousy.
Of course, the very fact that someone was an Alias Holder meant there were many who would be jealous regardless.
"Specifically, how much?"
"Let's see... can you see that rubble over there?"
What Rei pointed to was rubble about fifty meters ahead.
"Yeah."
"Centered on me, I can raise or lower the ground in a range from here to where that rubble is, by about the height of my chest or so."
"Hoh, not bad at all."
The Dwarf nodded, looking impressed by Rei's words.
In truth, the effective range of that magic was not as outstanding as the Flame Magic Rei used, but it was still well above average.
And above all...
"Also, I'm not boasting, but I have quite a large amount of magical power. Enough that continuing to use the same magic for several hours wouldn't be a problem at all."
At those words, everyone who had been listening wore expressions of astonishment.
Naturally. Under normal circumstances, using that much magic consecutively a few times would consume a massive amount of magical power, leading to magical exhaustion. It would not be strange for someone to lose consciousness.
The two craftsmen who had asked Rei had assumed that, even if they could not say once a day, he could only use it a few times a day at most.
But if he could use it repeatedly, then the progress of the expansion construction would undeniably speed up significantly.
"Is that true?"
"Yeah. However, with my level of skill, I can only move the ground up to about my chest. I absolutely can't move it any more than that."
"...I see. We'll need to dig deeper to create the foundation for the wall, but... well, even just up to your chest, being able to create a situation where it's already dug from the start is extremely helpful. Could you show me for now? Let's see..."
The Dwarf craftsman paused, looked around, and then spoke.
"For now, flatten and level the ground in this whole area. It's been quite a while since Gilm was established, after all. The ground has inevitably become rough with the passage of time. Whether we're constructing buildings from here on, a flat surface is better."
"Got it. ...Well then, I guess I'll give it a try for now."
Nodding at the Dwarf's words, Rei took Death Scythe from his Misty Ring, plunged its pommel into the ground, and activated his skill.
"Terrain Manipulation."
Along with those words, a fifty-meter radius centered on Rei was leveled flat according to his image.
Those nearby who had been watching with keen interest to see what kind of magic Rei would use were first surprised by the magic being used without any incantation, and then surprised again when the ground beneath their feet subtly shifted.
Several seconds passed, and before they knew it, the ground in a fifty-meter radius centered on Rei had been leveled flat.
It might be strange to think this after the fact, but now that I've leveled the ground like this, since a large number of people will be passing through here for Gilm's expansion and carrying heavy loads... doesn't this make leveling it meaningless?
He tilted his head and thought as much, but then reconsidered, figuring that at the very least, people wouldn't trip and fall while moving around, and they wouldn't needlessly exhaust their stamina on slight unevenness, so it was probably fine.
"Oooh..."
At Rei performing such a feat in an instant, those around him raised voices of astonishment in unison.
The people here were ones who could use earth magic or Earth Spirit Magic—a small number could even move earth through skills—but regardless, they were people who could be called experts on the earth.
Even from the eyes of such people, what Rei had just done was worthy of surprise.
Of course, there were those who could do something similar, but even so, they could not do it repeatedly and consecutively as Rei had claimed. And if asked whether they could level the ground this neatly, they would find it difficult to nod with confidence.
"Well, that's about how it is. Are you satisfied?"
"Yeah, more than enough. ...Wouldn't this mean we need to revise the process somewhat?"
The Dwarf asked his colleague beside him.
Hearing that, the man returned a nod with a small smile on his lips.
"Yeah. This is a pleasant miscalculation. ...But if we move the wall's construction schedule forward here, will we have enough materials?"
"...I wonder. I've factored in some margin, but... I'll tell them to hurry as much as possible."
"Do that. I'll have a report sent up from the lord's side."
Was it really that important?
Rei wondered for a moment, but even a difference of just one meter, being settled from the start, held significant meaning in the construction of expanding the wall.
Of course, considering the subsequent processing, it was not as though Rei alone could solve everything. But still, for those entrusted with this construction, it was close to a godsend.
In this project, the faster it was completed, the higher the pay would be, and those who would subsequently live in Gilm would receive considerable preferential treatment.
...Naturally, no matter how quickly it was done, shoddy construction would not be accepted—rather, they had been informed at the outset that it could potentially lead to criminal charges.
Considering those circumstances, building a sturdy wall as quickly as possible was the highest priority.
"Anyway, that about covers the ground leveling. ...Let me confirm one more time. You can use this magic repeatedly, right? From what I saw, you didn't seem to be chanting at all."
"That won't be a problem."
Rei nodded firmly at the Dwarf's words.
Seeing Rei's demeanor, the Dwarf must have judged that he was not lying.
Eventually, after thinking for a moment, the Dwarf raised his voice loudly enough for everyone present to hear.
"Listen up, hear me well! In order to proceed with the construction swiftly and reliably, Rei will dig the holes first! Since Rei can apparently only dig that deep, the rest will be handled by the others! Got it!?"
As befitting a Dwarf craftsman, his voice carried well through the surroundings.
"However, while Rei is using magic, there's no point in the rest of you having nothing to do! Each squad will follow the instructions of the craftsmen present and proceed with the work within reasonable limits without overexerting yourselves!"
His words reached the ears of all the assembled mages and Spirit Mages.
The gazes those people directed at Rei came in various colors.
Gratitude, jealousy, interest.
Those three were the main ones, but there were also a small number of individuals who directed gazes of hatred toward him.
And naturally, Rei noticed those who were looking at him with such gazes...
Why am I hated this much?
Unable to understand why he was being hated to that extent, Rei felt puzzled.
Of course, Rei was not so carefree as to think that he was not resented by anyone.
Among humans, no matter what one did, there would always be those who acted out of jealousy toward those they found disagreeable or toward successful individuals.
A prime example would be Boluntar, the former Chairman of the Azoth Firm, who had previously tried to seize Set and Magic Items from Rei.
However, even if he was looked at in such a way, Rei showed no particular intention of taking action.
As long as they were merely watching him, he considered it to be no particular problem.
...However, if they were to take some form of action, he intended to respond accordingly.
Anyway, Rei and the others who could use earth magic or Earth Spirit Magic, or skills related to earth, each headed toward their assigned locations.
"Good luck, Rei."
Marina, who had been assigned to a separate group, called out to Rei before moving off, and Filma, though she did not say anything, offered a light wave in greeting before departing as well.
"Alright then, Rei. We're counting on you."
"Yeah, I know."
Since Gilm was expanding to one and a half times its current size, the area was vast.
Sinking the ground to surround that much earth would take time, even with Rei's—or more precisely, Death Scythe's—skill.
For the craftsmen entrusted with building the wall, their honest feeling was that they wanted Rei, this unexpected combat power, to work as hard as he could, but they also understood that pushing him too far would be dangerous.
While Rei did not completely understand the Dwarf's feelings in calling out to him, he still gave a short reply that he would be fine and immediately began moving.
Those who were frantically transporting rubble tracked Rei with their gazes, even while busy with their work.
Even those who did not know much about Rei had seen him store massive rubble into his Misty Ring with their own eyes.
They had also witnessed the sight of him leveling the ground over a wide area with Terrain Manipulation.
Given that, they simply could not afford to ignore Rei.
Among them, there were even those who looked on with anticipation, wondering what kind of spectacle he would show them next.
It's not like I'm the entertainment coordinator or anything.
Feeling those gazes, Rei muttered to himself with a sigh.
In the first place, he judged that compared to the hateful gazes from the mages earlier, this was not a problem, and he headed straight to the first location he had been assigned.
There, craftsmen and mages turned expectant gazes toward Rei.
"Well then, I know you're just starting, but what exactly should I do?"
"...Look. You see those lines drawn over there, right?"
At the craftsman's words, Rei nodded.
Drawn there, though quite thick, were lines.
"That's where the wall will be built. Sink the ground around that area with a reasonable margin of space. ...Can you do it?"
At the craftsman's words, Rei offered a confident smile.