Chapter 41
A childhood friend who had been absentmindedly watching the unusual sight was scared stiff.
The reason was that the lord was flying straight toward them at high speed.
At the same time, the local militiamen standing watch nearby all gathered.
They had eyes too, after all, and had spotted the lord.
“G-greetings, my lord!”
“A-at your service!”
The militiamen didn't know what to do at Jade's sudden appearance.
The former lord, Baron Baris Leon, had also visited Baden Village for inspections, but he came to this place, which could be called the front line, only once a year, if that.
Even then, the village chief handled most things, so the young men, mere militiamen, exchanged glances before dropping to their knees all at once.
“There's no need to go that far.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“Stand at ease.”
“Understood!”
At Jade's order, the militia awkwardly rose.
Then, in the distance, the militia captain came running with his deputies.
They had hurried over at the lord's appearance.
“M-my, my lord!”
Jade had flown in without warning, so not only the captain but the deputies as well had gone pale.
They were all tense because no one had had time to prepare.
-Hee, that child has spirit affinity?
-Indeed. Is it because he lives near the Great Forest? He's got pretty decent talent.
While Jade waited for the militia captain, Silestin and Elestra looked over at Parzali.
They had recognized at a glance that he possessed spirit affinity.
But even after Jade landed, Silaphe remained at his side.
Since no one had told her to return, she was enjoying the air of the Middle Realm for the first time in a while.
“You could have taken your time.”
“I'm sorry for being late!”
“There's no need to apologize.”
Jade waved his hand as if to say it was fine.
But the captain and the militiamen were different.
To them, their lord Jade was as lofty as the heavens, so they found it difficult to take a single word or action at face value.
After all, though they were militia, every one of them was a commoner.
“I'll show you to the militia headquarters first.”
“It's all right. I didn't come here because I had business with the militia.”
“Then…?”
“I plan to stay around here for a while. For this fellow, the Great Forest is more comfortable than a human village.”
Grrrr.
Whid, nestled in Jade's arms, bared his teeth.
As if to say he wouldn't sit still if something displeased him.
Whid was a gentle lamb only to Jade, but practically a monster to everyone else, so the captain swallowed dryly when his eyes met Whid's.
“We'll be seeing each other often from now on, so that won't do.”
Kwoong.
Whid's reptile-like, murderous gaze instantly softened.
Jade's touch had melted his hostility away.
“Y-you mean around here?”
“Yeah.”
Krrrummble!
The ground inside the low stone wall built haphazardly undulated.
Then stone pillars shot up in an instant.
Under the direction of Noes, the high-grade earth spirit, dozens of gnomes fashioned bricks and built up the structure.
And the sylphs cleaned as quickly as the gnomes made the walls, roof, and perimeter wall.
“W-wow.”
“So spirits can be used like that, too.”
“That really is an all-purpose ability. It would take people at least a month to build that.”
“A month? It wouldn't be enough if you had to lay the foundation and transport the stone.”
As the stone building rose past the second floor and up to the third in an instant, the militiamen's mouths fell open.
They couldn't believe it even with their own eyes.
-Hmph! This much?
-But it is certainly unusual. It's an uncommon style on the Arpedia continent.
It wasn't as large as the lord's castle, but neither was it tiny.
It had everything one could reasonably need.
Moreover, its exterior was quite distinctive.
Built with reference to styles Jade had seen on Earth, it was an architectural work unlike anything seen elsewhere on the Arpedia continent.
“I-it's magnificent!”
“It's incredible, my lord!”
Led by the captain, everyone voiced their admiration.
The building Jade had erected in an instant was both unusual and beautiful.
It was enough to make even someone with no particular eye for aesthetics think it looked magnificent at a glance.
Of course, only the building itself was complete, so furniture and household goods still needed to be purchased and brought in, but the head maid or Alfredo would handle that.
Swish.
Seeing the militia standing in a single line and applauding, Jade let out a quiet chuckle, then turned his head.
Toward the crudely erected palisade and the low stone wall that looked only half-built.
Krrrummble!
No sooner had he thought of it than the gnomes who had completed the house sprang into action once again.
They nudged the palisade forward, then erected a thick, high earthen wall in its place.
Not a shoddily made dirt wall, but a thick, sturdy wall of bricks stretched a great distance to either side in an instant.
It enclosed Baden Village in an instant.
“W-wowww!”
“Huh!”
At the thick, sturdy defensive wall nearly five meters high, the militiamen let out cries that went beyond exclamations into shrieks.
They had always thought a palisade alone was insufficient, so they were moved when Jade, their lord, built such a defensive wall for them.
At the same time, they could directly feel how tremendous a high-ranking spirit mage's power was.
‘So that's a spirit mage…!’
The young men's eyes burned brightest of all.
Witnessing a miracle difficult to believe even after seeing it, they felt awe beyond admiration.
At the same time, they grew interested in the power of spirits.
“Would it be better if it were taller?”
“N-no, sir! This is more than enough! Medium-sized monsters like trolls and ogres don't appear as often as you'd think. Most of what we see are wild beasts or orcs, and this is more than enough! Thank you so much, my lord!”
Seeing that Jade had thoughtfully even made stairs here and there, the militiamen looked deeply moved.
They had never imagined Jade would take this much care.
Having power and sharing it were entirely different things.
Thus, not only the captain but the militiamen as well looked at Jade with gazes quite different from before.
“Don't let your guard down too much just because you have a defensive wall now.”
“I will keep that in mind!”
“You'll need to maintain it thoroughly, too. The same goes for repairs.”
“I will manage and supervise it personally!”
“Oh, and people from the lord's castle will be coming tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Show them over here when they arrive.”
Jade thought of Alfredo and the head maid.
Since they had said they would prepare when he set out, he expected them to arrive by the day after tomorrow at the latest, so he gave them advance notice.
“Understood!”
“Then, good work.”
“Are you heading into the Great Forest?”
“Yeah. I have to tidy up the house I used to live in before I come back out.”
Everyone stared blankly at Jade, who spoke as though he were merely going for a walk.
Seeing that, they realized anew.
That Jade and they themselves viewed the Great Forest from entirely different perspectives.
Kkyuuu! Kkyuuu!
At the same time, Whid flapped his wings excitedly.
Whid regarded the Great Forest as both home and homeland, so Whid was excited to be back.
“Then, take care, everyone.”
“Have a safe trip!”
Jade mounted Silaphe again and entered the Great Forest.
The militiamen gave him an enthusiastic send-off.
-It's really amazing. Even though the Great Forest and the area outside it aren't far apart, their mana densities are noticeably different.
-Why are you acting surprised? You already knew that.
-Still, it's amazing every time I feel it. Mana this abundant…
Sitting on Jade's shoulder and catching the wind, Silestin spread both arms wide.
Silestin had known it already, but feeling it physically made the difference clearer than ever.
“I was surprised too after I left the Great Forest. When I first woke up in Jade's body, my mana sensitivity wasn't all that high.”
Kwooo! Kwooooo!
Whether Whid was enjoying flying across the Great Forest or simply happy to be home, Whid hummed.
While clinging to Jade's chest, Whid hummed an unintelligible tune.
-We're here! Our home!
-Maybe because it's been so long. It feels strange.
“Fortunately, there hasn't been any monster intrusion.”
The hideout looked exactly as it had when they left, perhaps because the black drake bone powder scattered around it was still doing its job.
The weeds had grown thick around the herb garden and hut, but that much was fine.
It was a problem he could clear away in an instant if he put his mind to it.
-This is an area where, at most, orcs or lizardmen wander around. Even those two races are fairly intelligent, so neither would even think of coming near Jade.
-And both have suffered plenty at our Whid's hands.
Kwoong! Kwoong!
After Whid escaped Jade's arms and began flying excitedly around the yard, Silestin climbed onto Whid's back and muttered.
Unfortunately, no one was listening to Silestin.
Because Jade had gone straight down into the underground cavern he'd made in the cliff behind the hut.
Kkyuuu!
Whid, who knew all too well what was in the underground cavern, followed immediately.
He knew all too well that his food was in there.
“Fortunately, it's still frozen solid.”
-Whose power do you think froze it?
“Now that I have a dimensional bag too, shall I try taking it out?”
-At last, you're taking it out!
-I wonder if that's okay. You did freeze it solid, but quite a while has passed.
Jade drew his sword.
Then, without hesitation, he split open the black drake's chest.
Since it was frozen, he quickly opened up the chest cavity.
-I can see it! It's huge, just like I thought! Bigger than the gold drake's!
“Fortunately, it hasn't lost much mana. Freezing it solid was worth it.”
Though frozen, it still retained its mana.
It held mana that was not far inferior to that in the heart of the gold drake Jade had absorbed.
Moreover, it still held the deadly poison characteristic of black drakes.
Even though it was frozen solid, it gave off the characteristically sour smell of poison.
Kkyuuung! Kkyuu!
But when the black drake's heart was removed, Whid's eyes went wild.
Whid instinctively knew that eating it would make Whid stronger.
But Jade stopped Whid as Whid rushed at it.
“Not yet. I'll give it to you when you're a little bigger. Your body can't handle it now.”
Kkyuuuung.
Whid's eyes had briefly gone wild, but Jade's forceful presence and firm tone soon made Whid's tail droop.
Whid understood what Jade said, but was still disappointed.
Instead, Jade picked Whid up and set Whid down where the black drake's heart had been.
“Be satisfied with this for today.”
Slurp! Lick!
Since it was closest to the heart, the mana dissolved in the blood was different as well.
Perhaps because of that, Whid didn't answer and frantically drank the black drake's blood.
-He eats well.
“I'll give you this later. When you're bigger. Once you grow to around ten meters, I think you'll be able to digest it somehow.”
-Aren't you tempted? Eating that would make you considerably stronger, even if it wouldn't double your current strength. Your mana reserves would increase substantially, too.
“I caught it, but it's not my share. Besides, don't be greedy.”
-Listen to you, sounding like an old man.
Silestin grumbled.
But his expression was unmistakably pleased.
Jade might act mature, but he was only twenty-five.
Even so, when he didn't act greedy, Silestin was proud of him.
-You need to show some maturity.
-That's just my personality. I can't help it, can I?
-Even personality can be changed.
-Hmph! I don't want to!
Silestin stuck his tongue out at Elestra.
Then he promptly flew over and clung to Whid's back.