After lunch, I was stuffed from the soup and sandwiches Sebas and the others had prepared. We were now enjoying a graceful tea time. The mountain hut had been transformed into a spotless sanctuary thanks to the slimes' hard work, but even before the cleaning, something had been bothering me. The place felt far too cramped for ten people.
Aside from the bathroom, there was only one large room. Since there was no furniture, we would have to sleep in a heap on the floor, and there was no way to separate the group by gender. Perhaps our entourage was simply too large, but this seemed like a genuine problem.
"This is merely a temporary staging ground for land management and miasma purification," Rosenberg explained. "Being able to eat and sleep is enough. Besides, we never know how many disciples or assistants a Curse Specialist might bring with them. A single large room is actually easier to manage than several small ones."
"I see. Since it’s only used a few times a year... it makes it easier to clean as well."
"Precisely. However, that is how things used to be. You are the manager now, so you should feel free to make whatever improvements you see fit."
"Understood. I'll add some temporary rooms later."
"Later?" Rosenberg asked, sounding puzzled.
"If I use my slimes and magic, I can throw up a hut the size of this one in under thirty minutes."
I could mow the grass with the Huge Bush Slimes, verify and level the ground using Slime Magic with the Soil Slimes, and then have the Huge Rock Slimes finish the foundation in one go. After that, it was just a matter of placing a 3D-printed building on top using Slime Magic and Sand Slimes.
I figured that would be more than enough for this trip, but Lord Rosenberg didn't seem to know much about my background in construction. He looked entirely unconvinced. Seeing this, Sebas began to explain things to him while he served the tea.
"Well, it's only natural to think that way," Jeff added with a chuckle. "But when it comes to stuff like this, Ryoma is the outlier."
"We probably would have reacted the same way if we hadn't seen him renovate the city at the end of the year," Welanna said.
From the other side of the table, Jeff and Welanna’s laughter rang out. Slimes were undeniably convenient—it was only fair for someone to be bewildered if they didn't know the specifics.
"Well, it's about time we got to work," Welanna said, standing up.
"There are still refills if you'd like," I offered.
"One cup is plenty for me."
"We haven't done any real work yet," Jeff said. "If we stay here much longer, we'll be nothing but reward thieves."
"We'll inspect the safe eastern side thoroughly, so leave it to us," Welanna promised.
"If you decide we can enter the west, just say the word. We'll help," Mizeria added.
One by one, the adventurers checked in with me before heading out for their survey.
"They are quite diligent," Rosenberg noted.
"Yes, and they’re good people."
"Cherish those connections. Because curse magic draws on negative emotions, a single misstep can lead to being consumed by them. You are always at risk of straying from your path or falling ill in mind and body. Good friends will support you so that doesn't happen. They will notice when you are about to fall and pull you back. For a Curse Specialist, building healthy relationships is more important and valuable than it is for any ordinary person."
Big Sis Remily had told me the same thing. The mana used for curse magic was transformed by negative emotions, making it similar in nature to miasma. Even if my goal was purification, there was a danger in pushing myself too hard.
"I’ll keep your teachings in my heart. But regardless of the magic, I want to treasure my bond with them. And of course, with everyone else here as well."
"It seems you won't have any problems on that front. Well then, once we finish our tea, let’s head out for our own investigation. We shall try using the magic tools I described earlier."
"Yes, sir!"
With the tools in hand, we departed for the settlement site. My practical training for the afternoon began, but...
"Is everyone okay!?" I called out.
"Somehow... we can make it if we take it slow," someone managed to answer.
"The path is even worse than the records suggested."
"It was originally a bandit hideout. They probably designed it so enemies couldn't attack easily."
"Or perhaps parts of the trail collapsed and became narrower over time," Sebas suggested.
The path leading to the settlement was treacherous. The slope was punishingly steep—at least sixty degrees—and some sections were practically vertical. The footing was so narrow that in some places we had to crawl along the cliff face. It was far too tight to ride the slimes.
"On the way back, should we use space magic? Or maybe I should just develop a new road," I said. "Would that be okay, Sebas?"
"But of course. This mountain has already been designated an experiment ground, and you have been granted the authority to develop it as necessary. It would be a problem if it impacted the roads at the base, but you may decide on the placement of a road or two at your own discretion, Master Ryoma."
"If you do, please let me know the details," Eleanora added. "I’ll prepare the reports and submit them to the Ducal House along with the management status of the site."
"That would be a huge help."
It didn't mean my paperwork would disappear entirely, but it meant I could focus almost exclusively on the work I actually enjoyed. This kind of working environment was something I could never have imagined in my previous life.
As my motivation surged, I suddenly felt a wave of discomfort. There was no mistaking the sensation.
"I sense miasma."
"Then let's try a practical application once we find a spot with good footing," Rosenberg said.
I tried using the magic tool exactly as Lord Rosenberg had instructed. I planted the butt of the staff into the ground, kept the balance horizontal, and gently poured mana into it. Since mana manipulation was one of my strengths, I cleared this step without any trouble. The scale at the front dipped slightly, indicating an angle of four degrees.
"You're using it perfectly. At four degrees, this area is still well within the safe zone. However, there’s no guarantee the path ahead will be as stable, so let’s prepare our defenses. Now, what is the most important thing to remember here?"
"Using dark attribute mana, I need to create a membrane along my clothing to block the miasma."
If the goal was purely self-protection, light magic would work, but that would neutralize the miasma in the immediate area. That would cause the local concentration to fluctuate, making it impossible to get an accurate reading.
When I explained the reasoning, Lord Rosenberg nodded deeply and demonstrated the protective spell himself.
"Protection," he incanted.
Dark mana flowed from him, enveloping his body. It was almost identical to the Anti-Curse spell Big Sis Remily had taught me. I had heard that Anti-Curse had some effect against miasma, but this was a specialized version that increased protection by clearly distinguishing between curses and miasma.
"Protection," I echoed.
"Let’s see... Excellent work. Perhaps because you already know Anti-Curse, you have a stability that makes it hard to believe this is your first time. That should be more than enough to keep you safe."
With his approval, I cast the protective magic on the other three as practice, and we set off again. We proceeded while measuring the miasma levels until we finally arrived at the settlement site. The buildings had been burned down long ago and had rotted away after years of exposure to the elements, leaving almost no trace behind.
"The miasma seems thickest here, but it's still only twenty-eight degrees."
Since I had heard this was the source, I expected it to be much worse, but it was still in the safe range. Part of that might have been the protective magic, but I felt almost none of the usual miasma-induced nausea. If this was what twenty-eight degrees felt like... then the Town of Ghosts must have been truly nightmarish.
"When managed properly, this is how it should be," Rosenberg noted. "The scale here is fundamentally different from the Town of Ghosts, but considering the sheer number of undead that appeared there, the overall miasma concentration was likely forty degrees or higher by a conservative estimate. The center might have even exceeded sixty. That is the quintessential example of a complete failure in management."
"Which means if this place is left alone, it could end up like that."
"Precisely."
Fully realizing the danger of that previous situation, I vowed not to let this experiment ground go the same way. We continued our investigation, repeatedly ascending and descending the steep slopes using ropes while keeping a wary eye out for landslides. Even with the work divided up, it took a toll on our time and stamina.
However, as we worked, the range of the miasma's spread gradually became clear. By the time the sun began to dip toward the horizon, the survey was complete.
We had discovered that the miasma land covered about two hundred meters, centered around the landslide site. From a bird’s-eye view, the area that seemed to have collapsed first was narrowed, giving the whole zone a shape similar to a gourd.
Furthermore, the highest concentrations of miasma were at the settlement site and the plateau formed where the landslide had settled. We confirmed that there was one hotspot at the top and one at the bottom of the mountain.
"This matches the preliminary information perfectly," Rosenberg said. "Nothing happened today, but had there been any abnormalities, it could have led to a failed purification or an accident. Never forget to check the situation for anything unusual before you begin the work."
"Understood. By the way, the way the shape of the landslide and the area of influence overlap so perfectly—is that because of those marks?"
There were strange marks carved into the trees throughout the area at regular intervals. They looked less like living creatures and more like twisted staffs. I felt mana coming from them, so I assumed they were the work of a Curse Specialist.
"Those are curses designed to prevent the diffusion of miasma. Many specialists use marks like that."
"Is that technique closer to barrier magic or enchantment? The records are nearly six months old, so if those were placed back then, the spell has lasted an incredibly long time."
I could use barrier magic, but I couldn't keep a spell active for six months without recasting it. Judging by the state of the hut, no one had been here for a long time. I wondered if curse magic could replicate the effects of enchantment magic used to create magic tools.
"It can. In fact, curses are fundamentally similar to enchantments. We have the expression 'grudges accumulate,' do we not? Excessively strong negative emotions become grudges, which tend to linger. That technique for suppressing miasma applies that principle to maintain its effect for a long period."
"I see... It’s quite profound."
"We’ll cover the details later. I planned to teach you about curses anyway, and you’ll need that technique once the purification is finished. For now, let’s continue with the miasma itself. We’ve used a lot of energy today, so let’s finish with a small practical exercise."
Rosenberg signaled Sebas, who began pulling items from the Item Box.
"First, this."
He presented a large basket filled with over twenty magic staffs, packed in like umbrellas in a store on a rainy day. They were simple tools—wooden rods with a dark attribute mana stone attached to the head, much like the ones I had seen in the Town of Ghosts.
Rosenberg picked one up, stepped a short distance away, and pointed the tip at the ground.
"Curse Transfer."
Mana flowed through the staff and into the earth. An instant later, miasma gushed out from the ground like billowing black dust. It wasn't violent, but the visualized miasma was highly concentrated and clearly dangerous.
Rosenberg moved the staff as if stirring the dust, entangling it with magic. The miasma gradually turned into black threads, gathering around the tip of the staff like spinning sugar at a fair.
The gathered miasma was then pushed into the mana stone. It shrank bit by bit until it vanished completely, at which point Rosenberg cut the flow of mana.
"Did you follow that?"
"It looked like you drew the miasma out of the ground, then gathered what was in the air and sealed it inside the stone."
"Exactly. This is the foundation of miasma purification via curse magic. You remove the miasma from the object it has encroached upon. The target of the transfer doesn't have to be a mana stone, but... stay back, and look at this staff again without touching it."
I looked at the staff Rosenberg was holding. I understood immediately what he wanted me to see.
"The tip is damaged? It looked brand new just a moment ago."
"Objects deteriorate rapidly when exposed to high concentrations of miasma. This staff is less about its magical effect and more about providing distance from the mana stone that stores the miasma. Essentially, it’s just a stick. We use dark mana stones as the destination because they are easier to use with curse magic and have superior durability against miasma."
Now I understood why he had over twenty staffs ready. For safety, you needed distance, but the work destroyed the tools almost instantly. It made more sense to make a large number of cheap staffs and replace them as they broke.
"Some people use tools made of miasma-resistant materials, but those are luxury items. Curse Specialists need many other tools, and it gets expensive. Even when we try to cut costs, there are some things we simply cannot compromise on for the sake of safety."
"The reality of the business is quite harsh," I noted.
Rosenberg had a distant look in his eyes, but I respected his commitment to safety. It was a common enough practice to sacrifice safety to cut costs in my old world, after all.
"It’s a difficult subject, but since you have a reliable person handling your accounts, I’m sure you’ll be fine if you consult her."
"Please leave it to me," Eleanora replied firmly. She had been in charge of records since we started the survey.
With that, it was time for my turn. I pulled a fresh staff from the pile and pointed it at the ground, keeping a safe distance from the others.
"Curse Transfer."
I incanted the spell while visualizing Rosenberg’s demonstration, but I felt a strange resistance, as if something was clogged. The miasma wouldn't come out. Had I failed?
"The technique itself was successful, but you lack power," Rosenberg coached. "Focus more negative emotion into your mana and seize the miasma lurking in the darkness beneath the earth."
I concentrated on my mana perception first. I could feel the unsettling mana in the air around me. Since my protective magic was forming a membrane, it wasn't touching my skin, but I could definitely tell that the miasma was swirling just outside that thin barrier.
With that awareness, I turned my focus to the ground. A mass of miasma sat right beneath my feet. My perception wasn't quite sharp enough to tell exactly how deep it went, but I could tell the concentration was on another level compared to the air. Reeling that in was going to be a lot of work.
"You don't need to pull it all out at once," Rosenberg instructed. "Pulling too much at once is dangerous for the staff. Take it slow. Target just a small section right beneath the surface. Partition the area you want to purify, set your aim only on that miasma, and draw it toward you."
I followed his instructions, clarifying my target and incanting again.
This time, the "clogged" feeling vanished. I felt the miasma crawling out with a slithering sensation. As it reached the surface, it tried to dissolve into the air and diffuse, much like ordinary magic.
I kept my mana concentrated at the tip of the staff and around the mana stone to prevent the diffusion. I reeled in more and more of the gushing miasma, guiding it into the stone until every bit I had pulled out was sealed inside.
"Phew..."
With the job done, the tension drained from my body. I looked up and squinted; the setting sun felt incredibly bright.
"That was—"
"A success from the start, but that second attempt was flawless. If you can do that much, you’ve mastered the basics of miasma purification. There are further applications, but since we have to clean up, let's leave those for tomorrow."
The purification work was over for the day, but the lesson continued a little longer. Rosenberg signaled Yudum, who approached carrying a long, thin wooden box. I could feel mana coming from it; it clearly had a curse of its own.
"This box is designed to safely store and transport items without letting their curses or miasma leak out. Never mix used staffs with other items; place them inside here. Some specialists go as far as storing their entire outfits in boxes like these, but as long as you use protection magic and follow safety standards, that isn't necessary."
"What happens to the tools once they're in there?"
"The staff you used today is still functional, so we'll use it again tomorrow. Once they become unusable, we send them in the box to an exorcist I’m on good terms with to be purified. Curse Specialists and Exorcists are like two sides of a coin; we use different attributes—dark and light—so our methods and specialties differ even for the same purification. For example, a Curse Specialist can 'erase' miasma, but an Exorcist is better suited for it. Conversely, a Curse Specialist is better at 'removing' miasma, as we just did."
Because they share a field of expertise but use opposing attributes, people often assume they get along poorly, but apparently they have a good relationship because they complement each other's weaknesses.
"Since I cannot use light magic, I hire an exorcist, but if you can handle the processing yourself, you are free to do so. However, dark attribute mana stones are valuable, so always remove them and reuse them as much as possible."
The handles were disposable, but the stones were for reuse. To that end, he even had leather gloves prepared with the same protective magic as the box. Maintaining and tidying the tools was also part of the job.
With that in mind, I looked forward to learning everything I could starting tomorrow!