It's the morning after our S-rank promotion, and we're gathered outside our guest rooms at the elven palace. This is the last day that we're officially royal guests here, so I instructed everyone to finalize their packing. Zara finished last night, and she is stationed on guard duty with Alara.
When Nina and Alto have their things ready, we make our way to Alara's room. When we arrive, Zara comes to greet us – she was standing guard outside Alara's door. I flash her a warm smile.
"So, how was she?" (Mizuki)
Zara shrugs.
"She was polite, though I wouldn't say she considers us friends. I'm neutral about her company on a personal level. In terms of my job as her guard, I don't think we'll have any problems." (Zara)
A typically clinical assessment from Zara. I nod appreciatively.
"Thanks, Zara. Can we speak to her?" (Mizuki)
Zara nods and knocks on the door to Alara's room. After a moment, Alara can be heard inside giving her approval, and we all enter to greet her.
The room looks pretty similar to Ilina's, but most of the personal touches are gone. There are several boxes lying around with clothes and other items inside – I guess she's packed.
Alara is sitting on the couch in her room, and she rises to greet us when we enter.
"Good morning. We're all expected to depart from the palace today, and I have gathered all my belongings in preparation for that. So, what are your plans, Mizuki?" (Alara)
"Well, we have several things to address today. The first is starting the preparations for the transport system I told you about, called a 'train'. The second is buying a house for my party and me to live in long-term. The last is sorting out your short-term living arrangements. Which would you like to discuss first?" (Mizuki)
Alara looks surprised and curious.
"I'm more curious about this train you mentioned, but I should really know where I'm sleeping tonight." (Alara)
"Ah, well you have a few options. First, I can just get you a room at an inn in Elmesia that I know, or one here in Avalon. Second, we can prioritize getting a house in the Elven Kingdom for my party and me, then you can just live with us for the time being. Third, Nina could create temporary shelter for you near the hot spring in your territory. Any preference?" (Mizuki)
Alara is a little embarrassed, and she responds hesitantly.
"Uhm…if it's okay with you…I'd like to use a room in your house for now. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've never slept outside before, and I'm not inclined to stay in an inn." (Alara)
I smile at her reassuringly.
"That's fine. I have a request for you then. Do you mind if, after we purchase a large enough house for all of us, I move it inside your territory? I was thinking we could place it on a mountain near the hot spring. I can always remove it later if you change your mind." (Mizuki)
So long as I'm careful with the teleportation, and I move the house between two hard and flat surfaces, I think I can do it.
Alara looks at me dumbfounded.
"You…want to move…a house? Between territories?" (Alara)
I nod patiently at Alara, and she seems to grapple with the idea.
"Well…that's fine, I guess." (Alara)
Awesome, that's one problem solved.
"Great, thanks! On that subject, do you mind if I borrow one of your platinum coins? I need a reference to acquire the platinum like I told you about, so I can start preparing funds for your territory's development. I can give you twenty gold in exchange if you'd like?" (Mizuki)
Alara shakes her head, then walks over to grab a small ornate box near her bed. She opens it to reveal several platinum coins, then hands me one. I toss it in my item box, much to Alara's surprise, then I smile at her appreciatively.
"Thanks! Now then, it's best if we get started on the housing situation immediately. Alto and Alara, do either of you know where we might find a nice house for sale that's big enough for all of us? Ideally, one that's secluded, so its disappearance won't be immediately noticed." (Mizuki)
After a few minutes of contemplation, Alto shakes her head apologetically. Meanwhile, Alara looks thoughtful.
"As you may know, Avalon and the surrounding territory is considered royal land. It's not privately owned by the Ophelle family, per se, but by whatever family is in power – that's just always been us. In the early history of the kingdom, noble families had houses in the outskirts of this land, but they were abandoned as the kingdom grew and territories were established. Some of the homes have been purchased by the wealthy, but others are just maintained by the royal family. They may be worth investigating." (Alara)
That's a pretty good idea. I nod appreciatively.
"Alright, let's try that! Shall we drop by and see if Dargo or maybe Elira would consider selling one of those houses to Alto?" (Mizuki)
Everyone shakes their head in exasperation, but Zara smiles in amusement. I'll take that as a yes.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
After our discussion, I put Alara's and others' packed belongings into my item box, then I teleported them to the hot spring at Nina's request. Alto and I made our way to Dargo using magic sense as my guide. We are currently in route to a door I've never seen before, and there's a guard outside it. As we approach, I preemptively call out to him.
"Good morning! Is King Dargo available to speak with? We are departing today, and there was information I thought he may be interested in." (Mizuki)
That's only half true, but I thought the guard would be less opposed if he didn't think I was casually searching for the King to ask for a favor. He looks at me conflicted for a moment, but before he can respond, Dargo comes out of the office with a curious grin on his face.
"Mizuki? I thought I heard your voice! Come in and tell me about this interesting information." (Dargo)
Wow, that was easy. I nod approvingly and we follow him into the room. It's an office with a similar layout as Gerard's, but there are shelves of scrolls and official looking documents lining the walls. We take a seat on the couch in front of his desk.
"Dargo…the thing is, what I said to your guard might have been a little misleading. I actually came for a request, but I'm sure you'll get interesting information out of this conversation, nonetheless. So, it wasn't a lie exactly!" (Mizuki)
I grin sheepishly as I confess, and Dargo's face drops a little bit in disappointment, and he sighs deeply in response.
"Very well, go ahead and ask." (Dargo)
"Great, I appreciate it. You see, we're looking for a house for Alto that's got at least five bedrooms and nice facilities. Alara mentioned these old noble houses owned by the royal family that are probably big enough. So, we were wondering, can Alto just buy one of those?" (Mizuki)
Dargo looks at me dumbfounded, then slowly responds.
"Well…Mizuki…what you've said is true, and it's not like we haven't sold them before, but there are some issues with what you're asking. The biggest one is money – the few that have been sold went for exorbitant prices. As much as we'd like to ingratiate ourselves to you, we can't just give away something like that." (Dargo)
"That's okay, we're happy to have Alto pay whatever price you think is fair. How much?" (Mizuki)
Dargo looks at me like I'm a child holding a piggy bank and asking about a car.
"Mizuki…when I say expensive, I mean between ten and fifteen platinum coins for the ones that have been sold." (Dargo)
I nod at him patiently.
"Yes, that's fine. Alto can give you the money. What are the other issues?" (Mizuki)
Dargo stares at me in shock, but he seems to slowly recover.
"Uhm…well, there are only two houses remaining. One has a quite pronounced estate, and it is somewhat of a historical site that elves visit. We realistically can't sell it. The other is pretty much just a mansion with no estate to speak of, and it's situated in a remote area. We only send people once every few years to clean it and maintain the structure. It's technically just inside the undeveloped western lands, so we couldn't really sell something like that to a common elf." (Dargo)
I can't believe it. That's…
"Perfect. The second house sounds perfect. How much would you want for it?" (Mizuki)
Dargo gives me a stupefied look.
"Mizuki, I just told you that we can't sell that land to a common elf. Not even Alto." (Dargo)
I shake my head at him excitedly.
"No, no, we don't care about the land. How much for just the house itself, the actual structure?" (Mizuki)
Dargo stares at me in exasperation for several moments before speaking.
"Mizuki, we can't sell one without the other…the house is situated on the land." (Dargo)
I make a dismissive gesture with my hand and smirk at him.
"That's no problem. Alara has already agreed to give Alto a little bit of land in her territory. If you sell Alto the house, I'll just teleport the house onto that land. Then there won't be any issue, right? You guys won't even have to keep sending people all the way out there to maintain it. It's a win-win!" (Mizuki)
Dargo's face goes pale, and his voice becomes soft.
"M-Mizuki…you…can just teleport something that size…all the way across the country?" (Dargo)
I grin at him in amusement.
"You bet. See, didn't I tell you that you'd still get interesting information out of this chat? So, can Alto buy the house or not?" (Mizuki)
After several minutes of gazing at me emptily, Dargo nods his head in a daze.
"Uh…yes, I suppose so. If it's just the house itself, I think a fair price would be five platinum coins." (Dargo)
"Great, can you show us the house's location on a map? Alto and I will go look at it really quick, then teleport back here in the next hour or so to finalize a purchase." (Mizuki)
Some of the color has returned to Dargo's face, and he nods approvingly. He walks over to one of the shelves in his office, and he grabs a large piece of paper. Then, he goes to another area and pulls a key out of a box before returning to his desk. He hands the key to me.
"Here, this is the key to the mansion. It works on every inside and outside door." (Dargo)
I give my thanks to Dargo and toss the key in my item box. Then, Dargo outlines directions for us on the map, making sure to highlight any landmarks that might aid us on the journey.
"Alright, thanks Dargo! We'll be back soon. Alto, are you…" (Mizuki)
I turn to ask Alto if she's ready, but I can see her already staring at me greedily. I sigh deeply. Yeah, she's ready.
I nod at her, and she instantly latches onto me. Dargo raises his eyebrow at me curiously, but I just shrug.
I apply a concealment spell to us, and teleport outside Avalon. Then, I launch us into the air and begin flying northwest, towards the mansion. As we speed off towards our destination, Alto squeals in delight as she looks down below.
Jeez…she's such a flight junkie.
I fly slower than usual, and course correct us a few times based on landmarks, but the house eventually comes into view after ten or fifteen minutes. It's situated in the middle of a forest clearing and doesn't have any adjacent buildings. I set us down in front of it.
The mansion is three stories tall, and probably fifty meters wide by thirty meters deep. The frame is made of a tan-colored stone, and there are huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows lining the front of the house on all levels. In the front center of the mansion, a stone porch leads up to double doors made of solid looking wood.
Alto and I walk over to unlock the front doors, then step inside. It's dim, but I notice several magic-powered chandeliers and other light sources around me.
I will my magic to spill out and envelop the house, then seep into those devices. After a few moments, the mansion starts lighting up all around us, and I can take in our surroundings appropriately for the first time.
We're standing at the front of a huge reception hall. A staircase starts near the back wall, then splits into two staircases that curve away towards opposing walls, up to the second floor. Furniture covered in sheets can be seen all over the reception hall and visible parts of the second floor, and I can't see any dust or structural damage. The place has obviously been well cared for and left pre-furnished.
Alto and I begin exploring the mansion floor-by-floor. The first floor houses the reception hall, a kitchen, a dining room, and a couple of small guest rooms.
The second floor has six large bedrooms, a private library, a conference room, and a cozy family room with a nice fireplace. There is also a large bathing room, with a raised stone bath the size of a pool that has enchantments for water dispensing, draining, and heating.
The third floor is essentially just one large open space, lined with windows. There's high ceilings and no obvious furnishings, so I think this may have been a ballroom or sparring room.
After our self-guided tour, we return outside the front of the house, and I lock the doors behind us. I turn to Alto with a questioning gaze.
"So, Alto, what do you think?" (Mizuki)
Alto smirks back at me, but I can tell she's excited.
"It definitely looks like something I'd own. I guess I can tolerate a few cumbersome guests here, too." (Alto)
"Fufufufu…how lucky we are, to have such a generous lady of the house. Well then, I guess I should get Dargo's money ready." (Mizuki)
I pull Alara's platinum coin from my item box, then I sit down on the ground to work. I focus on using my alchemy spell to covert the earth below us into a block of pure platinum. I've gotten quite proficient with this spell over time, to the point that I can form a full softball sized ball of gold out of earth almost instantaneously.
I've also noticed that the time it takes for me to do the spell increases with the complexity of what I'm synthesizing. Pure elements are by far the easiest, and the smaller the atomic structure, the better. Once I start trying to synthesize molecules, it becomes very difficult very quickly.
So far, molecules with more than ten atoms, I can't synthesize at all – visualizing covalent bonds at the subatomic level is difficult. Even synthesizing water is slow.
Filling my canteen through alchemy takes almost a full minute, while just pulling it from the air takes a few seconds. Meanwhile, the damn people in Azura are filling bathtubs with the stuff. I really plan to grill Azazel about where the hell that water comes from when I next see him.
Synthesizing a platinum ingot the size of a tv remote ends up taking me about ten seconds this first try. After, I get to work on breaking the ingot into coin-sized fragments and molding them in the image of my reference coin. After about twenty minutes of work, I have around thirty platinum coins.
I don't really want those loose in my coin purse, so I synthesize a small iron box to store them in. I put six platinum coins in my purse, the rest in the iron box, and then toss both back in my item box. I stand up and dust myself off, then look at Alto to see her giving me a disapproving look.
"I rationally accept the points you made about why you obtain money this way, but it still feels very wrong to me." (Alto)
I shrug at her and smirk.
"I could always just threaten to destroy cities for extortion money, so you let me know if you'd prefer that instead! I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable with how we fund all our charity work, after all." (Mizuki)
Alto becomes annoyed, and she responds with heavy sarcasm.
"Charity work, huh? When was that? I must have missed any that happened after you freed us." (Alto)
I raise my eyebrows at her.
"Off the top of my head? Getting Alara out of power, and now helping her with the development of her territory. I also found the wife and son of one of the men who died on your outreach trip to the wolf-kin tribe, saved the boy from being killed in the street, and then left them enough money to live comfortably for the next thirty years. Finally, there's the S-rank promotion." (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes go wide at the mention of Kara and Cera, and all signs of her joking disappear.
"You didn't tell me about that! What…were their names?" (Alto)
"Kara is the mother, Cera is the kid, and he's about eight. Both have dark brown hair and eyes. Know them?" (Mizuki)
Alto shakes her head, but I see tears welling up in her eyes.
"No…not by name at least. Still, they could be the family of someone who traveled with me. Thank you, Mizuki." (Alto)
She leans over and hugs me tightly for a few minutes, and I hug her back. Eventually, she lets go and wipes her eyes, then her characteristic smirk returns.
"I don't know what this nonsense about your S-rank promotion being charity work is though." (Alto)
I give her a condescending smile.
"Oh, no? Tell me, what do you think is going to happen when the human countries learn that there is a human with access to the Elven Kingdom?" (Mizuki)
Alto gives me a puzzled look.
"Obviously every lowlife who'd like to exploit my people will come harass…" (Alto)
Alto's eyes go wide part of the way through her statement, and she looks to me expectantly.
"So, when you told Gerard you were counting on the attention that promotion would bring from the human countries, you meant…" (Alto)
I nod her way with a menacing smile.
"That's right, Alto. Every rat that wants to traffic in kidnapped elves that I find, I'm going to use to learn as much as I can about the underground slave trade. Then, I'm going to raze that entire industry. I'm going to leave legends of their destruction so terrifying, that nobody will ever think about kidnapping non-humans again. I don't plan to let the legal slave trade get away with it either, but this comes first." (Mizuki)
Alto looks at me with a mix of anticipation and gratitude, then she gives me a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
"Good…they won't find any sympathy from me. You have my full support, Mizuki. Anything you need, you just have to ask." (Alto)
I nod at her appreciatively, then we let an eerie silence envelop the area. Neither of us is troubled by the task ahead – after all, the blood of kidnappers and slavers washes off easier than most.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
After finalizing the purchase of her new mansion with Dargo, Alto and I return to hot spring. When I arrive, I'm stunned to see Alara, Nina, and Zara all soaking together in the hot spring. I immediately turn around so they're at my back, and Alto chuckles at me.
"I'm very sorry everyone, I should have thought to let Nina know before I just dropped in. How much time do you need before I come back?" (Mizuki)
"Fufufufu…what are you being so modest for, Mizuki? This is a daily sight for you." (Nina)
"Nina, obviously you're not the issue here." (Mizuki)
"Mizuki, I honestly don't care – I'm comfortable with your presence." (Zara)
That's…not the point Zara.
"Alara, please don't listen to these two – I was mainly trying to be polite to you. You're perfectly entitled to your own boundaries. How much time do you need?" (Mizuki)
To my surprise, Alara begins laughing at me.
"Fufufu…Mizuki, I've been alive two millennia. I've been with many men, and you are far from the type I'd worry about. So long as you keep your hands to yourself, I don't take issue with you staying." (Alara)
I'll record that one on my list of most shocking things I've ever heard. Oh well, if that's how they feel, I'm not going to complain.
I turn back around to face them and give a placating gesture and sheepish smile.
"Very well, I'm not going to lecture grown women about their own boundaries. Besides, this might be a good thing. We've secured a house, and it's got a huge stone bath the size of a room, with heating enchantments and everything. It's the only one, so we will probably be bathing together in shifts at some point." (Mizuki)
Everyone in the hot spring looks at me in surprise.
"You've got a house already, and you even toured it enough to know that? When can we see it?" (Alara)
"Fufufu…yes, I want to see this house of ours as well!" (Nina)
Nina climbs out of the water and begins walking over to her clothes near me at a leisurely pace. I'm so transfixed at first that I don't notice Alara and Zara climb out as well. Once I do, I look off to the side in embarrassment.
"Yeah, it's ours, or rather Alto's, technically. You can see it as soon as you get dressed and we pick out a place around here to put it! It needs a large flat surface with solid foundation. I was hoping Nina could help me reshape the earth around where we want to move it, so that there are no issues." (Mizuki)
"If you plan to keep it here even after we've developed my territory, which is fine with me, then you might want to pick somewhere that you know will remain somewhat private." (Alara)
That's a fair point.
"Oooh, Mizuki, since Nina can reshape the earth, why not put it on top of one of the smaller mountains at the edge of this valley? Maybe the one overlooking the lake over there. That way the foundation would be solid rock, and we'd be somewhere that nobody else could try to build a house or intrude on us easily." (Alto)
"Alto, that's an excellent idea!" (Mizuki)
In my excitement, I turn back towards the group and catch direct site of Alara in front of me – still not dressed. I avert my gaze again quickly.
"Ehem…Alara, do you mind getting dressed if you're not going back in the hot spring? You and Ilina look a lot alike, and the more I see you like this, the more uncomfortable it is for me." (Mizuki)
Alara gives me a surprised look, and seems conflicted about something, then she starts getting dressed.
"There you go, Mizuki. Did that comment just now mean that you find me attractive?" (Alara)
I turn back to Alara in surprise, and she has a puzzled look on her face. I feel the same way about her question. I literally said she looks like the girl I'm romantically involved with, so I think the answer is obvious.
"Well, if you mean physically, then yes, of course. Why do you ask?" (Mizuki)
Alara gives a thoughtful face, like she was just told a fun fact.
"Hmm…I guess you're quite handsome as well, you know? I hadn't thought about it before, since I hate humans." (Alara)
What the actual…is every woman in this country deranged? Is this just a consequence of being long-lived – flippant views on intimacy? Alara keeps eyeing me curiously, and I sigh heavily.
"Well, now that we've established these awkward facts…is everyone ready to get the house set up on the mountain Alto suggested?" (Mizuki)
Everyone seems to be dressed at this point and nods their agreement. Thankfully, Zara managed to do so without me noticing her.
"Okay, Alto and Zara, get everyone in a formation like we did for the wolf-kin village trip." (Mizuki)
They both seem to understand, and nod as they get into position. Zara drags a confused Alara into position as well. Nina walks up next to me and wraps her arms around me happily.
"Uhm…Mizuki, what are you about to…" (Alara)
Before she can finish, I activate my flight spells to bring us over to the other mountain – the peak is about the same height as the hot spring. Alara is…shocked.
"Ahhhhh! Wait! Mizuki…you can fly!?" (Alara)
I bring us to hover just above the peak of the mountain we're interested in.
"Fufufu…yup! This is Alto's favorite thing. Nina, you're up! We need enough flat space so that you could easily stretch out head-to-tail in your dragon form in any direction. Can you handle that?" (Mizuki)
Nina smirks at me confidently.
"Fufufu…of course, Mizuki. Just watch." (Nina)
Nina holds out one of her hands, and after a moment the mountain begins to tremble. Eventually, the peak starts to look like mud, and 'slides' off down the side of the mountain, bringing all the trees and foliage along with it.
After a few minutes, it looks like the mountain's top has been cleanly cut off, and there is a roughly sixty meter in diameter plateau left. I set us down on it and inspect the exposed rock – it seems very solid. I think this will work!
"Okay, that's perfect Nina, thanks! Everyone, gather around me again, and I'll teleport you all to the house." (Mizuki)
Everyone obeys, and Alara grabs onto me with a curious look. What is with her? I teleport us back to the house, inside the reception hall, and everyone begins roaming around to inspect it.
"Fufufu…this is an excellent choice Mizuki. Fit for a dragon!" (Nina)
"I'm excited to see you move this thing across the country." (Zara)
Alara nods her head silently at Zara's statement.
"Alright everyone, be quiet and don't move." (Mizuki)
I close my eyes and focus on the sensation of my magic flowing out and encompassing the house. I use magic sense to probe around the boundaries of the house, and I fine-tune the perimeter of my magic. Once I'm sure that my magic just barely encompasses the house, including a bit below ground level, I focus on the teleportation spell.
I imagine the spacetime that permeates the house being pushed to meet a comparable space on the mountain where we were, facing the valley. I feel a rush throughout my body that I haven't experienced in quite some time – the sensation of considerable magic drain. I power through the spell, and feel the familiar lurch being magnified considerably, but it's followed by a huge sensation of relief as the spell ends.
I open my eyes, and I can see through the windows of the mansion. Outside, there's a lake visible over a cliff edge. That's it…I did it.
I smile gleefully and notice that I took a decent chunk of my magic with that move. I could probably only do that trip a few times in rapid succession. I know my magic would recover very quickly afterward, but that's still taxing by my standards.
I glance around and see everyone safely beside me, then I walk out to inspect the location and foundation of the house. It seems to have landed safely in the center of our plateau, and I don't see any evidence of cracks in the stone foundation, sinking into the rock, or uneven placement on the rock.
"Okay, I think we're good!" (Mizuki)
The others filter out of the home slowly to stand beside me on the edge of the plateau. I hear a few soft gasps around me. Yeah…I agree. The lush waves of grass across the valley, the shimmering lake below…it's all beautiful.
A smile spreads across my face, and I look over at Nina – we share a warm gaze.
"Welcome home, everyone. I'm looking forward to our time together here." (Mizuki)
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
After the home's location was settled, I decided to go talk to Percivil about the process of enchanting items. Alara was dissatisfied with the state of the house, the furnishings all covered in sheets, and wanted to stay to prepare it. Naturally, Zara remained with her. I piled everyone's belongings from the palace out of my item box, and I left them to deal with it.
Nina and Alto asked to accompany me to Elmesia. Nina was inexplicably excited to help Alto qualify for her A-rank assessment, so she could move to S-rank and get her golden card. Alto also wanted to buy supplies for the house.
I teleported Nina, Alto, and I to our inn room, which still has a few days left paid for, and told Nina and Alto that they could head off without me for their tasks. After they left, I tossed the remainder of Nina's and I's belongings into my item box – I don't plan on keeping this room anymore. Then, I teleported to Percivil's back room at his shop.
Now, I'm in his storefront looking around. After a few moments…I call out for him.
"Percivil! It's Mizuki! Are you here?" (Mizuki)
I hear some slight clattering in another section of the building, which I've never visited – I'm guessing his forge. After a few minutes, Percivil comes running out bewildered.
"Mizuki!? Aye, it's been a long time since I seen yah! Also, how did yah get in here? I thought I had the door locked so I could do some work in the back." (Percivil)
Oops.
"Hey Percivil! Long time, no see! Uhm…yeah…about that…I just teleported into your back room. Sorry, I didn't know your shop would be closed." (Mizuki)
Percivil stares at me dumbfounded for a moment, then shrugs and sighs deeply before giving me an exasperated expression.
"Well, if it's yah who's interrupting, I don't mind. What brings yah to me today?" (Percivil)
Wow, that was a quick recovery. He's stroking his beard, looking at me curiously. I smile at Percivil appreciatively.
"Thanks! I'm coming to you about a job, actually. How would you like to help me build some stuff in the Elven Kingdom?" (Mizuki)
Percivil raises his eyebrows at me, and he appears thoughtful. After a moment, he smiles and nods.
"Aye, I'd be honored. I haven't visited since I was a young dwarf. Knowing yah, I'm sure the pay is good. So, my only question is what I'll be working on?" (Percivil)
Perfect.
"Definitely – I'll acquire all your materials for you, and provide your transportation, food, and shelter. You can just bring yourself and your tools, and I'll give you five silver per day for your help. As for what you'll be working on…we'll be building a small city, and I need your help with all kinds of unique projects. The first is going to be building a magic item that transports dozens of people almost twenty times faster than a horse and cart." (Mizuki)
Percivil's face slowly reveals sheer excitement.
"Oh ho, you're getting this old man excited, Mizuki. When do yah want to start?" (Percivil)
I smile back at him.
"How about right now? Can you explain to me how making a magic item works?" (Mizuki)
"Aye. First yah need to make the item, and it needs to have a pure metal component to it. I'm not sure why, but only some metals will work. That black metal for Zara's sword is one, and copper is another, but pure copper is expensive, less sturdy, and harder to smith with. Then, yah got to use an enchanting spell on the item, focusing on that metal. Finally, yah or someone else needs to quickly cast the spell onto the item that yah want to enchant it with." (Percivil)
I feel the color drain from my face. No way…an enchanting spell that primes only certain metals to absorb magic and another spell's properties. Could it be what I think it is? I might be able to replicate this spell.
"Percivil, don't freak out. I need you to show me something. Hold on." (Mizuki)
Percivil eyes me curiously, but I also see a bit of wariness. He nods his acknowledgement.
I focus on forming a water sphere the size of a baseball from the air's moisture, then use that as fuel to alchemize a small sphere of pure copper. Glancing at Percivil, he's gone pale. I'm left with a copper ball the size of a gumball, and I hand it to Percivil.
"Here, that's pure copper. Can you cast the enchanting spell on it that you mentioned?" (Mizuki)
Percivil nods to me in a daze.
"Aye, here we go. Divine structure, alter thyself and accept my charge in earnest!" (Percivil)
Azazel…you've got to be shitting me…you actually put 'accept my charge' in the incantation. You even mentioned the structure. I'm confident now…something about this process is like making the metal into a superconductor, at least temporarily. I have zero idea why a superconductor would absorb spell properties the way Percivil is describing, but that doesn't matter so long as I can replicate the process.
The copper ball begins to hum with magic in Percivil's hand, then he passes it to me quickly.
"Here, act quickly. Yah only have a few seconds before it wears off." (Percivil)
I nod and grab the copper ball. I take it in my hand, and I will my magic to pass through the copper ball before settling on the ground for a gravity spell – I intensify gravity so I'm about three times as heavy.
I hold the spell until I can feel something about the magic flow through the ball shift, then I release the spell. I wonder if it worked. I hand the item back to Percivil.
"Percivil, do me a favor and try using that. I'm new to the sensation of casting a spell on an item to enchant it, so I need to know if I did it correctly." (Mizuki)
Percivil smiles and nods excitedly, then takes the copper ball and holds it in his hand. After a moment, he yelps as his knees buckle, and he doubles over on the floor. The copper ball gets dropped and goes rolling, and then Percivil climbs shakily to his feet after a moment. He looks at me in bewilderment.
"Mizuki, what the hell did yah do!?" (Percivil)
Oh yeah…that was kind of unfair to not warn him.
"Ah, sorry I should have warned you. It's a special spell that makes things heavier." (Mizuki)
Percivil shakes his head and looks at me in exasperation.
"No, Mizuki, I don't mean the spell, I mean the enchantment! The ball didn't get heavier, I did! It felt like I gave it my magic, and then it cast a spell back on me!" (Percivil)
Uhm…yeah, isn't that the point? You enchant it to perform a spell. I give him a puzzled expression.
"Well, yeah, I thought that was the idea behind enchantments. You teach an item to cast a spell." (Mizuki)
Percivil shakes his head again like I'm insane.
"No, that's not how it works at all! Usually, the item itself takes on the properties. Nina's daggers and Alto's armor work that way. Even Nina's bow that imbues fire and water element onto the arrows only does that because the arrows are knocked within the bow at the time! What in the world did you do!?" (Percivil)
I…think I understand better now. I don't think people here view magic like I do, as a separate particle or entity that you move around and will to change properties. That would explain some of Alto's early confusion when I described forming magic itself into shapes. My spells always work, so I assume that I'm thinking about magic in the accurate way.
If I'm right, it makes sense that when people here cast spells, they're focusing on something specific like a target, instead of the properties and location of the magic itself. They must view the magic as their own innate power, without form, and just subconsciously will it to a location they focus on.
In that case, when they're told to cast a spell on an enchanted item, they naturally focus on the item itself. They don't think of it as a conduit for other magic activity in general.
I glance at Percivil, and he's staring at me expectantly. Hmm…explaining all that fundamental magic theory is probably a rule violation with Azazel, so I'm going to avoid it. I shrug at Percivil.
"I don't know for sure why it worked. I've never admitted it openly, but you're right about how I'm different from other humans here. I'd guess it has something to do with that. I wouldn't recommend trying it yourself, it could be dangerous for people from here." (Mizuki)
Percivil is surprised by my open admission, and calms down slowly as he thinks. He seems to accept the explanation and nods.
"Aye, you're probably right. So, what now?" (Percivil)
I sigh internally, I'm glad he let it go. I give him a smile.
"Well, that's enough for now. Feel free to take the rest of the day to make whatever arrangements you want and gather the tools you need. Tomorrow morning I'll come pick you up and teleport you straight to the Elven Kingdom. How's that?" (Mizuki)
Percivil nods excitedly and then heads off to the back of his shop with a frantic goodbye. The suddenness kind of shocks me. I guess he's excited to start working on these projects with me. I shake my head in amusement. What should I do now? Nina hasn't reached out to me.
Hmm…I suppose I could start preparing for the railway. I should probably get the elven royal family's permission before suddenly dropping a strange structure outside their city, though. They have roads, so I should see how those were made and with whose approval.
I teleport back to Dargo's office. When I suddenly arrive, he jumps in surprise. Realizing it's me, he gives an annoyed look.
"Mizuki, please don't make coming straight into my office a habit. I can prepare a permanent room for such things if you want. What do you need?" (Dargo)
That's a reasonable request.
"Ah, yes, sorry. I'll just go to Nina's old guest room from now on, if you're okay with decommissioning it. As for why I'm here, I was wondering about the paved roads that stretch out from Avalon. Specifically, who made them, when, and why?" (Mizuki)
There are three beautiful, paved roads that exit Avalon out of its north, east, and south gates. My understanding is that they ultimately branch into five major thoroughfares that run all the way through each noble territory. They act as the main paths for trade through the Elven Kingdom.
"Oh, well they were made to allow trade and travel between Avalon and the nobles' territories, obviously. When a noble's territory became developed enough to warrant it, the royal family commissioned one major road from Avalon all the way through the center of the noble's territory and contributed to the cost. Naturally, we'll make plans to do this in few decades if Alara's territory is developed enough at that point." (Dargo)
I give him a smile.
"What if Alara wanted to build a road now, and she were to accept complete responsibility for its construction? Would the royal family approve the project? We were thinking it could start near the western side of Avalon's wall." (Mizuki)
Dargo looks surprised at first, but then becomes thoughtful.
"Can I assume that, since you're the one asking, it's going to involve some strange magic of yours? Like the house?" (Dargo)
He's a smart cookie. I give him an amused grin.
"That's correct. I think you'll find the results quite interesting." (Mizuki)
Dargo looks as apprehensive as he does curious.
"Hmm…selling the house without consultation was the limit of my comfort. Follow me, we'll need to discuss this with Elira." (Dargo)
I nod and obediently follow him through the palace to the library, and I see Elira seated at the reading table with a book and some tea. I guess the Queen gets to bring drinks in here.
I cast a quick silencing spell over the room, and Dargo makes our presence known.
"Ehem…my Queen. Mizuki has come to request permission for Alara to build a road from Avalon to her territory." (Dargo)
Elira looks at us suddenly and almost spits up her tea when hearing Dargo's statement.
"She wants to do what!? She just left the palace this morning!" (Elira)
"Uhm…yes, about that. It seems that Mizuki has been assisting her even more than we expected. Just earlier he had Miss Alto purchase the old royal mansion on the western border of the royal lands, and then he…teleported it into Alara's territory. I suspect that he plans to build the road for her through similarly unconventional means." (Dargo)
Elira's head snaps to me in bewilderment, and she continues staring with a questioning gaze. I smile and nod agreeably. She sighs in exasperation and hangs her head.
"Mizuki…that's…I'm glad you're at least asking first, but what exactly are you asking for? What are you going to do? How much is this going to inconvenience us? Hearing about that mansion isn't really a problem, but it's definitely absurd." (Elira)
"I'm asking for nothing but your permission, and input on where around Avalon the road should start. I have suggestions about that. As for what I'm going to do…I'm going to build a special type of road that you've never seen before. It shouldn't really inconvenience you – I'll make sure the road avoids existing structures. It may cause quite the excitement when it suddenly appears, but I think you'll enjoy the results." (Mizuki)
Elira looks at me carefully.
"How would we explain the sudden appearance of this strange road of yours?" (Elira)
"I figured we could just use our standard 'Elder Dragons are mysterious' excuse. We say that Nina used her special abilities to build it as a favor to Alara and the elven people for being so welcoming to us. She is the Elder Dragon of earth, after all, so a strange road isn't outside her capabilities in principle." (Mizuki)
Elira stares at me skeptically, then becomes thoughtful for a few minutes.
"Where around Avalon did you want to start this road?" (Elira)
"A short walk outside the western side of the wall. I know there isn't a gate there, but you can just build short connecting roads from the north and south gate roads to connect them to mine. So, what do you think?" (Mizuki)
I look at Elira patiently, and she seems very conflicted as she thinks.
"Will Alara be charging a tax for people to travel with their personal horses on this road?" (Elira)
Oh…this might cause issues.
"Well, no, but horses won't be able to walk on this road at all. The only thing that will be able to travel on this road is a special enchanted item that carries people. It should be able to transport dozens to hundreds of people to the western edge of your country in half a day or less. I'm going to suggest that Alara charge a service fee to transport people on this road, but I plan for it to be cheap. I assume the royal family will also collect part of that as tax revenue." (Mizuki)
Dargo and Elira both look at me in shock.
"Mizuki…you can really make such an item? Will normal people be able to use the item that you speak of, or will you be the only one that can transport people with it?" (Elira)
"Yes, I believe that I can. My intention is for a decent percentage of elves to have the magic power required to use the item, so that Alara can give other elves jobs helping people travel on this road." (Mizuki)
Elira's eyes sparkle with excitement.
"Mizuki, do you plan to share how to make these items with us? Some of your spells I understand keeping from us, but just being able to travel places more quickly would not be an issue, right?" (Elira)
I shake my head, and I give her a very stern expression.
"No, under no circumstances will that be happening. Besides, the items need the special road to work, and I'm quite confident that you wouldn't be able to make the road without me. However, I will train Alara on how to use the item that I make, and she can train the people that she wants to employ to oversee travel on the road. There is no need for your people to fully understand how everything was made." (Mizuki)
Elira looks frustrated, but mostly disappointed. Then, something occurs to her, and she smirks at me.
"Very well, I can accept that we can't reproduce what you'll be making. However, I seem to recall that you owe me a favor. If I asked you to make another one of these roads elsewhere, along with the items to transport people on it, would you?" (Elira)
Damn it…I really don't like having my own words bite me in the ass. I sigh deeply.
"I'd...consider it. However, I'd only build one such road with the items to transport people. Furthermore, there will be several conditions. Finally, I refuse to do it within the next year. I'll be watching your people, and particularly the nobles, closely in that time to see how they react to the one I already plan to build." (Mizuki)
That seems to surprise Elira, and she smiles happily.
"Will you really do something that absurd just to repay a favor? A year is nothing to an elf, and if it's for something like what you describe, I will meet whatever reasonable conditions you impose. Now then…you have my blessing to build your strange road. Please let me know when it's done!" (Elira)
I'm sure the shock shows on my face…was it really that easy? I was expecting this to take much longer. Hmm…best not to argue with a yes! I smile at Elira and give a nod to Dargo as well.
"Wonderful, thank you both for your help!" (Mizuki)
Elira shakes her head with a wry smile.
"Just don't make me regret it. Also, count on me asking you for that favor in a year." (Elira)
I gesture placatingly at her and nod.
"Sure, no problem…probably." (Mizuki)
Elira raises her eyebrows at my response, but she decides to let it go. I finish up my goodbyes with Elira and Dargo, then I drop the silencing spell and teleport away.
I've got this world's first railway to build.