The popularity of rice fairly good, and it’s been decided that the paddy fields will be used continually to make more.
The day after I was deeply moved by being able to eat rice and miso soup after a long time, I went back to wall duty. For some reason, Maria said that she and Marnie would do research on the uses of soy sauce and miso, and she left.
In doing so, Titan and I were left to do the work, but when Titan uses Earth magic continuously, he doesn’t need to be charged but it does take time for him to recover magic power. He also served as my escort, and in the end, I did most of the work.
Starting wall construction from the south east side, I worked on extending the bulwark to encompass the barrier to the north, but I noticed something weird after a number of days.
So, while it isn’t that she accompanies me all the time, since Undine was here, I asked her.
「Listen, I’ve gone north quite a bit but I haven’t reached it, did it by any chance get bigger again?」
「Oh, you finally realized. The east nearly didn’t change so it was difficult to notice, wasn’t it?」
「Wha, that means………」
「Fufu, the positions of the east and south are fixed, while the north and west expand. Perhaps because you’re building a wall, this will be the last.」
I can’t trust the words of the whimsical Great Spirits even one bit.
「Now now, Takumi, you’re also to blame for this.」
「I’m also to blame?」
「You made our tongues learn of delicious alcohol, cooking, as well as desert, didn’t you? It had enthused Dryas, and she raised all sorts of fruit trees and spices. Just recently, she said she’d have a hand in a type of mushroom called a shiitake(?) that you talked about.」
I kinda understand her reason, but there’s one thing that I absolutely have to ask.
「The Spirit Tree isn’t at the center anymore if the north and west expanded, ……is that gonna be okay?」
「It was a miscalculation, a miscalculation. It’s pretty much in the middle so it’s fine. If anything, it wouldn’t matter even if it was on the edge of the Sanctuary, but wouldn’t that be inconvenient in many ways?」
「……a reason like that…………」
According to what I’ve heard, the northern area is filled with copses and a forest aside from the orchard, but those have apparently expanded.
「We are considering introducing non-monster beasts. A wealthy forest needs a food chain.」
In Undine’s explanation, they’re bringing in small animals such as mice and rabbits, and those that prey upon them such as raptors, and they would like it to someday become a plentiful forest where deer, wolves, and bears live in.
「Naturally, we would make sure they do not damage the orchard and center of the Sanctuary.」
As I listened without stopping my hands from building the bulwark, I asked about one thing that worried me.
「Hey Undine, wouldn’t animals evolve into monsters in this mana dense land?」
「I would not say it is impossible, but since it is inside the Sanctuary which had purified the miasma, I believe it is nothing to worry about. Besides, it would be better if hunting is possible inside the Sanctuary, no?」
From the perspective of guaranteeing meat for consumption, would our reliance to trade be risky? Organizations like an Adventurers Guild are impossible in the Sanctuary.
「Sure, the Elven immigrants have been increasing recently for some reason, so it might be okay to leave the hunt to them……………」
The Elven country and Human country are no different in that their structures force the vulnerable people, like Melty-san’s family were, out. Additionally, the Great Spirits are here. The Elven immigrants would naturally increase.
Gogogogoーー!!
The walls rose one by one, and a moat was dug up outside it.
Excluding the western sea, the three cardinal directions were enclosed by walls, and I praised myself for completing it in 10 days.
◇ ◇
And so, I’ve come to the northern forest to inspect it at Dryas’ guidance.
「Watch your step, okay? So you don’t stomp on the precious medicinal herbs.」
「Ah, yeah, but if you bring in animals, wouldn’t they eat the plants?」
「There are animals that do eat plants, but they wouldn’t eat the rare medicinal ones. They’re bitter.」
As we continued inward, the scenery changed to a forest that seemed like it came out of 【Princess Mononoke】[1].
「This is the innermost part of the forest, you can see many Plant Spirits, right?」
「”See”, you say. I am not an elf, so I know there’s a lot of them but……」
「This place does not only have Plant Spirits, water comes out of the spring so there are many Water Spirits too, and many Wind Spirits frolic on the trees.」
「There are Earth, Light, and Dark Spirits as well huh?」
「Fufu, yes, earth, light, darkness, everyone is needed for an abundant forest.」
If the forest is managed by Dryas, I have nothing to say. Nature is important, and if the ecosystem is managed by the Spirits, I think that that too is another form of nature. Spirits are beings of nature, after all.
Afterwards, Dryas and I discussed what animals would be introduced into the forest. Insects that would not harm the forest are essential, she said.
「Butterflies are beautiful, but its larva is harmful.」
「It’s a different story in this forest. Larva eat leaves, but they eat the leaves that had better fallen off.」
「No way, the caterpillars prune?」
「Primitive living things that live within the Sanctuary are largely affected by the sacred magic power of the Sanctuary. They receive the sentiments of the Spirits.」
Dryas insisted that the trees that would have died in my previous life will be fine as long as they are in the forest of this Sanctuary.
As a result of my discussion with Dyras, it’s been decided that we would travel to capture animals and release them into the forest one time. The first candidate is the place we saw en route to Samandour Kingdom, the Table Mountains. It would seem that without the hand of man, it’s a treasure trove of rare plants, animals, and monsters. I’m looking forward to it now.
***
Footnotes:
1. Princess Mononoke is a Studio Ghibli film, I highly recommend it.