After a satisfying lunch, we spent a short while enjoying our post-meal tea.
During this time, I decided to ask Lord Rosenberg, who had been busy with other tasks during the morning, for his impressions after reviewing the materials on Lost Magic.
"I believe I have grasped the general gist of the documents. It is only to be expected, I suppose, but the nature of this magic is quite different from what we use in the modern era."
"I agree... Though the underlying logic seemed relatively straightforward to me."
"Is it a particularly difficult form of magic?"
As Lord Rosenberg and I shared our thoughts on the materials, Eleanora-san chimed in with a question. Since the others seemed curious as well and would likely be assisting me later, I decided to provide a brief explanation.
"It’s not so much that it's difficult as it is a completely different way of utilizing mana than what we're used to. Typical modern magic draws upon the mana stored within one’s own body, but ancient magic appears to utilize the mana that naturally permeates the environment. It might be easier to understand if you think of it like compounding magic medicines.
For example, when making a fast-acting healing potion, you combine the medicinal properties of herbs with mana and then adjust the mixture to produce an effect that normal medicine could never achieve—like closing a wound in an instant. I think it’s quite similar to that process... What do you think, Lord Rosenberg?"
"Based on the documents, the ritual employs curse magic that acts directly upon the surrounding space. In that sense, the spell and the space itself serve as the tools for the compounding process."
Incidentally, the 'material' used in this case is 'Light.' The overview of the Lost Magic for curse removal that I found among the records suggested that by drawing natural light into a specially prepared Ritual Ground and applying curse magic to it, one could perform a purification using the light-attribute mana present in nature.
"When you put it that way, it sounds surprisingly simple."
"Actually, aside from the single point of using external mana, it doesn't seem all that complicated. There weren't many difficult explanations or concepts that were hard to visualize.
The documents also included copies of illustrations depicting rituals from the past. It seems they were held quite casually on the nights of a full moon. They would set up opportunities for people to gather, like tea parties or festivals, and perform the ritual as part of the event. It appears to have been a mundane part of daily life, much like visiting a church to pray."
"Heh, so people didn't have to pay a fortune for it?"
"It seems the nobility paid a substantial gratuity to the casters, but for ordinary citizens, it was either free or just a small token of appreciation."
"Is there a specific reason it has to be done on the night of a full moon? If you need light, I would think the morning sun would be much brighter."
"The ritual can be performed with sunlight as well, but the documents say that if the light is too intense, it can potentially harm people or objects during the process. Just as a mild tan is fine but excessive exposure leads to pain or illness, the same principle applies here.
Moonlight, on the other hand, utilizes the darkness of night—essentially dark-attribute mana—to soften the light, allowing the ritual to be performed much more safely."
Mizeria-san, Silia-san, and the rest of the group seemed genuinely interested, and I did my best to answer the questions that followed. Explaining it served as a good review for me, and since I planned to ask for their help with upcoming experiments, I was grateful for the chance to clear up any doubts now.
I should mention that when I hired the adventurer team for this job, they had signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of their contract. Personally, I trusted them regardless of any paperwork, but as I was acting in my official capacity as a Ducal House Technician, it was a necessary precaution.
"Lord Rosenberg, when and how should we begin our experiments?"
"The documents state that a clear, cloudless full moon night is preferable to maximize the ritual's effectiveness by capturing as much moonlight as possible. However, if we simply want to see if the theory holds, we could try it as early as tonight, provided the moon is visible.
As for the location, we need an open outdoor area where the light can hit clearly. The Western Miasma Land is the most obvious choice, but since there is still miasma lingering in the soil there, it might skew our results. It isn't suitable as a controlled experiment ground."
"In that case, how about the Lumber Storage Area the Goblins are currently clearing?"
There was no miasma there at all, and since we were clearing the trees, the moonlight would reach the ground easily. When I proposed this, Lord Rosenberg gave a satisfied nod.
"Then it is settled. We shall conduct the experiment at the Lumber Storage Area."
"Takebayashi-sama, if that is the case, perhaps we should prioritize the development of that area. Now that it has an additional purpose, it only makes sense to shift our work schedule accordingly."
Eleanora-san was right. If it were only going to be used for storing wood, we could have taken our time, but if we were going to use it as an experiment ground tonight, we needed to clear as much as possible and level the ground to make it usable.
"Understood. We'll aim for the experiment tonight. This afternoon, we'll focus all our efforts on developing the Lumber Storage Area to prepare the site. Does anyone have any concerns?"
When I asked for confirmation, Silia-san raised her hand.
"It’s not exactly a concern, but if we’re focusing on the Lumber Storage Area, wouldn't it be more efficient for us to handle other tasks? For instance, we could scout the uninvestigated western side of the mountain. For the simple transport and prep work we did this morning, I don’t think our presence would make much of a difference compared to the sheer number of Goblins you have working there."
"I agree with that. We'll do it if you tell us to, but we can't possibly match the output of that many Goblins. Plus, we can't communicate with them, so coordination would be a nightmare. It would just make commanding everyone more difficult for you, wouldn't it?"
They were right. For simple manual labor, the Goblins' numbers were more than enough. While I could have given the adventurers separate instructions, their contribution to that specific task wouldn't have significantly changed the timeline.
It would be much more helpful to have them survey the western side, which we had avoided until now for the sake of the miasma purification.
"Ryoma-kun, as of yesterday, the vast majority of the miasma drifting near the contaminated land has been purified. If it's just the small amount newly seeping from the ground, it shouldn't affect you if you cast protection spells beforehand."
"Is that so! Then, adventurers, please spend the afternoon surveying the western side."
With that, our plans for the afternoon were revised. All that was left was...
"It looks like the Goblins are still finishing their rest, so let's head out in a little while."
I decided to wait a bit longer without showing myself, so as not to rush the Goblins while they were still napping or finishing their tea.
In the afternoon, I resumed the development of the Lumber Storage Area with Lord Rosenberg, while the adventurer team headed off to explore the west. My first task was to use Slime Magic to fell all the trees within the designated area at once.
"My... that is incredibly fast. And they fall so precisely."
I had carefully selected the range and aligned the direction so the fallen trees wouldn't tumble outside the boundary. Watching them go down all at once gave me the same satisfying feeling as a massive domino display. I explained the mechanics of my Slime Magic to Lord Rosenberg, who hadn't seen it during the morning.
Before long, the felling of the planned area was complete. Looking over the plateau now that the sunlight was no longer blocked by the canopy, I realized it was quite expansive. If I had to guess, it was probably a bit larger than a single Tokyo Dome.
The 'one Tokyo Dome' unit of measurement never quite made sense to me, but I decided I would come back and measure the exact area another day.
"Alright, everyone, I'm counting on you!"
"Goh!"
I deployed the Goblins who had been waiting on standby. Since the felling was already done, I could reassign the entire felling team to transport duties. This boosted our efficiency significantly.
I had already prepared the stumps from the morning by clearing away the surrounding earth, so I had the Goblins gather them all into a single pile. The holes left behind would eventually be backfilled and leveled with magic, but that would take some time. I decided to use the interval to dig a well.
The site for the well was right in the center of the square. When I had inspected the Kareppashi Tree Colony with Yudum-san earlier, I had used a sensory link with a Water Slime to locate an underground water vein, selecting the spot most suited for a well.
"Is this enough space for you to work?"
"Yes, this is perfect. Thank you."
Yudum-san used strengthening magic to clear away some fallen logs, securing the digging site. I summoned my Huge Rock Slime and Soil Slime.
Normally, digging a well by hand in a place without heavy machinery would involve methods like 'Kazusa-bori,' which uses the elasticity of long bamboo poles. However, I decided to take full advantage of my slimes instead.
First, I guided the Huge Rock Slime to the center of the site and had it extend a cylindrical tentacle from its underside.
"Position check... alright."
Once I confirmed the alignment, I had the Soil Slime soften the ground beneath the pillar and commanded the Huge Rock Slime to push its cylindrical tentacle deeper into the earth. As it descended, the slime drew the excavated soil and sand into its body, discharging it out from its top.
"As a butler of the Ducal House, I have seen many public works projects, but this completely overturns the very concept of digging a well..."
In this method, I wasn't just digging a hole and dropping a pipe into it. Instead, I was removing the ground from beneath the structure and letting it sink into the earth. It was much closer to the 'Caisson Method' used for building massive underground structures than traditional well-digging.
Even in a world with magic, most labor was still done by hand, so Sebas-san’s shock at seeing something that resembled heavy machinery in action was understandable.
"At this rate, it won't even take five more minutes."
"Yesterday's survey suggested there was a water-rich stratum at about five meters here, so it should be quick. The Huge Rock Slime can extend its body up to thirty meters, and I was prepared to go as deep as necessary, but I'm glad the water vein was so close."
The saying that water is easy to find near Kareppashi Trees was likely because they naturally thrived in such damp soil. Even the earth being excavated was visibly moist and clay-like. Soon, the soil being spat out by the Huge Rock Slime became noticeably wetter.
Checking the depth through our shared senses, I decided we had gone far enough. I had the slime hollow out the center of its pillar to create a pipe shape and added slits along the sides at regular intervals to allow groundwater to seep in. With that, I retrieved the slimes.
The Huge Rock Slime left behind a stone pipe that reached up to my chest, and then I was ready to install the manual pump I had made the night before.
"When exactly did you make that?"
"Just a little bit last night. Don't worry, I didn't cut into my sleep time or anything."
As someone who had read plenty of reincarnation light novels in my past life, knowing how to make a water pump was practically mandatory. The design was already etched into my memory, and with the help of alchemy, I had finished it in a flash. I wouldn't know if it needed fine-tuning until I tested it, but since it hadn't taken much effort, I wasn't worried.
Actually, manual pumps had existed in this world for a long time, so my companions weren't especially surprised by the technology itself. It had probably been introduced by a past Otherworlder.
"Alright, time for a trial run."
I poured some priming water into the pump using magic and began to work the handle. After a few rhythmic squeaks, the resistance in the handle increased. As I kept pumping, the sound changed to a heavy gurgling, and a moment later, muddy water gushed from the spout.
"There we go... it's working properly."
The handle felt a bit stiff, but the last time I had touched a pump like this was when I was a very young child. As long as water was coming out, I was satisfied.
The water was muddy, but that was to be expected with a brand-new well. It would clear up if I let it run for a while, and if it didn't, I could always put a Filter Slime inside the spout to strain out the sediment. I set up a container to catch the water so it wouldn't make a mess of the site.
As for the muddy water we had already pumped, I simply let a Mad Slime drink it up. Next, I decided to tidy up the area around the well. Having a single pipe with a pump sticking out of the ground was an accident waiting to happen, so I wanted to make it more visible.
I asked the Huge Rock Slime to lay a donut-shaped stone slab around the well's base, then surrounded the entire thing with a simple gazebo featuring arched entrances on all four sides. Finally, I installed a stone basin to catch the water, similar to the purification fountains at shrines.
"How does this look?"
"It is beyond reproach."
"The well is great, but what about this pile of dirt? I can clear it away if it's in the way."
"Oh, that's fine as it is. It shouldn't interfere with the log transport, and I'll use it as food for the Soil Slimes and Mad Slimes later."
Some of my slimes preferred clay, so I figured I would treat them. In fact, I could even dig up more soil to see if I could trigger an evolution. I expected they would become 'Clay Slimes,' but checking my predictions against the actual results was vital for data collection.
However, looking at the soil we had pulled up, the ground here seemed to have poorer drainage than I had anticipated. I would need to perform boring surveys in other spots to be sure, but depending on the results, I might have to install additional drainage or perhaps consider turning the area into rice paddies instead of dry fields. It was something to think about.
With the work proceeding at a rapid pace, the development of the plateau was nearly finished, and the Ritual Ground was ready by the time the sun began to set.