『Having buried my beloved father, Shuuki Tsetse, I have decided to set out on a journey alone.
Now that Father is gone, I have no desire to involve myself with others for the time being.
My companions are the four golems I created. I intend to sail north on the "ship" I built.』
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Traveling by sea allowed her to cover ground much faster than a carriage ever could, Adriana mused. This was likely because she could chart a nearly straight course, unburdened by the winding limitations of a road.
Whenever it was time to rest, she sought out a spot along the coast where she could safely moor the ship. She made it a rule never to remain on the open water once dusk began to fall. Taking action well in advance was the only way to guarantee her safety.
This was the standard procedure she had learned through years of traveling with her father, Shuuki.
Once the sun was high enough to provide ample light, she would return to the sea and continue her northward trek. Day after day, she repeated the cycle. Her active travel time was limited to about six hours a day, and she made a point of sailing at a comfortable pace rather than pushing the ship to its maximum speed.
For sustenance, she caught fish or gathered berries from the shrubs growing near the shore. While she had brought a small supply of jerky and dried bread, she kept those strictly for emergencies.
As for water, she used the craft magic Condense to liquefy the moisture in the air for drinking.
"Father used to say this isn't 'ultrapure water' because it contains oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and even a bit of dust from the air... I remember him saying that."
Living in solitude seemed to breed a habit of talking to oneself, and Adriana was no exception. Whenever the memory of Shuuki crossed her mind, the threat of tears still loomed close. Suppressing that inner weakness, she turned her gaze toward the distant horizon.
As she moved further north, the concentration of free ether seemed to rise, as the effectiveness of her magic was visibly improving.
"Father told me about this, but I doubt I would have felt the difference if I weren't traveling north at this speed."
Adriana realized she could easily maintain a speed of fifty kilometers per hour, but she also noticed a flaw: despite having applied Toughening to the hull, the ship's structural integrity might not hold up.
"It's a bit lacking in strength, isn't it?"
No one was there to answer her. The golems accompanying her had not been programmed to serve as conversational partners. However, speaking aloud helped her process her thoughts. Apparently, taking in one's own spoken words through the ears helped stimulate the brain.
Though it was not yet noon, Adriana decided to go ashore to reinforce the ship. She spotted a sandy beach and brought the vessel alongside it. The golems promptly hauled the ship up onto the sand.
"That should do. F-002, come with me."
"Yes."
Ordering one unit to follow, Adriana headed inland to scavenge for reinforcement materials.
Fortunately, she stumbled upon a village only a few hundred meters from the shore. She offered a polite greeting to a middle-aged man she encountered.
"Hello there."
"Oh? A traveler in these parts?...And who's that behind you?"
"My name is Ado. This is F-002. It's a golem."
"A golem? That's quite the machine. Are you a magi, young lady?"
The man didn't seem particularly shocked, suggesting he had at least some passing knowledge of what a golem was.
"Yes, I am. Tell me, is there a blacksmith in this village?"
Adriana was in search of metal.
"Yeah, there's a small one just up the way."
In any settlement, a blacksmith was an essential trade—be it for forging plows and hoes, making harpoons for fishing, or repairing household pots. Even in a village this small, a smithy was a necessity.
"Thank you very much."
With a polite nod, Adriana led F-002 toward the shop the man had pointed out. Since the village was tiny, she arrived in moments. Leaving F-002 to wait outside, Adriana peered into the dim workshop.
"Hello?"
It happened to be break time. An older man stopped mid-sip of his tea and looked up. He appeared to be the master of the shop.
"Can I help you with something?" the master asked, eyeing the unfamiliar girl with suspicion.
"My name is Ado. I was wondering if I could buy some iron and light silver from you."
"Come again?"
The master blacksmith stared at her, looking utterly dumbfounded by the request coming from a girl who looked no older than eighteen.
"Ah, I'm a Magi Craft Meister... no, I mean, I'm a 'magi craftsman'."
She realized that the title Shuuki had given her—Magi Craft Meister—would likely mean nothing here, but "magi craftsman" didn't seem to fare much better.
"Magi craftsman? What in the world is that?"
Recognition for her craft was still dreadfully low, Adriana noted.
"I'm a technician who uses magic to manufacture items."
This explanation finally landed, and the master nodded slowly.
"Ho, so you're a magi, lass? And you use it to make things? Never heard of that. Why don't you show me what you can do?"
"Certainly. What would you like me to make?"
"Let's see... I just got an order for a kitchen knife. Think you can forge one of those?"
"I can."
Adriana picked up the lump of iron the master set out for her.
"Forming."
"Wh-Whoa!?"
If one were to rank the most indispensable spells in craft magic, Forming would undoubtedly be at the top of the list. It allowed a craftsman to shape materials into a desired form dozens—if not hundreds—of times faster than manual labor, all without producing a single scrap of waste.
"How is this?"
In less than twenty seconds, the shape of a kitchen knife was complete. All it needed now was a heat treat, a handle, and a final sharpening.
"That's incredible, girl! This magi craftsman business is the real deal!"
After his initial shock wore off, the master slapped his knee and let out a hearty laugh.
"I thought you were just pulling my leg, but I can't argue with a talent like that. Now, what was it you needed?"
"A bit of iron and, if you have it, some light silver."
"I see. As for iron... if you're fine with scrap, you can take whatever you want from the pile out back for free. But light silver? We don't have anything like that here. Sorry."
In a village of this size, there was likely no demand for an expensive material like light silver.
"Thank you, Master. That's very kind of you."
Adriana glanced out the back door and saw that the scrap pile contained more than enough for her needs.
"I'll take this much, then. Are you sure I can't pay you for it?"
"It's just scrap, and you gave me a hell of a show. Keep your money. But that's a heavy load—can you carry all that yourself?"
"Oh, it's no trouble. I have help."
Adriana beckoned F-002 inside.
"Wh-Whoa! Is that one of them golems!?"
"Yes. I made him myself."
"You made that? By yourself? This magi craftsman stuff is something else."
"There are actually lectures being given on it further south."
The term "lectures" seemed to confuse the man. "Lectures? What's that mean?"
Adriana paused to think of a better way to explain it.
"Oh... well... it's like a master taking on a huge number of disciples all at once to teach them."
That, he understood. "Hmph. But with that many disciples, doesn't the master run out of time to teach each one properly?"
His view was firmly rooted in the traditional apprenticeship system.
"It's actually quite efficient. Since everyone learns the same basics at the beginning, it works out quite well."
"Is that so? Well, I'll be."
The master stood up with a heavy grunt. His break was over, and it was time to get back to the forge. "Thanks for the interesting chat, lass."
"And thank you for the iron....Actually, let me tidy up the rest of the scrap for you."
Adriana had F-002 set aside the pieces she needed, then turned to the remaining pile.
"Fusion."
Using her craft magic, she merged the disparate bits of metal into a single mass.
"Wh... what the..."
The master’s jaw practically hit the floor.
"And Forming."
The irregular hunk of metal shifted into a neat, easy-to-use ingot.
"..."
The blacksmith was beyond words.
Adriana performed the same process on her own share of the metal, turning it into a single block for F-002 to carry. Turning back one last time, she gave a cheery wave.
"Take care, Master!"
With that, Adriana headed back toward the beach in high spirits.