NoveLight ™
"Alright, everyone, please quiet down! Louie from the Hero’s party will now speak!"
How did things end up like this?
"S-Sister... I-I’m so nervous..."
"Just stay beside me. I’ll handle the talking."
I thought this whole project would end once we made the magic tools and distributed them across the city.
Of course, I had considered that we’d need help from various people and factions, but this…
"Is that the magician from the Hero’s party?"
"She’s cute... Ah, I hope that’s not inappropriate."
"I heard the Alpharhes branch tried to grant her honorary city adventurer status."
"The Goddess of Bombardment, was that title about her...? That’s a rather fierce nickname for someone who looks so innocent."
"I’ve heard the saintess cherishes her deeply. Everyone, let’s be on our best behavior around her."
"May the blessings of the Goddess be upon Louie’s path..."
I hadn’t even spoken a word yet, and there was already such a commotion.
The place we were in was a large building in the city center, with a space resembling a school gymnasium.
In this vast hall, numerous people had gathered, seated and waiting.
There were representatives from:
And many others, people who had the skills or experience to contribute to the project.
They had all gathered at Aria’s request to discuss the success of this purification plan.
"The mercenaries will be arriving later. They’re still finishing a large group request far from the city."
"Thank you, Laffiel."
It wasn’t just Nia and me from the Hero’s party.
Laffiel had also offered her help, speaking with the mercenaries to bring them into the fold.
Meanwhile, Serlin, Aria, and the Hero were working on resolving other issues in the city.
In total, about 30 people were present.
'…How long has it been since I last had to speak in front of this many people?'
Up until now, I had mostly been discussing things with groups of no more than five people.
It made me wonder if this was the first time I’d spoken to such a large crowd since being reborn into this world.
Naturally, I didn’t have stage fright like Nia.
"Thank you for gathering here today. I’ll now explain the Lacr Purification Plan."
Sometimes, the word “purification” is used in interesting ways in certain works of fiction.
For example, purifying an entire planet by burning it down, or having a male protagonist “purify” a female adventurer under a charm spell.
But unlike those twisted uses of the term, my version was in its true sense—purifying the city.
"The air in this mining city is heavily polluted due to the nature of the industry. This has been confirmed by reports from the city administration."
I began explaining the necessity and purpose of the project using the information and data provided by the various factions.
"As a result, many children, the elderly, and even the Marquis’s son are suffering from respiratory illnesses. We intend to change that."
There was a slight murmur, but I continued, ignoring it.
Once they heard the entire plan, they’d have no choice but to agree.
"To address this, we will develop magic tools to be installed at the entrances of the mines and in the blacksmith workshops. We plan to use Lanar ore for this purpose."
"Lanar ore? Hmm, if it’s that, it should work well…"
The blacksmiths and miners, who were knowledgeable about ores, gave a positive response.
"But that ore is difficult to handle. How do you plan to manage that part?"
"We’ll handle that. You just need to supply the Lanar ore. Haha!"
"So the magic users will do the heavy lifting, and the blacksmiths will get all the glory, huh?"
Next, a question came from the city administration.
"How far do we need to transport the Lanar ore? The costs will vary depending on distance and location."
"I’m thinking of using the empty space in front of the mines. It’s more efficient to work with the ore directly from the mines rather than transporting it elsewhere."
"Hmm, if that’s the case, then we won’t need to allocate much of the budget for extra transport."
The city administration seemed to be on board as well.
As for the Adventurer’s Guild and the Church, there was no need to convince them.
They were here to support me in any way possible. Even the newly arrived mercenaries were here to help.
'Come to think of it, Lanar ore could probably be used to make a vacuum cleaner too.'
If I expanded its dust absorption abilities, we might even create an efficient cleaning tool.
Cleansing the city, preparing for Rastock, and coming up with new magic tool ideas—it’s like hitting three birds with one stone.
'What else can I eat with this?'
In any case, everything was going well, and the meeting ended on a positive note.
Now, all that was left was to create a prototype.
In other words, it was time to really focus.
"Louie, you’re surprisingly good at speaking! Honestly, I’m impressed."
"I’ve always been good at it."
"…Fair enough."
I could tell from Laffiel’s glance what she was thinking.
Something along the lines of, ‘Aren’t all magicians supposed to be shy and reclusive?’
Unfortunately for her, I wasn’t your typical magician.
"Hmm, but it seems like the mercenaries weren’t really needed. Everything went so smoothly, I didn’t even get a chance to help…"
"The mercenaries have another job."
While their assistance wasn’t essential for the purification project, they would be crucial for defending against Rastock.
"I need you to patrol the city and mines."
"Huh? Isn’t that the job of the guards?"
"In the areas where the guards don’t patrol. For example, the underground sewers."
To spread the plague, Rastock would need to release his plague carriers into the city.
Based on past experience, those carriers would likely be small animals or corpses.
"We’re trying to make the city cleaner, but while the attention is focused on the purification, the defenses might weaken. It would be great if you could find and eliminate any diseased rats or other threats."
"Hmm, I’ll pass that along! Hey, you guys!"
Laffiel quickly ran over to share my request with the large mercenaries.
Perhaps it was her being an elf or a member of the Hero’s party, but she commanded their attention effortlessly.
After receiving the Lanar ore samples and returning to the estate, I immediately began working.
"Master Key."
I opened several subspaces and activated the Master Key to assist with the production.
"Sister, what should I do?"
"Calculate the optimal size for the Lanar ore that would maximize its efficiency."
"…Huh? Optimal size for a… cake?"
"I’m kidding. Just practice controlling your mana until I give you a task."
"Okay!"
As I felt the warm heat emanating from Nia’s training behind me, I summoned a pen and began engraving formations into the Master Key.
The Master Key would now analyze the Lanar ore and determine the ideal parameters.
"To account for any dust that might escape from the ore, I’ll design the chimney edges to be sealed tightly…"
I drew out the blueprint in the air with the pen, gradually shaping the magic tool.
Whenever I encountered ambiguous parts, I pulled materials from the subspace to compare and refine the design.
"Wow… So cool… Oh, I’m hungry…"
It felt like I was back in the days before joining the Hero’s party, completely engrossed in magic tool creation.
"Instead of reducing weight through magic, I’ll use lighter materials from the start."
Whir.
At that moment, the Master Key finished its calculations and presented several options.
Using the data, I crafted different shapes from the Lanar ore.
"…Hmm… Zzz…"
"Nia Bella, you should head to your room if you’re that tired."
"Hmm? Laffiel? No, I need to help my sister!"
"You were just sleeping…"
After narrowing down the options, I selected one sample and engraved the necessary formations into the Lanar ore.
The formations were adjusted according to the distribution of the mines and blacksmith workshops across the city.
I made sure they wouldn’t overlap and would cover the maximum area.
"Ugh… Rosen… Stop trying to destroy the city and run away…"
Lastly, I reviewed the entire process and infused the magic tool with mana to activate it.
Whirrrrr.
"…The test results are good."
With that, one magic tool was completed.
Yawn.
"S-Sister?! Did you stay up all night?!"
"Huh…? It’s not even that late."
"What? It’s morning already…!"
I had gotten so engrossed in my work that I hadn’t realized how much time had passed.
"Nia… I have a job for you."
I handed her the finished purification device, about the size of an arm, while rubbing my eyes.
"Take this to the city administration… And it would be great if you could get feedback on the results…"
"I’ll do it, but please go to bed! Aria told me last night to make sure you sleep!"
Nia looked like she was about to cry as she left with the device.
Finally, I deactivated the Master Key, dismissed the pen, and closed all the subspaces.
Phew.
A wave of drowsiness washed over me.
After using my brain for over 12 hours straight, the exhaustion was overwhelming.
As I tried to make my way to the bed, I tripped over my own feet, nearly falling.
Click.
"Louie."
"…Hero…?"
Was I so tired that I was hallucinating the Hero standing before me?
"…Get some rest."
I felt my body lift slightly before being gently laid down on the soft bed.
As I snuggled into the warmth of the blankets, I slowly closed my eyes.
Perhaps it was because I hadn’t seen the Hero all day, but…
Right before I fell asleep, I couldn’t help but smile.
I wasn’t sure why.