To the Lake... Ah, Just as I Thought.

I realized something after the purification.

Water is difficult to purify.

This failure, too, was caused by the curse mixing into the water and seeping into the barrier.

For now, I'll head to the lake.

...

The lake was, as expected, still far away.

My current body could handle it, but it was still far away.

And there, right in front of me, was a lake still under the curse.

The purification had failed.

For now, I sealed the lake and river inside a barrier.

Hmm... Water purification.

How can I turn this into a clean lake?

I was stumped. I couldn't think of anything.

Shadows, curses, filth... Filth?

Could I use the image of gathering dust with static electricity?

Gathering the dust floating throughout a room with a static-charged mop.

Is that too much of a stretch?

Well... I'll give it a try.

"Absorb"

It worked. Countless black clumps floated on the lake.

There were so many that black clumps covered the entire surface.

Scary! Creepy!

Should I purify them...? No, I'll return them.

Once I learned to wield magic, I noticed something.

I was pretty sure Spell Return had succeeded.

I hesitated for a moment.

What should I do if this caused a problem?

Still, seeing the countless shadows in the forest, I figured they'd brought it on themselves.

Once my hesitation was gone, I decided I should return everything.

Koa, Chai, and the baby spiders were troubled by the curse, too. That part is important.

Yeah, I should return it properly, with a nice bow on top.

I don't know what caused the curse, but actions have consequences.

I imagined it returning to the source of the curse.

"Spell Return+"

The lake shone with dazzling light, transforming into a pristine lake.

Seeing it sparkle in the sunlight, I felt a little moved for the first time since coming to this world.

The shadows gradually disappeared from the river flowing out of the lake, too.

To stop the curse from entering along the river from outside the barrier, I used five filters and cast "Barrier Reinforcement."

I wonder if there are any fish?

...

I continued modifying—or remodeling?—the house.

The first floor is where we cook and eat.

I made it spacious so everyone could eat comfortably.

It's too spacious.

And a bath!

Magic lets me freely control the water, including turning it into hot water.

Even though I have Clean, I still want a bath!

This bath is especially huge.

I made it with Koa and the others bathing together in mind... I hope it won't go to waste.

I've become able to control the rock's glow fairly freely.

I still can't fine-tune it, though.

And finally, the long-awaited toilet.

Inside each stall, I placed a Western-style toilet I had made by shaping rock according to my image.

But then, something completely unexpected happened.

When I shaped it while imagining a Japanese automatic-flushing toilet, it ended up with a new feature:

An automatic Clean spell.

I hadn't noticed, so using it gave me quite a scare.

Now... I want a door.

I made toilets on every floor from the second basement level through the fourth floor.

Somehow, that was reassuring.

I'm wondering whether I should make toilets for Koa and the others, too.