◇

"h.e.l.lo, Satou-san."

"Ah, Lusan, you've come just at the right time."

I pa.s.s the five big jars containing the [Sleeping Drug] for the jellyfish to Lusan. Since she has the same [Magic Bag

>] like I do, there's no problem even if I give her heavy luggage.

For the past 10 days here, I've been giving 3-5 types of sleeping drugs for Lusan to test on the experiments. As of now, the one that exhibits the highest effect is the one made from the world tree sap.

"I certainly got it. Even though I know that you've probably known the results of the experiments by the [Telephone] from Aze-sama, here is the written report from Jia."

I thank Lusan and take the bundle of papers off her.

The poison with weak effect seems to only make the jellyfish sleep for 10 minutes, but conversely, the one that's too effective makes it like they've stopped living, let alone coma, it's difficult.

Since it could likely kill people, I borrow an uninhabited workshop outside of the town and compound the drug there. It seems to be the place where Rek-s.h.i.+, a spriggan, has previously used.

There seems to be a small Source nearby this mansion, so there is no need for me to supply magic power to the magic tools here to operate them, it's quite convenient in a lot of way.

It's really too convenient, I'd like to keep staying in it, but if I am too late, a [Telephone] from Arisa comes, so I can't exactly do that. Recently, Pochi and Tama partic.i.p.ate on the telephone to make me feel guilty, it's become quite crowded. I questioned her since it shouldn't have been possible with normal Telephone, but she replied, "I worked hard to improved it" proudly.

Now then, I've pa.s.sed the sleeping drugs for today, so let's do another work.

I'm currently doing four works including the making of sleeping drugs.

The first work is the making of sleeping drugs like earlier for the jellyfish matter.

Since we're lacking people who can use s.p.a.ce magic to make cages for the jellyfish, we're going to employ ice cages, and sleeping drugs together, and is now currently testing whether it's viable to complement the lack of pract.i.tioners. We've found some sleeping drugs that are highly effective, and there are even some jellyfish that are still sleeping even now. If it's effective for 10 days, the jellyfish cages operation is going to be greenlighted at once it seems.

The second one, I'm trying to figure out how to prevent recurrence of the jellyfish.

I'm thinking about autonomous interception satellites for this. As an image, it's like a man-made base defense satellite. Since it seems to be possible to maintain Cube in the void sky due to the mana, I think this one should be usable at the high alt.i.tude. The biggest problem is maintaining the magic power. I've envisioned that it will have laser turret, and a head that operates it, making it looks like a floating golem.

The problematic thing is the power reactor after all. I'd like to use the philosopher's stone like the living dolls since I want build a system that doesn't require external operation from people as much as possible. Actually, I have borrowed three power reactors from Sotoriysan, but since she's emphasized "Don't break it okay", I can't experiment with it recklessly, it's hard.

Making nuclear reactor seems to be possible since we have magic, but since I don't have any doc.u.ment regarding it, I don't even know where to start. I'll leave this as a problem for the future.

The third one is working with the aerodynamic engine.

I combine my knowledge as a programmer, and the controller unit of the living doll that I've gotten from Sotoriysan's living doll blueprint.

I try various things like balancing the output of the rotation I've heard at the duchy capital the other day. There are a crane, and a big fixation nearby this mansion, so this kind of work progresses very smoothly.

I've perfectly completed making the control unit, but the work involving the aerodynamic engine isn't going well since I have no way of knowing the speed. Looks like it'll be a while before I can complete it.

As you might have probably guessed from the [Aero] part of the aerodynamic engine name, this engine can't operate in place without atmosphere. I've hit a standstill before I can even start to work on building the replica of the light s.h.i.+p. I'd like to know how the light s.h.i.+p work, but since it's G.o.d-made, there doesn't seem to be any doc.u.ment that's detailing it. As for the maintenances, it seems that the docks where the light s.h.i.+ps are residing do it automatically.

The aerodynamic engine that the hero is using (on his s.h.i.+p) seems to have been added later. I guess it can't be helped since they have to rely on Saga empire's technology, and magicians if anything break since they can't service it at the world tree.

The fourth is expanding our equipment.

Once we leave the elf forest, the next destination is the labyrinth city. Leaving me aside, I want to perfect the girls' equipment. It'll be troubling if the equipment are too eye-catching, so I make two types, ones for showing off, and another that are plain for everyday use.

Presently, I've completed three staffs, and the prototype of non-lethal magic sword.

Arisa's staff is luxuriously made from a branch of a thousand years old tree at Boruenan forest. I've focused on MP consumption reduction and increased magic accuracy as the main effects since we're going to have series of battles at the labyrinth. A great man once said, "It's meaningless if it doesn't hit" after all.

I've accidentally made an identical staff for Mia when I was making one for Arisa, but let's make it a present for having journeyed with us when we are leaving Boruenan. I acted as thought she was going to go with us. I think little children should be with their parents after all.

The third one is a staff made from the world tree's branch. The staff's material had somehow mixed in during the time when I was gathering the jellyfish feelers back then. Its performance itself is impeccable, but it looks like it's made of mineral, or rather emerald, so it inevitably looks conspicuous. The color and l.u.s.ter are quite beautiful that I involuntarily, and impulsively added a rose decoration on its tip, and carved tangled reliefs on the main part.

Rather than becoming a treasure, it has become a thing that will be stowed away instead.

It's not good to overdo it isn't it.

I'm reflecting on it.

Now then, about the prototype magic swords, I've modded the [Sh.e.l.l] that Pochi and the others use. In contrast with the [Sh.e.l.l] that is hard and blunt, this prototype is specializing in non-lethal attack, thus it's soft. When you invoke the [Soft Sh.e.l.l] on this sword, a cylindrical magic field that's about as hard as foam will be generated. The recent swords can generate [Sh.e.l.l], but even so, their attack still can reach if they hit too hard.

I'm expecting that this [Soft Sh.e.l.l] sword will have stun and knockback additional effects like black jack.

Right now, I'm thinking of applying this [Soft Sh.e.l.l] structure for making a non-lethal shotgun for Lulu.

I also want to start working on strengthening their defensive equipment, but it's not going too well. With the defensive equipment I've made during our duchy capital stay, it should be able to handle monsters that are on later half of level 20s, but I want to increase the margin a bit more. It might be good if I recycle the explosive-proof roof of the airs.h.i.+p that are made of the whale leather to make new armors. I'll ask Lusan to introduce me to an expert of armor-making next time.

◇

"Young master, miss Lulu has brought you a lunch."

"T, thank you Giril."

Giril, the house fairy (Brownie) who's taking care of this mansion, normally acts like a butler toward the guestss. He seemed to have lived in the labyrinth city long ago, so I listened to various stories about it from him during the rest times.

Apparently, he has a great-grandchild living in that labyrinth city, I'd like to meet it when I've arrived at the labyrinth city. I hear that it's a young brownie of around 60 years old. That's young huh.

He's walking as if gliding, bringing the lunchbox that Lulu's pa.s.sed. Since he's only about half as tall as humans, it looks as if he's carrying an extrlarge size lunch box. There are sandwiches and hamburgers that can be eaten with one hand inside. They seem to be made of white breads that Ms. Kua has shared. I'm honestly happy since I've been missing normal bread.

The danger of the [Sleeping Drug] is present even here, so it's off-limits to Lulu.

I open the cover and confirm the inside.

It's a sandwich with a lot of vegetables. It's been made with attention to detail as it can be eaten with one bite.

I'm reviewing the problem earlier while putting the meal into my mouth.

"U~n, although it's possible if it's just scouting, without the philosopher's stone, it's impossible to have enough magic power to attack."

I involuntarily blurted to myself since I couldn't deal with the current situation.

I guess it's really impossible to have something like autonomous interception system~

If for example, the magic power from the philosopher's stone is 100A, then the golem needs 30A to maintain its alt.i.tude, and about 45A for the pa.s.sive and active scouting.

From it, it's hard to regard whether maintaining alt.i.tude is low cost, or the scouting is too costly.

And, laser is the only one that can attack several hundreds kilometers away without getting dampened by the s.p.a.ce. Laser needs little magic power compared to other attack magic, but nevertheless, it needs 1000A. The cost seems to be stupid high, but this much output is needed to defeat a jellyfish. It needs another 50A magic power if the laser is used as aiming sight.

I've become able to make battery-like things with the help of the elf technology, but for outputting 1A, I need to make it two liter big PET bottle size. Even if I make it at the degree where it can shoot one laser, it'll be many times bigger than I planned. The material for this battery seems made from the world tree sap, so it can be made no matter how many.

If I connect a cable to the battery, it's likely that the jellyfish would extend its feeler to absorb the magic power from it. It's wonderful that I don't have to make superfluous magic circuit to prevent counter-current since it already has a mechanism to do that from the beginning.

I completed one prototype of the autonomous interception golem [Scarecrow] until the sun set that day.

I've only implemented the function to maintain its alt.i.tude on this prototype. I think everything is a steady acc.u.mulation of experiments.

◇

I wave my hand to Giril that's on the entrance of the mansion, and head back to the tree house.

Ahead of the main gate of this mansion, there is a Fairy Ring that connects to the underground town and the town above tree. Therefore, it's really easy to move around.

"'elcome~""Nano desu!"

It seemed that Pochi and the others had just finished their training, the two who were sprawling on the ground jumped up.

"Welcome back, master."

"Master, delighted that you've returned safely."

Nana and Liza who were tidying up the wooden swords and the mock spears, stopped their work and went to greet me. Nana is sweating a lot, though Liza isn't so much.

These fours are being taught by the elf martial artists.

Everyone is clearing the Attraction too fast that s.h.a.gnig the leprechaun can't keep up with the service and maintenance, so they're going to rest for 4-5 days every time they clear it. Thus, the beastkin girls who are free are training under the elf martial artist who are also free to kill time.

Pochi is being taught swordsmans.h.i.+p by Ms. Poltomea. She's the same type of Pochi who puts all her might in single blow. On the seat during the banquet, she's said that it's fun to find the critical timing to do the single blow while enduring the opponent's attacks with her s.h.i.+eld. It's fun to drink with this person since she brings various liquors from the elf hometown, and talks about her vast knowledges of those liquors. Her only flaw is her habit to start undressing when she's drunk.

s.h.i.+s.h.i.+touys.h.i.+ is instructing Tama the way of two swords. He's a user of Daisho Katana. He said that they're given to him by the king of s.h.i.+ga kingdom several hundreds years ago. Both don't have inscriptions, but they're on the same level as the Torate I have.

Liza is taught by Gulgapoys.h.i.+ for the spiral spear, and Yuseku-s.h.i.+ for handling short spear. Yuseku-s.h.i.+ is not an elf, but a spriggan. Both of them are experts who are able to use magic edge.

Especially Yuseki-s.h.i.+, even though I've never been taught directly, he's my teacher in my mind. Once, he was showing the next level of magic edge on the short spear as the final goal of Liza's training. It seems to be a skill called Magic Edge Cannon (Mana Blast). Since I wasn't able to see his magic power flow until he fired the Mana Blast, I still can't successfully do this technique even now.

I tried to ask him to teach me once, but he said tp me, "Steal it", with a terribly delightful face. I will learn it before I go out of the elf hometown to live up to his expectation.

And finally, Nana also has two teachers. The magic swordsman Ms Gimasarua, and the dwarf s.h.i.+eld-user, Keriul-s.h.i.+. Keriul-s.h.i.+ seems to be the uncle of Zajir-s.h.i.+ of the dwarf hometown, he's been living as a guest in the elf hometown since three years ago.

These teachers seem to eat dinner at the square that's been doing curry festival like before without getting tired of it. Even though it's been 10 days since that festival, looks like they're still continuing it even now. Nowadays, the curry is of normal color without any colorations.

I pray that Nesan won't be dyed yellow.