"!?"
"Oh? Awake, are you?"
"Huh? Jeff? ...Right, the medicine. I must have been out cold."
I jolted awake with a falling sensation, the memories of the day rushing back to me as I got my bearings.
"How are you feeling?" Jeff asked.
"A little groggy, but not bad at all."
"Good. Well, it looks like everyone else is gathered in the dining hall. If you can move, you want to head over?"
"Let's do that."
I expected Master Rosenberg might have further instructions for me, so the two of us made our way to the dining hall. Before we even stepped inside, I spotted the group through the window, huddled together and staring intently at something on the table. Welanna and her companions were leaning in so far they were practically draped over the furniture. Eleanora sat at the center, watching the table with an uncharacteristically sharp, focused gaze.
I tried to slip into the room quietly, but Miya noticed me immediately and hopped up from her seat.
"Ryoma! You feeling okay-nya?"
"I'm fine, thanks. What are you all looking at?"
"Eleanora is incredible-nya!"
Miya stepped aside, revealing stacks of blank paper on both ends of the table and a pile of completed documents. Between them sat three sets of writing materials currently in use. A single feather pen floated above each sheet—three pens in total, all moving independently.
Ah, this was the multitasking technique Eleanora had mentioned yesterday while we were prepping dinner.
"Hmm? You're not as surprised as I thought you'd be-nya," Miya noted.
"I’m certainly impressed, but she did warn me about it yesterday. I hadn't seen her actually compose text with it yet, though. Are you working on the reports, Eleanora?"
"I was just finishing the summary of your ritual, Master Takebayashi—everything from the preparation stages to the post-operative survey."
Hearing that made me realize I had fallen asleep without actually checking the area after using the technique to draw out the miasma.
"Our main goal this time was training your control over your emotions and the technique itself, so don't let it worry you," Master Rosenberg chimed in. "I was there for the cleanup anyway, and I was the one who ordered you to take the medicine and sleep. More importantly, aside from the grogginess, do you feel any lingering effects? Anything unusual, like your body feeling heavy? Even the smallest detail matters."
"If I had to say anything, I’m just a bit sleepy."
"I see. That’s likely just the medicine still working its way through your system. If that's the only issue, you should be fine. Please let me know if you feel unwell later. Now then, since you were out, let me fill you in on what happened after you took the medicine. There are a few things we need to discuss."
I wondered if something had gone wrong. I remembered pulling out a massive amount of miasma; had I failed to collect all of it?
"It isn't bad news," Rosenberg assured me. "In fact, it's the same situation as with the rope you made previously—it’s a matter of 'too much success.' First, Ryoma, your technique was flawless. The power you manifested by squeezing out every drop of your strength has already surpassed my own. To be perfectly honest, I don't know a single curse specialist who can achieve what you did on an individual level. While your massive mana capacity played a role, you must realize that the technique you used is equivalent to a ritual performed by a large coven of specialists."
"I’ve used magic like crazy in this life, but that was the first time I felt like I truly gave it my all," I admitted. "But was it really that extreme?"
"It was. And to be blunt, it would be best if you didn't use that technique in front of others. It is a magnificent spell, and you have done nothing to be ashamed of, but the sight of those terrifying arms coupled with the sheer sense of intimidation it radiated would be enough to panic anyone nearby."
I remembered the arms well enough, so I could see how they'd be off-putting. However, I hadn't noticed the intimidating aura myself, so I was grateful for the warning.
"Do you know what caused that aura?" I asked.
"It was likely the sheer volume of mana and the intensity of the negative emotions you poured into it. Everyone has at least some capacity to sense mana. When hit with a wave that powerful, even the most magically stunted person will feel the pressure. When you lace that with negative emotions, it becomes a deeply unpleasant experience for anyone in the vicinity. It’s the same logic behind my family’s techniques, though you did it instinctively rather than intentionally."
"In that case... if I keep the visualization the same but treat that previous ritual as the maximum output, I could probably dial the power back to reduce the pressure. If I find a more visually gentle way to manifest it, I might even make it viable for public use."
"Being able to adjust it for different situations would be quite useful. Perhaps the next discovery will help with that as well."
The "next discovery" Master Rosenberg referred to was the equipment I had used.
The rake I had fashioned had crumbled away, eroded by the sheer density of the miasma it had channeled. It was unrecoverable. However, the mana gemstone was perfectly intact, sitting amidst the wreckage of the tool. Furthermore, the effect of the Hand of Kesho had unintentionally lingered within the stone. Just by sitting there, it had become a passive air purifier that drew in and absorbed surrounding miasma.
"I see... so I just need to apply a weaker version of the Hand of Kesho to a different object."
"A word of caution," Rosenberg said firmly. "Do not use that specific mana gemstone. I was startled when I first saw it, but a closer inspection left me astonished. Despite absorbing that much miasma, it hasn't changed at all. Its durability and storage capacity are essentially bottomless."
Eleanora added, "Regarding your mana gemstone, we have decided to keep its existence confidential between those of us in this room. With Master Sebas's approval, I have omitted it from any reports that might be seen by third parties."
"I will personally provide the details to Lord Reinhardt, so you need not worry about him," Sebas added.
Since it was an object of national treasure-class value, they wanted to keep both the stone and the technique under wraps. I had no desire to show it off myself, and keeping it secret meant less trouble down the road. I had no objections.
"Now that we’ve cleared that up, here is the final point," Rosenberg continued. "As a rule, completely purifying land that has been infested with miasma takes decades of continuous effort. If the process is neglected, progress stalls or even regresses, wasting years of hard work. However, looking at the experiment ground we used today—the very source of the miasma—the density buried underground has plummeted. It’s only an estimate, but if you performed that ritual about ten more times, you might clear it entirely."
"So... that one session was worth several years of normal work?"
"Precisely. It was the combination of your full-power technique and a mana gemstone perfectly suited for curse magic. That is why I saved this for last."
To be honest, I had been so focused on the ritual itself that the scale of the result hadn't really sunk in. It felt like hearing a story about someone else.
"If I did it once a day, I could finish decades of work in ten days..." I mused.
"Mathematically, yes," Rosenberg said. "But that training is not something to be done every day. For the sake of observation—and your own mental health—once a month would be the limit, much like the lost magic for curse removal. Even so, completing the task in less than a year is an overwhelming speed."
"If our owner got serious, this place would be purified in the blink of an eye," Miya added. "But that would attract far too much attention for being 'too fast,' so we decided to suppress that information as well."
"If you ever have to draw out miasma in public," Mizeria suggested, "I recommend working at a snail's pace."
"Considering we want to avoid the gaze of the nobility, Mizeria is right," Rosenberg agreed. "It’s better to hold back. You seem capable enough to develop a modified version of the spell, so I’m sure you can adjust accordingly. That is all I have to report. Is there anything else?"
"It's not related to the technique, but..."
Eleanora had finally finished the documents she had been working on. I looked them over and saw they were her usual, meticulous reports. Since today was the final day of our inspection, she had also included a comprehensive summary of our week's work.
According to the summary: Mastery of the basics of curse magic—specifically regarding miasma—was complete. This included the production of ritual incense, human-warding and beast-warding ropes, and miasma defense misangas. Research into lost magic and methods for Kormi to interact with the outside world was ongoing.
As for the mountain development: The lodging had been expanded, and a road now connected the lodging to the main highway. A lumber storage area had been cleared, and a well had been dug. On the other hand, pruning and thinning had only been completed in a small section of the mountain, and the ground reinforcement for the miasma land was still pending.
"I added all these extra tasks because I thought they were necessary, but we didn't manage to finish everything," I said.
"Well, obviously," Jeff grunted. "The amount of work you did finish isn't something anyone should be doing in a single week."
"Haha, true enough. I'll be the one managing this place from now on, so I’ll just chip away at it at a reasonable pace."
It might not have been the fastest route to my goals, but this was the path I had chosen. Life is a one-way street with no turning back, branches and detours included.
"Since there's no real deadline, I can keep maintaining the path to the experiment ground or spend some time making the lodging and roads even more comfortable," I thought aloud.
"Hey, look at him. He’s already shamelessly trying to add to his own workload," Jeff joked.
"While we appreciate the environmental maintenance of the miasma land," Sebas said warmly, "please ensure you do not neglect your health. Do not overdo it."
"Of course."
I knew that well enough. Besides, making the living environment better meant that my time spent here would be more comfortable, which would actually reduce my stress in the long run. When I looked at it that way, there were still so many things I wanted to do—Wait! I almost forgot! My slime evolved!
"Master Ryoma? Is something wrong?"
"No, I just remembered my slime. I think I'm finally awake now. Is that everything for the reports? No other procedures or treatments? Good. I'll look over the documents properly later. I need to go check on the evolution!"
With that, I excused myself and hurried off. But before I left the dining hall, I noticed everyone exchanging looks.
"What was that about?" someone asked.
"Probably a normal reaction for him," another replied.
I wondered what they meant by that.
As I suspected, the slime that had evolved was a Clay Slime, having consumed the clay we dug up while making the well.
Clay Slime Skills: Scatter Lv3, Cohesion Lv3, Moisture Retention Lv3, Digestion Lv1, Absorption Lv2, Division Lv2, Assimilation (Clay) Lv5.
Since its previous form was a Mad Slime, its abilities were largely the same, though the target of its assimilation had shifted from mud to clay. However, a clay body is much more solid than mud, allowing it to deform into specific shapes like Metal or Iron Slimes.
I didn't think it would make for good weapons or armor, but if I paired it with my Wire Slimes, it would be perfect for mass-producing bricks and roof tiles. It also seemed to process the soil it ate, removing stones and organic waste to leave behind pure, fine-particled clay.
I still had the Pottery-loving Stone Slimes that hadn't evolved yet... and with all the land and wood available from our clearing work, I had plenty of space for a kiln and an endless supply of fuel. Taking up pottery as a hobby was starting to sound like a very interesting idea.