“Well then, Mako, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
We had talked a bit too much about the abandoned bridge city in the Libertà region, but to achieve our original goal, Mako and I donned our Wing Crests and leaped from the Tree-made Multi-functional Beast Carriage, which was connected to the airship.
“I’m starting to get nervous now that it’s time to do it.”
“It requires more precise control than when we used it in Kobaldia.”
That’s truly difficult. For this use of Tuatha Dé Danann, I’ll be in charge of the output, which directly affects its power, while Mako will handle the area control. While mistakes in output adjustment can lead to serious problems, area control is even more challenging due to issues with slope formation and ground leveling. Mako has higher control capabilities than me, and Agatholam also boasts high control due to its dual-core system, making Mako the more suitable choice.
“Final confirmation complete. We’re ready whenever you are.”
“Then, shall we do it?”
“Yes!”
After a final check of our magic power and using exploration-type spells to ensure no one was in the area, Mako detached the wing-shaped Agatholam from her back, transformed it into an arm, and I held Blau Solaris.
“Tuatha Dé Danann!”
We then chanted the incantation for the ultimate mythic-class spell of Blau Solaris and Agatholam.
At that moment, wings unfolded from Agatholam, and the six blades of Blau Solaris emitted light. Simultaneously, a long, narrow magic circle appeared over the target area in the Br Mountains, and a pillar of light descended. Although the spell had annihilated Kobaldia in almost an instant, its power was significantly reduced this time. The reason for this was that if we had used Tuatha Dé Danann at full power, which could be equivalent to 1 gigaton, or perhaps 1.2 gigatons, of TNT, the mountainside could have vanished in an instant, causing massive landslides and cliff collapses. The ground would have been deeply gouged out, making it unsuitable for constructing a road. Therefore, this time, we reduced the output to about a tenth and increased the irradiation time to make it easier for Mako to control the area. Of course, if the control became too difficult, we could reduce the output further.
“Mako, how’s it looking?”
“It’s okay for now, but if you increase the output any further, I might not be able to keep up. Ah, and could you reduce the output to one-twentieth in about 20 seconds?”
“Understood.”
I complied with Mako’s request and reduced the output. Even at one-twentieth, it was still around 50 megatons of TNT, making it more powerful than an ordinary nuclear weapon. A direct hit from a spell of such power would easily collapse the Br Mountains, but thanks to Mako’s area adjustments, it wasn’t being shaved away all at once; it was being eroded as if being drilled away.
“Sorry, could you reduce the output a bit more?”
“So, about one-thirtieth?”
“One-fiftieth is fine.”
“Understood. Blau Solaris, please.”
“I understand.”
Although it had to be reduced more than expected, it was still likely producing around 20 megatons of TNT, giving it the power of a nuclear weapon.
“Agatholam, we’re narrowing the range soon, okay?”
“I understand.”
Mako then instructed Agatholam, and the range of Tuatha Dé Danann was slightly altered. While Tuatha Dé Danann descended like a pillar of light from above, if left as is, the surrounding area would become flat, and the mountainside would turn into sheer cliffs. This would cause cliff collapses and landslides, so Mako was adjusting the range to create gentle slopes. To do this, Mako was dedicating all her control abilities, and sweat began to bead on her forehead. I wanted to help, but with Mako, who created Agatholam, completely focused on control, it would only be a hindrance if I interfered carelessly. Furthermore, there was still a non-zero possibility of being attacked by monsters, so I couldn’t let my guard down in terms of vigilance. As expected, flying bird-like and insect-like monsters from the Br Mountains were heading towards Mako and me.
“Leave this to us!”
“We’re counting on you!”
But that’s precisely why everyone else was on standby. Not only the Ancient Class members of Wing Crest, including Prim and Mana, but also His Majesty Emperor Reinhardt, Her Highness Princess Elice, Princess Maruca, and Her Highness Princess Ciel were present. Unless they were Demise Species, they wouldn’t be able to attack us. Well, Princess Ciel hasn’t evolved yet, so she was assisting from the beast carriage along with Flam.
“Huh? Is that… Noise Annihilator!?”
“A Catastrophe Species of Cicada, and two of them at that!”
“They weren’t here the other day, so they must have evolved in the past few days!?”
Multiple Noise Annihilators, M-C rank monsters of the Cicada species? Cicadas use their cries as an attack method, so this is quite troublesome! But since neither Mako nor I can move, we have no choice but to leave it to everyone else.
“We won’t let you!”
“Nice barrier, Lydia! Mana!”
“Yes!”
However, one of the Noise Annihilators was restrained by Lydia’s barrier magic. Then, Prim’s Seraphim Penetrator and Mana’s Starling Piaster combined to form another Layered Magic, Gale Scogul, which struck and blew off its head. They probably aimed for the head because the abdomen is highly valuable, and the magic control was precise, leaving the abdomen completely unharmed.
“Rai! Now’s the time!”
“I know!”
And the other Noise Annihilator had its cries offset by Princess Maruca’s wind attribute magic. Princess Elice then severed one of its wings, and Emperor Reinhardt used Blading to lop off its head. Though I couldn’t confirm it, Flam said that Princess Ciel also used the Celestial Globe Elemental Tarot to hit it simultaneously with Fire Lance and Ice Lance.
“We’re done here.”
“So are we.”
“You’re fast, as usual.”
“The only troublesome ones were the Catastrophe Species Noise Annihilators; the rest were mostly rare species.”
Even while concentrating on control, I was also responsible for watching the surroundings, so I had a general idea of the monsters Prim and the others had defeated. As Princess Maruca said, the most troublesome were the Noise Annihilators, followed by G-R rank Gale Birds, Triblade Beetles, and Mercenary Cicadas. There were others, but the average Monster Rank in the Br Mountains is B-rank, so while a considerable number attacked, they were no match for Prim and the others and were quickly taken down. Prim and Mana are Element Class, while Flam, Lydia, Ludia, Athena, Emperor Reinhardt, and Princess Maruca are Ancient Class. Princess Elice is also on the verge of evolving into an Ancient Class, so these results are to be expected. It’s also said that Princess Ciel, who is Normal Class, is nearing evolution into High Class.
“Yamato, reduce the output to one-hundredth.”
“Ah, understood.”
Mako, who had been diligently controlling the area of Tuatha Dé Danann even while monsters attacked, gave another instruction to reduce the output further. I thought it was a significant reduction to one-hundredth, but when I considered it, it still had a power of about 10 megatons.
“This should be enough. Yamato, stop it.”
“Understood.”
Oh, it seems it’s over. Let’s stop it then. Following her instructions, I stopped the activation of Tuatha Dé Danann, and before my eyes, the Br Mountains were beautifully divided into north and south. Wow, it turned out much cleaner than I expected.
“Oh, it’s more gradual than I imagined.”
“I adjusted the range with the utmost care. Good work, Agatholam.”
“This kind of control is a first for me, so I’m also a little tired.”
“I was in charge of output control, so I’m not as fatigued as Agatholam, but it was quite an interesting experience.”
“Thank you, Blau Solaris.”
It seems that even for the Engraving Divine Artifacts, this level of control was unprecedented. Both of them mentioned being tired, but I don’t understand what it means for a weapon to be tired. However, it was just as hard for me, and when we get back, I’ll let Blau Solaris drink its fill of sake. Agatholam can also drink, but it prefers to do so in moderation and enjoys reading more. I’m not sure how it reads, but if I brought that up, I’d have to question how it drinks sake, which I’ve already stopped worrying about.
“After this, we’re heading to Emosion to ask Duke Turkis to plant trees?”
“Yes. If the ground is left exposed, landslides and cliff collapses are likely to occur. Also, I’m thinking of planting the oak trees, specifically white oak, which I saw near the summits of the Br Mountains.”
“White oak? That’s a good idea.”
The oaks of Helios Orb are high-grade timber, second only to cherry and Fusang trees, and they grow in mountainous regions rather than flat areas. Amister has many mountains, so they are relatively easy to obtain, but oaks have ranks, and white oak is the highest grade. I’m not very knowledgeable about lumber, but I recall that black is the cheapest, followed by blue, yellow, red, and then white in order of value. However, despite being a high-grade timber, even the finest white oak can only withstand High Class magic. Therefore, we rarely used it, but it is generally a popular high-grade timber, so increasing its availability wouldn’t be a bad thing. Cypress is also a high-grade timber, but its strength and hardness are superior to red and white oak. Nevertheless, like on Earth, it is easy to use, durable, and has a pleasant fragrance, making it more popular than oak. However, cypress is sensitive to cold and difficult to manage, and it doesn’t seem to grow in mountainous areas. In Amister, only a few noble territories in the southern regions engage in afforestation with cypress, and otherwise, they are harvested from the wild in the Valentia region. Therefore, planting cypress was omitted this time.
“Since using only white oak might cause problems, we plan to mix in red oak and yellow oak as well.”
“That’s better; otherwise, the value might decrease.”
The planting will be done using Tree Magic, so the lumber will be available for use next year. However, the area being developed in the Br Mountains this time is quite vast, and if we plant only white oak, its value could plummet. If white oak plummets in value, red and yellow oak, which are already cheaper, would also drop in price, affecting other types of wood. To prevent this, it would be better to plant not only red and yellow oak but also blue and black oak. This is assuming the tree planting is successful, but if it is, the economic impact will be significant.
“I’ll send a letter to Duke Turkis as well. Well, since it has the potential to become a new industry, I don’t think he’ll object.”
The Fraydlancia Baronetcy I was granted consists only of Olden Island and two connected smaller islands; the Br Mountains are not included. The Esmeralda Baronetcy is similar, with the Br Mountains forming its border. Therefore, this area falls within Duke Turkis’ territory, and I obtained permission from His Majesty Emperor Reinhardt and Duke Turkis to carry out the construction work to open up the Br Mountains. Of course, I also informed them about planting some of the oak trees that naturally grew in the Br Mountains at the foot of the mountains. The tree planting is part of the road maintenance that connects to the Fraydlancia Baronetcy and is accounted for in the Fraydlancia Baronetcy development costs. Duke Turkis has also allocated budget from his reserve fund, as it represents a potential new industry for his territory. Duke Turkis’ territory also has Cherry Tree Gardens, so there are many users of Tree Magic, and he mentioned that people would gather quickly. He hasn’t decided whether to manage the oaks like cherry trees yet, but that’s up to him. For me, the road maintenance connecting to Olden Island is more important. Ah, when I go to Emosion, I’ll have to issue a request to the Crafter’s Guild for road maintenance. After that, I’ll have to thoroughly investigate Olden Island. Development is difficult, but this is for Tsubaki, who will inherit the Fraydlancia Baronetcy, so I have to do my best as her father. Of course, I haven’t forgotten about Saki, Asuma, Mizuki, or the child in Meena’s womb.
