After acquiring the Enchant skill, I spent a good deal of time experimenting. With this ability, I could create magic tools that faithfully replicated my own magic—essentially making me the "enchanter" behind them. Take the Clean spell, for instance. While standard Clean magic is usually limited to scrubbing away dirt, I had discovered far more specialized uses for it. I could use it for disinfection, purifying malice, or even extracting iron. By using Enchant, I could manifest those specific variations into physical magic tools.
I decided to call these items "Enchanted Magic Tools" to distinguish them from the mass-produced variety. It seemed anyone could use them as long as they provided mana—and to my surprise, that included golems. Not just Allen and his group, but even my egoless golems could trigger them. The only catch was that the mana used by the tool came directly from the golem’s operational reserves; overusing them meant they’d run out of power and shut down in no time.
The primary drawback of the Enchant skill was its staggering mana cost. When crafting an Enchanted Magic Tool, I had to choose between a one-time single-use type or a repeatable type. Both required a massive amount of mana. A single-use version took two to three times the mana of the original spell, while a repeatable one required at least ten times that amount.
While I could manage a repeatable version of a spell like Create Water, an arranged version of Create Golem was simply too mana-intensive. Therefore, I decided to provide the magic Jot-san wanted—the ability to "create a sentient golem based on a doll"—as a single-use enchantment.
That was a few days ago.
Today, I found myself back at the doll workshop. My goal was to check on the condition of Reire, the golem Jot-san had constructed.
When I opened the door to the workshop, I was greeted by Jot-san, Reire, and a girl I didn't recognize who was balancing Reire on her head. The girl was an enigma—fragile and sickly in appearance, yet her face was bright with a beaming, energetic smile. She looked to be a few years younger than me, and her features bore a striking resemblance to Reire.
"Ah, Tort! Thanks for coming all this way," Jot-san said, his energy level noticeably higher than usual. "As you can see, Reire is moving along perfectly!"
He seemed genuinely thrilled that the golem was functioning as intended. At his words, Reire gave a small nod and gave her right hand a little hop. Yes, her movements seemed fluid enough. If she had been operating without issue until now, then there were likely no problems with her magic replenishment.
"How were the staves? Was Reire able to use them?" I asked.
I had actually provided several Enchanted Magic Tools specifically for Reire’s use. While I knew my own golems could use them, I wanted to verify if a golem built by someone else could do the same. To make them easier for her to handle, I had carved small wooden sticks into staff-like shapes before imbuing them with spells.
I had prepared three staves: one for Create Water, one for First Aid, and one for Clean. Ideally, I would have liked to put all three spells onto a single staff, but at my current level, I couldn't add further enchantments to an item that had already been processed.
I had assumed Reire would use them just as Allen and the others did, but Jot-san’s reaction was unexpected. He didn't confirm or deny my question; instead, he just stood there with a wide, mysterious smile. It didn't seem like a bad sign, but I couldn't quite read what he was thinking.
"Could she... not use them?" I prompted.
"No, it's not that," he replied. "But something rather unusual happened. Tell me... was that an ordinary Clean spell?"
"Probably..." I hesitated.
Wait, which one did I give him? I had created several variations of the Clean spell, so there was a distinct possibility I had handed over the wrong one.
"Did something go wrong?"
"I can't hear the voice anymore!" the girl chimed in before Jot-san could answer.
"Uh...?"
"Ah, I haven't introduced her yet. This is my granddaughter, Ril," Jot-san said.
I had suspected as much, but I was still shocked. I had been told her legs were paralyzed and she couldn't walk, yet here she was, standing firmly on her own two feet. What on earth had happened? And what was this about a voice?
As I listened to their explanation, the pieces began to fall into place. First, I had a very good guess regarding the "voice." It had to be the God of Evil Curses, Garnalava. The mention of "trials" all but confirmed it. As for the tool... it turned out the staff I had given Reire was the one imbued with Malice-Purifying Clean. The result? The source of the voice had been scrubbed right out of existence.
Nice job, me. Handing over the wrong staff actually worked out, I thought.
Based on Jot-san and Ril’s story, it seemed the reason she couldn't walk was because of Garnalava’s influence. She must have been possessed since the day she was born. If that was the case, there might be others in Aingurna suffering from similar afflictions.
"To think Ril was possessed by Garnalava all this time..." Jot-san said, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if you hadn't saved her, Tort. Thank you, truly!"
"Ah, well... the Clean thing was an accident, really..."
"Accident or not, it doesn't change the fact that you saved our family! Please, if there is ever anything you need, just say the word. It's our turn to help you."
I was a bit overwhelmed by Jot-san’s intense gratitude. I felt slightly guilty being thanked so much for what was essentially a fluke, but I suppose the Enchanted Magic Tool for Malice-Purifying Clean was far more useful than I’d realized. Even when there wasn't any malice to purify, it still functioned as a regular cleaning tool.
As I pondered this, Ril trotted over to me with a bright smile.
"I’m going to study hard and become a splendid Golem Maker just like you, Tort-san!"
Wait, am I a Golem Maker now?
Well, regardless of my title, I was just glad she was healthy and had found a new reason to be excited about the future.