Volume 6 Chapter 9 I Have A Cute Daughter
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Cutting through the vast plain of Wall Barley swaying in the wind, I ride on Ms. Claire’s back.
From the capital to Toyata Village, we could take the comfortable canal-side road, but to reach the Wolf’s Forest, we must follow an unpaved path. It feels like sailing across the open sea or being the hero of a western, riding through the prairie.
This wild journey isn’t so bad. It makes me feel tougher, like I’ve grown into a man… Well, Ms. Claire is the real star here.
Every time Ms. Claire’s muscles tense rhythmically, she speeds up rapidly. It’s like running while flying.
As horse and rider, Ms. Claire and I move as one, like a single living creature, pushing our speed to the limit. When we even share the feeling of her hooves striking the ground, the fear of falling off vanishes completely.
Falling would probably mean death, but the idea of death feels less real now, or maybe I’ve just grown numb to it.
Compared to regular horses, the horsefolk’s power is overwhelmingly greater. With their skill-boosting abilities, normal cavalry wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight.
Unfortunately, Ms. Claire, who is a slave, has her skills and magic sealed by subjugation skills.
That’s why I thought──what would happen if I sealed her subjugation skills?
Because of the skill-sealing collar Ms. Claire wears, all her skills are currently sealed.
This collar is the first full-fledged magic tool I ever made.
I copied the skill-sealing ring I got from a dud lottery ticket at Uno. It’s quite large, probably because my skill is still immature, but it should work the same.
Forcing a spell into a small ring makes manufacturing harder. Collars, of course, have more space for spells.
Beginners should aim to make reliable magic tools that work without complications. That’s just me repeating Zenom-sensei’s teachings.
I only got a little help, but I’ve got the hang of it. Next time, I should be able to make it on my own.
I didn’t like the idea of a collar symbolizing slavery, so I made it into a more casual choker.
A thin belt of finely cut field mouse leather, adorned with a regenerated mithril plate──an adult, feminine design that suits Ms. Claire perfectly.
I made it with all my heart, just for her.
A dedicated magic tool not only boosts performance but also removes unnecessary spell formulas. If you’re not planning to resell it, it’s all good.
Even though I’m just starting out, I’m now a bit of a magic tool craftsman. I repeatedly check that Ms. Claire’s collar is working properly and feel delighted.
The subjugation skill placed on her is being neutralized by the collar.
So, the skills sealed by the subjugation skill should become usable, but since the collar’s effect nullifies all skills, she still can’t use any in the end.
At first glance, it seems like a pointless magic tool, but just being free from the subjugation skill’s control is probably a happy thing for her.
Ms. Claire, who can’t use skills right now, is enjoying running under her own free will.
If this magic tool becomes widespread, it could free the slaves of this world.
However, there’s the danger that even vicious criminals enslaved for their crimes would be set free. Even without skills, they can still commit evil deeds.
Maybe I should stop mass-producing them. After making just one more for Ms. Joa, I’ll call it quits.
* * *
Faster, faster than the wind. The moment my consciousness and Ms. Claire’s became completely one, the air resistance vanished.
It’s like running with a tailwind. It’s amazingly easy to keep speeding up.
Ms. Claire’s wind resistance skill, which should be sealed, is somehow activated. It seems like it’s bypassing me.
Ms. Claire’s muscles, powered by the physical enhancement skill, strengthen and produce even more explosive acceleration.
I was circulating my mana inside my body to strengthen my flesh, but Ms. Claire’s skill seems to grow stronger with a mysterious power like magic… Since it’s a different type of skill, it should be possible to stack them, right?
I’m aware of Ms. Claire’s mana flow. Perhaps because her skill activates bypassing me, I can control it freely without resistance. It’s just like when Mubiel, an advanced spirit of darkness, connected with me through sexual arts.
Even though we’re not doing anything sexual, our hearts are overlapping and melting together. The rising ecstasy is almost bursting out of my mouth. I never knew that just running could feel this good.
Fast, faster than a lie. Before I knew it, both Ms. Claire and I were laughing from the bottom of our hearts.
Having satisfied my needs enough, I slowly slow down, catching my breath.
It’s my first time doing this. There might be some unknown danger, after all.
”It’s my first time running this fast.”
Ms. Claire smiles innocently like a girl. Despite carrying me, she seems to have broken her own speed record. Well, I’m not just dead weight──I also supported her as a mana control device.
I have a vague sense of what happened, but also a feeling that I don’t quite understand.
The spell on the collar shouldn’t be wrong, right? I’ll check it later.
It’s rugged terrain, or rather, complete off-road, but we were going at incredible speed. We’ve already come close to the Wolf’s Forest.
Honestly, I didn’t plan to come this far.
I was stressed from yesterday’s meeting, so I just went out for a ride to blow off some steam.
But since we’ve come this far, let’s check on Ms. Ant and the others. While we’re at it, we can also go to the Wolf’s Forest. Maybe I should say hello to Uno and the others too.
There’s too much reckless planning, but if I don’t do this now, I don’t think I’ll get another chance to come this way for a while.
* * *
The time limit is until Wall Barley bears fruit.
By the time the grassland turns golden, we must have finished moving to the new village.
I don’t know if it’s tradition or something, but it’s reasonable because it saves the trouble of carrying food.
Wall Barley is growing rapidly every day. The wheat heads are almost ready to appear. From now on, it will be busy.
In yesterday’s meeting, we could only decide on the candidate site for the new village. There were ideas I wanted to discuss with everyone, too.
As a relocation destination, I proposed the Ant Castle, but it was immediately rejected. It’s too far from Toyata Village and also too distant from the main road.
Mr. Mauro suggested a marshland located slightly upstream of the bridge over the wetlands. Building houses would require some land reclamation, but for unclaimed land near the road, that’s about all that’s available.
Since it’s wetland, there is water all around, but the water in the peatland is not suitable for drinking. We would need to dig a deep well, which would likely cost an outrageous initial budget.
Well, if it were easy to build a village, someone would have claimed it long ago.
That’s when I remembered the old Toyata Village, the Village of the Dead.
Although it has been abandoned for many years, the deep well there is still usable.
The old road ruins can still be efficiently used with some maintenance. There are even fine stone walls like castle ruins.
When I suggested it might be more convenient than starting from scratch, I was laughed at for saying it’s the domain of the dead and cursed.
Indeed, it had become quite a horror show.
But when I explained that God Keras had purified it, Mr. Mauro’s expression changed, and he became very interested.
According to this world’s standards, that event was a major incident. In another world, such things happen, and I hadn’t told anyone about it.
It appears this land was bestowed upon me by the gods, and if that’s the case, I would become a king rather than a lord. Like the divine right of kings, I suppose?
It is said that many existing kingdoms were established this way.
After effectively controlling it, we plan to have the temple officially recognize it as an independent country, but there seem to be various problems to overcome before that.
The biggest problem seems to be the corruption of the priests. God Keras’s temple is also in pretty bad shape right now.
Since there are no priests who can hear the voice of the gods, it’s necessary to buy them off with hefty offerings.
* * *
In the end, after much discussion, we decided to move and keep the purification matter a secret.
The old Toyata Village is said to be prime land if not for the curse of the dead, and before the massacre, it was some viscount’s territory. If it’s found out that it isn’t cursed, someone might seize it.
I don’t particularly want to become king; I just want to create a village free of ties.
But the more I hear, the more I feel that at that place, I would get caught up in trouble.
In this world, if you defy divine will, divine punishment will be delivered, so in the end, it will turn out as it will.
God Keras’s divine punishment is particularly terrifying, and it’s said that a plague once wiped out more than half the population.
From what I hear, it seems to be like a big outbreak of the plague, but apparently, the priests at the time ignored the divine will for personal greed.
For now, the plan is to quietly relocate to the old Toyata Village.
I think everyone will find out about the purification matter sooner or later, even if we hide it. Even if they fear divine punishment, people tend to talk quite easily.
Thinking back on the meeting, my spirits, which were high from the long ride, were completely spoiled.
The story about the corruption of the temple is especially depressing. The wise priests are doing such foolish things.
No wonder the gods would be angry. I just hope divine punishment is avoided.
* * *
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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