After hunting, I returned to the castle and dismantled the prey with a sand blade. Before I was banished from the country, I was practicing sand magic while hunting in the woods.
I put the sand in a jar and carried it around and tried various things. I learned dismantling in the process.
Currently, I am dismantling the rabbit-like long-tailed prey and the lion-like one into small pieces. I can't eat it raw, so I have to cook it.
However, sand magic can not make a fire. So what do I do? It is quite hot outside due to the heat of the sun. So, I will use this. When the sand is made into a plate and when the surface of the plate is directly exposed to the sun, the temperature rises on the plate.
After that, if you put the meat on top of the plate, it will be cooked after a short while. It looks pretty good.
I started eating it. Rabbit-like beast meat is tender, but it's still unsatisfactory in terms of taste. There is no seasoning.
And the lion-like beast has harder meat, but when you chew it, the gravy spreads around in your mouth and it is delicious!
Was it demon beast after all? The demon beast meat is said to be tastier than normal beast meat because it has abundant magical power in the body and its meat quality changes due to its influence.
But I still want some seasoning. At least a salt. I hope I will be able to find it somewhere.
Some meat was leftover. I can't eat this much by myself, so I decided to preserve the remaining meat in the sand. You can preserve it for a long time by putting it in the sand and magically extracting the air out.
I look at the castle and oasis again. Well, it's not a bad place to live, but there's something missing.
That's right, greenery. There is too little greenery. It's a desert, and I know that because it's a desert there is not that much greenery, but the oasis has been made, and the conditions for the plants to grow have been made. (TN: greenery is midorino. It literally means „green", but in this context, it is related to a green environment, so what he means here is there is a low number of plants, grass which are green)
Even if left alone, seeds and pollen will fly and plants will grow, but if possible, I would like to do it artificially.
That is why I used 'Sand Detection'. I found a plant nearby. There aren't many, but I am moving them with 'Sazanami'.(TN: „Sand Waves")
Yes, there they are. The sand and the plants are carried to the oasis. Plants will grow faster if water is near them.
As I went on like that, I found a plant I had also heard of. It's a cactus. Its whole body is covered with thorns, but it should be edible and usable for making a soap. I definitely want to bring this with me.
So I tried to get closer to cactus.
„Garuuuuu!"
Something jumped out at me. It moves fast!!
„'Sand Wall!'"
„WOW!?"
I quickly protect myself from the attack with sand as a wall. The beast jumped away as if it was struck by the wall.
From the look of its fur I think it is a leopard! There are many lions, leopards and other beasts in deserts. Is this area his territory?
Then the leopard opened his mouth and roared. I feel like my legs are about to give up. It has sharp fangs and sharp teeth like a steel that you can see just by looking at them. His claws began to sharpen and it might not be a leopard, but that is not important now.
The leopard is moving in a circle, he is wary of me. My legs are fast. But if I don't concentrate, I may be hunted if I am not careful.
While I was thinking so, suddenly, the leopard opened his mouth and spat out something. It was a sweet scent that made me feel dizzy. This is a little dangerous!
"Gugaaaaaaaaaa!"
„'Sand Pillar!'"
„Gan!"
I need to hurry up and use magic!!! The sand at my feet became a pillar and stretched all at once with me on it. That leopard seems to have hit his head against a pillar.
„Garuuuuuuuu!"
Leopard is looking up at me from below and groaning. He looks angry. Even so, that fur may be useful. Alright! So as not to hurt him as much as possible—
„'Great Sand Wave!'" (TN: this is Oosunami 大砂波おおすなみ which is great sand wave, and sazanami is only sand wave, only difference is scale)
I use magic from top of the pillar. The sand turned into a huge wave and swallowed the leopard. Leopard got washed away by it and is currently burried in the sand and is showing no signs of life.
YES! I've killed it! Then after returning the pillar to sand, I carried the bodies of cactus and leopard back with me using 'Sazanami'. (TN: Sazanami – „Sand Wave" – moving with waves of sand)
This makes the oasis a little more gorgeous――
„Ukyi!"
„Ukikai!"
While thinking about my oasis, big monkeys gathered around the castle and the oasis and were rampaging. They hit the walls of the castle and move around to ruin the replanted plants around the oasis.
„Here, Catch! 'Sand Spear!'"
I attack with 'Sand Spear'. But monkeys are quick. They ran away. I need to be more careful in future.
Well, what should I do? If I leave again, castle and oasis may be targeted again by those monkeys or beasts again while I am not there.
„Okay, then this is it! 'Sand Doll!'"
I create a doll from sand with sand magic. Some wizards use magic to create golems from the soil, but I did it with sand. I could have only created small dolls in the sandpit of the residence in empire, but there is plenty of sand here and I am able to make a humanoid golem.
„Can you protect the castle and the oasis?"
The sand doll nods with great enthusiasm. Alright, there is no problem with security now. I think I should make eight bodies of sand dolls for the time being, just in case something happens to it.
Well, the cactus was replanted and the leopard was dismantled. Meat is preserved in sand. The skin is treated and dried.
YES YES. It has been enriched with as much items as Ōita city. (TN: author is relating the place where protagonist lives with Oita city, which is city that has castles, a lot of green environment and other similar stuff)
Let's adjust the environment little by little.
It's been three days since I started working in the desert. Leopard fur also serves as a robe that absorbs the heat of the sun. Magic is fine, but having this kind of thing will save you magical power.
Greenery is also increasing little by little. The grass is growing quickly.
„Ukiki"
„Uka!"
The great monkeys that approached the oasis fled. The golem drove them away. I am glad I made it.
Well then, what should I do today? I will try to touch the sand castle again. Since then, I've been playing around with the castle to make rooms and beds.
There are various things that are missing. If the window part is left as it is, it will be well ventilated, but I still want glass after all. (TN: no window currently)
For the time being, I wondered if there was anything useful, and searched the surrounding area by using Sand Magic – 'Sand Detection'.
What? I wonder what that is? Although it was a little far away, there was a life reaction. It was not animal.
This reaction…its a person! But the reaction is quite weak. And there are signs of beasts around the person!
I hurry to the scene. Using 'Sazanami' I get there as fast as possible! And what I saw when I got there was a camel? It's the first time I've seen it live, but it really has a bump.
But the camel I saw in the book had only one or two bumps, but that camel has three bumps. I guess, there might be such a camel.
And the one who is lying down at camel's feet is the person who is wearing a robe. Did he fall down? He looks quite pale.
"Gigi!"
"Gyi!"
And are those goblines that are gathering around him?
Goblins are monsters that also existed in the empire. They have small horns and are small and sly.
However, the original skin color of goblin is green, but this one is sandy. It looks like a goblin, but maybe it's not?
Hmmm, I don't know, but I have to help him!