89. All Preparations Are Now Complete, Isn’t It?

“This! This is an extraordinary magic tool, Craft-niisama!”

“Do you like it?”

I proudly brought the newly completed telepathic ring—a communication magic tool—to Kyle.

I had him test the communication immediately, and Kyle, unusually, was excited.

“Of course I like it! But this is…”

Kyle put his hand on his chin, deep in thought.

Seeing that, Persia dreamily placed her hand on her cheek.

“Kyle-sama, you are so cute.”

Absolutely agree. Kyle is cute.

Alphard gave a wry smile, but come on, be honest!

I thought Kyle would be more straightforwardly happy, but he was strangely serious.

I was starting to understand that this magic tool was quite something.

To not disturb Kyle’s thoughts, Alphard directed his gaze at me.

“Will we also receive this communication magic tool?”

There was no reason not to give it to Alphard, Kyle’s guard, and the army’s chief.

“Of course.”

I handed rings to not only Alphard but also Persia and Maina, explaining how to use them and having them try them out.

During the test, only the connection with Myrna caused some trouble.

“Uh, Myrna. Please say something.”

Through visual sharing, I could vaguely see what Myrna was looking at, but I couldn’t confirm the voice of the usually quiet Maina.

“…Ru.”

Ru? What is that supposed to mean?

“Uh, you can hear my voice, right?”

“…Nn.”

Okay… I guess?

Myrna is usually with Kyle, so it shouldn’t be a problem even if communication fails… right?

Seeing Myrna looking happy wearing the ring, I didn’t care anymore.

It seemed to be working, so I decided not to disturb Maina, who was cheerfully swinging her legs on her lap.

Alphard’s reaction was the complete opposite of Myrna’s.

“Really… Craft. You still lack self-restraint.”

“Isn’t it convenient?”

“Yes, it’s convenient. Even considering only you can initiate the communication, it’s undoubtedly a national treasure-level artifact.”

“Then show some appreciation.”

Alphard gave a wry smile.

“Fool. Mass-producing national treasures is what’s giving me headaches.”

“It’s for Kyle, so it’s fine.”

“Well… that’s true. It’s invaluable for both development and military purposes. I do thank you.”

“‘Do thank’? Just express it straightforwardly!”

Seriously, this guy is always so serious and inflexible.

Do you have to be a stiff to become a holy knight?

Meanwhile, Persia’s reaction was…

“Craft! You! Don’t ever contact me when I’m changing!”

This.

“That’s why I told you to take off the ring when you don’t want to be contacted.”

“Fool! As a guard, I can’t imagine removing such an excellent communication tool!”

Well, that’s true…

“If you deny the call when it comes in, it won’t connect…”

“Really!? Are you sure!? There’s no chance that Craft is secretly peeping at my naked body, right!?”

“Of course not!”

“Swear it, Craft!”

“O-Okay!”

No good. This clueless knight is worrying about the wrong things!

Alphard intervened with a wry smile.

“It’s fine, Craft. We’re guards. There is no distinction between men and women. Contact us without hesitation in emergencies.”

“Nu! …Guh! Al!”

“Are you okay with risking an emergency out of embarrassment, Persia?”

“Ugh! I know that! I know, but…!”

Um, what should I do?

As I was troubled, Kyle raised his ring with a smile.

“It’s okay, Persia. Craft-niisama will probably contact me first.”

“Eh? Oh. That’s true…”

“So, Nii-sama will only contact you directly in high-emergency situations, I think.”

That’s true.

Kyle is really smart.

…There’s no chance of me contacting her while she’s in the bath, right?

After Persia and I finished our comic dialogue, Kyle tightened his expression.

“Craft-niisama. Who else do you plan to give this communication magic tool to?”

“The ones I’m considering are…”

Listing the names, Kyle nodded deeply.

“Understood. Let’s gather everyone.”

◆

The next day, my trusted companions gathered at Kyle’s mansion.

I was about to give them the telepathic rings, the communication magic tools.

Kyle, Myrna, Alphard, and Persia had already received theirs.

Leafan had also already been given a ring and was present.

And the main event was Raiddock, with his blue hair flowing. Well, not actually flowing.

As a skilled B-rank adventurer and close friend, getting in touch with Raidoc was a top priority.

I recalled the battle with the Cockatrice. If we had these magic tools back then, it would have been much easier.

Besides Leafan, there were two other demi-humans.

One was Azur, a fox beastman, who had been summoned by Kyle and looked restless as she took her seat.

The other was Shururu, a recent resident of Golden Dawn.

Azur was the head of the church and a childhood friend, so I definitely wanted her to have one. It would also make it easier to communicate with the orphans she cared for.

I was slightly hesitant about giving one to Shururu, who had been trying to edge closer to me but was repeatedly blocked by Myrna.

After consulting with Kyle, we decided to give it to her as the representative of the lizardmen.

We had considered giving one to the new village chief, Jurara, but for the following reasons, we chose Shururu instead.

If the subjugation goes well and negotiations with Zaid are successful, it will lead to the development of the wetlands and the start of village construction.

In that scenario, Shururu would act as a diplomat, traveling between Golden Dawn and the lizardman village.

It made sense to give the communication tool to Shururu, the contact point with the village.

…I’m not thinking about how scary it would be to give a ring to Jurara and not Shulul. Not at all.

There were two others we had consulted about with Kyle.

The hunter, Jitaro, and the adventurer, Eva.

Jitaro… well, if we didn’t give him one, he’d feel left out. Kyle had also smiled wryly when I mentioned it.

Eva, Kyle, and I had a long discussion.

With other B-rank adventurers besides Raidoc, should we give one to the C-rank Casper sisters?

The Casper sisters would definitely reach B-rank if they continued their activities in Golden Dawn and would soon have the strength to match Raidoc’s party.

Moreover, having traveled together for a long time weighed heavily in their favor.

Alphard had initially opposed it, but with Leafan’s support, they ultimately remained on the list.

There were also two more who weren’t present.

One ring was for the production guild, usually held by Plum.

She had participated in the initial experiment, after all.

The last one was for my familiar and artificial maid, Ryuuko.

As my familiar, she could share some senses without the ring, but we discovered that wearing it enabled more advanced communication.

Surprisingly, she could initiate communication with me, which was astonishing.

Including myself, thirteen people would have the communication magic tools.

At Kyle’s suggestion, Kyle would purchase them, and they would be lent to the others.

Kyle also decided to send one to Marquis Orthros.

Additionally, I planned to give one to Professor Jabir later.

When we visit Zaid’s village during the wetlands expedition, it would be a good time to hand it over.

Besides Leafan and Kyle, it was a secret that the communication tool given to Professor Jabir was of the same quality as mine.

With his magical power, he should be able to activate it sufficiently.

As his disciple, I wanted to give him a full-spec magic tool.

Since the ones we distribute can’t initiate communication, I needed to explain that.

“Everyone, basically, only I can initiate communication. Once connected, we can telepathically communicate in both directions until it’s disconnected.”

Hearing that, Shururu looked disappointed.

“So I can’t talk to Craft-sama from my side!?”

“Uh, yeah. Also, due to the high magic consumption, I don’t plan to keep it connected all the time.”

“Oh, I thought I could talk to you every night.”

When Shururu slumped her shoulders, Myrna started kicking her feet for some reason.

Violence isn’t the answer, Myrna.

…Though it doesn’t seem to have any effect, and Shururu doesn’t seem to notice.

I lifted Myrna and hugged her, and she quietly hugged me back.

Kids have such high body temperatures.

It looked a bit silly, but I proceeded to explain to everyone how to use the communication magic tools.

Raidoc was impressed, saying, “This is convenient,” but Eva turned pale.

“This… this is incredible. If mass-produced, it would revolutionize logistics, warfare, and development.”

Eva seemed to grasp the same advantages Kyle had noted. As expected of her.

I didn’t quite get the magnitude of it, though!

Of course, I understood it was a national treasure-level artifact!

When I finished explaining, Kyle once again tightened his expression.

“Everyone, this magic tool is very precious. However, it’s deemed essential for the development of Golden Dawn, so we’re lending it to you. Please use it responsibly and take good care of it.”

In response to Kyle’s declaration, everyone bowed respectfully.

◆

That day, many residents gathered at the southern gate of Golden Dawn.

Leading the way was Kyle, followed by the wetlands subjugation team.

Experienced adventurers who had participated in the dragon fight, led by Raiddock, and lizardman warriors. Newly recognized adventurers were also joining. Of course, the Casper sisters were included.

Additionally, some of Kyle’s private soldiers, led by Alphard, were part of the team.

Persia was tasked with guarding Golden Dawn and stayed behind.

Degard Bismack, the warrior who fought in the Cockatrice battle, and the tiger beastman Taigal Gaidal also stayed.

With the city walls completed, Persia and her team should be sufficient for defense.

Of course, we had prepared a large amount of alchemical medicine for defense and the subjugation team.

With all preparations in place, we were headed for the wetlands!

“Though, we need to stop by Lord Zaid’s village first.”

“Leafan, don’t lower the tension…”

Honestly, I didn’t expect things to go smoothly.

“Well then, Wetlands Subjugation Team, let’s depart!”

“””Oooooooo!!!”””

Well, we’ll manage somehow, right?