Welcoming winter in my 3rd year coming to Mildgard, I created a magic device that pours out hot water meant for the masses, and had put it on sale at Valkyra Kingdom, Lomaria Kingdom, and Samandour Kingdom through the Papeck Company. Sales were promising and keeping the price low helped, but regardless of how big the bath is, a large magic stone is necessary, so it hasn’t spread to the general public.
Reaching a point where we could pause at production, we proactively accepted requests at the Adventurers Guild. Thanks to that, everyone’s guild rank rose, and we’ve become Volton’s top party in both name and reality.
In fact, Barack-san has made an approach about a promotion to A rank. However, even Heath-san and the others are B rank, so for me, someone who’s been an adventurer for 2 years, to be promoted to A rank would be too conspicuous and goes too far. That’s why I requested to stay at B rank for at least a year.
「It has been a long time, Takumi-sama.」
「Yes it has, Papeck-san. 」
When we were relaxing at Volton, the president of the Papeck Company Papeck-san, whose physique is somewhat better than before, paid us a visit.
「Papeck-san, it’s rare for you to come personally. What can I do for you today?」
「Yes, with the success of Wedgefort town, Valkyra Kingdom’s ally Lomaria Kingdom wants a fortress in the savage lands and has a request.」
「We will do the fortress?」
「No no, that will result in Valkyra Kingdom’s influence becoming too strong. An alliance is not one unless it is equal, after all. The commission they want Takumi-sama to accept is a highway from Wedgefort to Lomaria’s direction that is of the same standard as the highway from Volton to Wedgefort.」
At present, path from Wedgefort to Lomaria through the savage lands is a highway only in name. In reality, it’s a hairy animal trail.
「There is quite a distance from Wedgefort to Lomaria’s side, isn’t there?」
「Yes, it is around 300 km to Lomaria’s border. The fortress Lomaria is constructing is 50 km away from their national border, therefore they would like for Takumi-sama to lay down a 250 km highway.」
It’s a considerable distance from Volton, but my Long Warp has improved quite a bit, so it doesn’t consume that much magic power if it’s to Volton and Wedgefort. If we return to the mansion to sleep, we wouldn’t have to go out of our way to camp.
「This commission is a combined commission of Valkyra Kingdom’s royal family, Margrave Volton, Lomaria Kingdom, and the Commerce Guild. I believe this is also the result of the well known reputation of 『Wings of Norn』.」
「Haa……, do we really stand out that much?」
「I imagine that your party name, along with the 『Lion’s Fang』 and 『Crimson Rose』, is well known not only in Valkyra Kingdom, but even to the neighboring countries. That’s simply how much you’ve accomplished, after all. Nevertheless, because of the policies of not just the Adventurers Guild but also Margrave Volton to keep Takumi-sama name hidden, I believe that people from other countries have yet to acquire it.」
The case with Wedgefort seems to have made the reputation of 『Wings of Norn』 more popular than I had expected.
「The commission this time is not for the adventurer party 『Wings of Norn』, but work for a civil contractor.」
「I understand. I accept.」
Of course if it is a request from the country, even I have no option to refuse.
Sophia gave magic power to the Earth Spirit Gnome through Spirit Magic, and it made a roughly straight, wide road. Maria and I paved the highway to finish it. Marnie uses Earth Attribute Magic, but when she, a beastkin, uses magic, her magic power runs out soon after, so I had her take turns with Laeva as a guard.
「Marnie-san! Finish it!」
「Yes!」
Bugyaaaa!!
Marnie finished off the orc that Laeva weakened.
Just after the flood of monsters at Wedgefort, the density of monsters around it was low. Even so, there were many monsters that ran away too, and maybe because our party is an assembly of beautiful women and girls, our encounter rate with excited orcs was high.
「How about we take this opportunity to exterminate the orcs in the area?」
「I agree. They’re the enemy of women so I think destroying them is beneficial too.」
The highway is compacted and leveled, the dirt surface is changed to stone, and paving the highway is being completed at our walking speed.
On the 10th day of highway construction and monster subjugation, the location of the fortress that Lomaria is constructing came in sight.
「We’ve finally reached it.」
「Coming to this area, there are even fewer monsters.」
Maria and I were making the road while walking when, at that moment, we felt a fluctuation of magic power from far away.
「Wha!? What was that just now!?」
「Eh?!」
「Master! I sensed some gross magic power!」
Maybe it was because everyone in our party was proficient in Magic Perception that we felt it. And I realized the source of this fluctuation of magic power.
「(There’s only one thing that would require enough magic power to affect the whole continent.」
These days, I’ve been having too much happiness with Sophia and everyone everyday so I got careless. Today three years ago was the day I arrived at Mildgard. Correct, this is the day the Divine Empire of Sydnia summoned the heroes.
I’m confident that what we felt just now was definitely the effect of activating the forbidden magic of hero summoning. And I somewhat understand why Norn-sama added an amendment so that this magic could never again be activated in this world.
In addition to the act of kidnapping beings from another world, this magic brings about a strain to this world too.
***