Chapter 32 - Compensation
"I-I’m sorry about your clothes, Fell-chan." (Via)
"No problem. You didn’t do it on purpose, after all." (Fell)
Otherwise, you would have a hole in your stomach right now. But what should I do with the change of clothes? I hate it, but it seems I have no other choices but to wear the waitress uniform. I have to prepare another butler suit in case something like this happens again.
Come to think of it, Dia is good at sewing, right? But why do I feel like I don't want to ask her help for some reason?
"In any case, do you believe me now?" (Fell)
"Yes! That's right! I can't use magic directly, but since I can make magic tools in an instant and then use them, for me, it's the same as using magic!" (Via)
Is that how she sees it? Well, it's all good as long as she cheered up.
"For your information, your Magic Bestowal Skill is still level 0, which means you simply have the aptitude for magic tools creation. Your level will never go up if you do nothing, so practice a lot from now on." (Fell)
"I don't really understand, but I will do my best. By the way, what is this level 0 all about?" (Via)
"Level is something like the proficiency of skill. If it's sunflower, level 0 is the state when the seed just sprouted. You succeeded in one try this time, but that won't always happen. The higher the level, the higher the success rate, and the more types of magic you can bestow." (Fell)
"I see." (Via)
"You can only bestow simple magic at your current level, but when your level is high enough, you can even bestow an advanced magic. Of course, it's impossible to bestow such magic onto something like a river rock." (Fell)
"I understand. I will practice a lot even if I have to reduce my sleeping time!" (Via)
Well, good luck. The skills take a lot of time and efforts to level up, but considering she has two skills which support each other, at least it will be a little bit faster for her.
"Then I'll go back to the inn." (Fell)
I want to go back and change my clothes as soon as possible. This is my favorite clothes, but I don't want to wear something full of snot.
"Okay. I will stay here to practice a little more." (Via)
"I see. I'm leaving now." (Fell)
"Fell-chan! Umm.... thank you...." (Via)
"For what? I didn't do anything in particular. Those skills are something you acquired through your own efforts." (Fell)
"I mean, I didn't know that I had such skills all this time. I just want to thank you for telling me about them." (Via)
Oh well, being thanked by someone is not a bad thing anyway.
"I see. I don't mind if you want to give me food as thanks. My favorite food is apple, by the way." (Fell)
Having said that, I left Via and returned to the inn.
I want to get changed as soon as possible. I would hate it if my snot stuck to my clothes, even more since it’s other person's snot.
-
-
-
"Fell-chan, how was Via --- Eww, that’s dirty!" (Dia)
Dia raised his thumb and crossed her arms in front of her chest as she said "barrier".
What barrier? I don't see anything.
"Via was crying, but it's all right now. I'm going to change my clothes first." (Fell)
I entered my room and took off my jacket.
If I look closely, my shirt is safe and clean. If that's the case, I only need to wash the jacket. There's no need to change into the waitress uniform. Okay, I will let my slimes to wash it for me.
I called my slimes from the subspace and asked them to do the laundry. They left the room with my jacket.
Why outside? You can do it here, right?
When I returned to the dining room, Nia and Dia were there waiting for me.
How about your works? Especially Dia.
"So, what happened?" (Dia)
"Via couldn't use magic, but she has a skill to make magic tools. When I explained it to her, she cried while clinging to me." (Fell)
"Is that true!?" (Nia)
"I swear! That was Via's snot, not mine.... Oh, are you asking about the skill? That's right, she has tried it and succeeded. Via is practicing her skill near the river right now. Though she couldn't use magic directly, she seemed to had found the answer for her problem and looked extremely happy." (Fell)
"Does it mean Via-chan originally has talent in magic tools creation and not the magic itself?" (Nia)
"I wouldn't call it talent. Her Magic Bestowal Skill and Instant Activation Skill are still level 0. In other words, those are not the skills she possesses since birth. I don't know the exact conditions are, but perhaps she acquired them when she was trying various things in order to be able to use magic." (Fell)
The skills which someone possesses since birth will have at least one level. Her skills are still level 0, which means she didn't possess them since birth, but she acquired them later.
"So everything she has been doing all this time was not pointless." (Nia)
Is that so? Practicing magic day and day in spite never able to activate them --- that sounds pointless to me. Oh well, she acquired those skills in the process, so it might not entirely pointless.
"Well, anyway, thanks for solving Via’s problem." (Nia)
"Don't thank me. Just like what I've told to Via, she acquired those skills through her own efforts. I simply gave the information and nothing more." (Fell)
"Even so, I still want to thank you." (Nia)
Having said that, Nia bowed to me.
"Then, I will go back to work. You should take a break tonight. I'm sure you're tired after subjugating the bandits." (Nia)
Holiday? I have a lot of money from the bandit subjugation, I guess it's fine to take a break tonight. In addition, there should be enough hands since Yato will be helping out.
"No, the guild income will decrease...." (Dia)
I don’t care abut such a thing!
"Fell-sama, do you have time now, ~nya?" (Yato)
Yato, who was standing a little away, approached me.
"What's up?" (Fell)
"Because I was busy with various things lately, I forgot to hand over the goods Fell-sama requested, ~nya." (Yato)
Yato took out two hoes and two cloth bags from the subspace.
Oh, that's right! Yato came here from the demon world to deliver the goods I requested.
"Two hoes and two types of seeds, ~nya. There are 100 seeds each, ~nya." (Yato)
There are quite a lot, I wonder if my field is big enough to plant them all. In any case, let's plant some seeds as a test and see how they grow up. If everything is going well, then I will plant the rest.
"I certainly accept it. Speaking of which, what kind of seed are these? Potatoes?" (Fell)
"These are mandragora seeds and alraune seeds, ~nya." (Yato)
Are they edible? Mandragora screams loudly when you pull them out of the ground, so it will be a nuisance to the neighbor. On the other hand, instead of water, alraune needs blood to grow.
Well, why not experiment it first? Unlike dungeon's fields, perhaps over here mandragora won't scream and alraune can grow with water alone.
Then again, will I be allowed to plant them in the borrowed field? I will ask permission later. No, let's go right now. I have to give the hoe to him, after all.
Outside the inn, one of my slimes kept turning her body to the left and to the right while staying on the spot.
"Dancing?" (Fell)
[I'm washing the jacket.]
Looking closely, there was my jacket inside her body.
Oh well, there's no need to stop her. She can do anything she likes as long as my jacket becomes clean.
-
-
-
Everyone in the fields seems to be working hard as usual. There are a lot of monsters and beasts targeting the crops around here. Most of their time in the field is used to drive them away or to exterminate them because of that. Maybe I should increase the number of scarecrow golem? I will talk to my slimes later.
"Oh, Fell-chan, what's wrong?"
"I want to reimburse the hoe I broke before. It's not the same thing, but I received hoes from the demon world. Here, take this!" (Fell)
"That was just an old hoe, and I've also told you not to mind it. Well, I shall accept your good intentions……."
Hmm, what's wrong? That's a gem created by the Development Department of Demon World. Those guys are rather fussy about the details, and make no compromise in order to create the best product. The hoes were made in hurry, but I can guarantee their performance.
"Fell-chan, about this hoe...."
"Don't worry, that's not a cursed item." (Fell)
"You also said the same thing to me before. Are there a lot of cursed items in the demon world?"
"You would find them from time to time. Speaking of cursed items, they give status ailments to their holder. I've never experienced it myself, but I heard it was similar to having a hangover at most" (Fell)
"That's a rather lukewarm curse.... Well, anyway, I'm not worried about the curse or whatever that. I want to ask you about this metal part."
"Oh, that's mithril." (Fell)
The magic metal --- mithril. If you channel your magic power into the hoe, its sharpness will increase. The more magic power channeled, the sharper it becomes.
Well, a sharpness may not necessary since hoe is not a weapon. However, thanks to the usage of mithril, the hoe gained various useful effects for farming such as fertility enhancement, stamina recovery, and anti-earthworms.
Hold on, are earthworms in the field supposed to be defeated? Maybe it's for fighting Big Worm. I'm not sure, but it seems you're allowed to exterminate moles.
“I think that hoe is pretty good, though.” (Fell)
“Rather than pretty good, this is too good to be true. Do demons normally use mithril to make hoes?”
The mithril was originally weapons and armors taken from humans as spoils of war. However, there was some resistance to use them as they were, so most of them were turned back into metal.
Since we have a little use of mithril in the demon world, I personally have no problem with using them to make hoes. In addition, it's already too late to make a fuss about it now.
"They were just taking up space in the warehouse, so don't worry. You can use that hoe to plow your field. If there's something, I will repair it." (Fell)
"Is that so...? Umm, yeah, thank you...?"
Why a question tone? You shouldn't think too much about it. Now then, let's ask about the seed before I forget.
"I also received mandragora seeds and alraune seeds from the demon world. Is this fine to plant them in the field?" (Fell)
"Are those staple food of demon world? You may use the field as you like."
"I understand." (Fell)
Okay, let's plant them immediately! I wonder if my slimes will perform Fertility Dance again this time.
The sunflowers seem to be growing well.... Hmm? Did the buds move slightly just now? That must be the wind. I haven't watered them this morning, so let's do it now.
Grow up big and healthy!