Chapter 81: Animal Lover and Magic Instruction

After the general reports and discussions about future cooperation, the tension in the reception room had eased. While sipping on freshly brewed tea prepared by the maid, the three of them shifted into casual conversation.

“By the way, Isamu, is the small creature sleeping at your feet the rumored familiar? I heard that it bravely fought alongside you in the defense of the capital. I imagined it would be a larger familiar…”

Since it had been at Isamu’s feet since the beginning of the meeting, he had planned to take it outside if it was pointed out, but since no one had mentioned it, he left it as it was.

“Yes, this is Orihime. She’s small but very brave, always helping me out.”

“Nya~”

Seemingly realizing the conversation had turned to her, Orihime let out a small meow and stretched.

“Hmm, is that so…”

Count Mullane stares at Orihime as she wakes up and begins grooming her. Although his gaze was sharp as ever, the corners of his eyes drooped slightly.

“…Favorite food?”

“Huh?”

Isamu involuntarily let out a silly voice at the abrupt question from the count.

“No, what I mean is, what is Orihime’s favorite food?”

Malin, on the other hand, answered with a face that seemed completely natural.

“Oh, um, I think she likes chicken meat. She prefers the lean parts boiled as they are.”

“I see… Klaus.”

Upon hearing this, Count Malin, with a face that seemed perfectly normal, addressed his head butler.

“This morning, the head chef mentioned having obtained some high-quality Ruffian Pigeon. Prepare that and bring it immediately. Oh, and don’t use any seasoning or herbs.”

“Understood.”

“Eh?”

Isamu felt like he heard something about boiling it immediately, but maybe it was his imagination. Moreover, the instructions were oddly specific. He couldn’t help but be impressed by the head butler Klaus’s quick and accurate response.

“Hey, Isamu. Do you think Orihime is hungry now?”

“Well… She usually eats two meals a day, morning and evening, so it’s been a while since breakfast. I believe she’s somewhat hungry…”

“I see. In that case, a small portion should do…”

“Um, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Do you like animals, Count Malin? Have you ever kept any yourself?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, the instructions you gave for boiling the Ruffian Pigeon were very specific, and you seemed concerned about the amount of food… If you haven’t taken care of animals yourself, I don’t think you would pay attention to such details.”

“I see… You may have a point. I suppose I have a bit more interest in animals than the average person.”

It was probably a lie. More than a bit, it seemed. His restless behavior since earlier was proof. Becoming more and more entertained, Isamu decided to make his move.

“Oh, by the way, I brought a sample of a certain item today. It’s a masterpiece from Mimilia-san, a priestess from here…”

Saying this, Isamu took out a kitten-sized divine object from his bag.

“What the…!?”

Count Malin, seeing the divine object (face wash version) placed on the table, compared it repeatedly with the real Orihime still grooming herself.

“In Klaufendam, Orihime has become a hero who saved the town. To commemorate that, there’s a proposal to enshrine her at the church… This divine object is meant for distribution.”

“This is the divine object…? I see, so the priestess you mentioned earlier was originally a seamstress! …Selfers, we’ll need to mass-produce these divine objects from now on.”

“Sure thing. We’re currently recruiting people in the territory for preparations.”

“Probably, the demand for divine objects will soon outstrip production. Allow us to handle the manufacturing. There are many skilled seamstresses here, and we can make them faster, cheaper, and of higher quality than over there.”

“Understood. I’ll contact you later about this matter. Let my wife take care of it.”

“Very well. In that case, we’ll leave this matter to my wife as well.”

As expected, Malin was more interested than anticipated, and the conversation extended to adding production lines. However, it would likely be put into operation soon.

Knock, knock, knock.

As they were discussing, someone knocked on the door of the reception room.

“The Ruffian Pigeon is here.”

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Butler Klaus returned with a wagon.

“Nya~”

Orihime, who had been grooming herself, let out a short meow in response.

“Hmm, quite a nice piece of meat. … The temperature seems fine as well.”

I picked up a boiled ruffian pigeon that was on the wagon, examined its condition by pressing and tearing it.

“Let’s see… Now, Orihime, want to give it a try?”

Saying that, he got off the sofa, knelt down, and lowered the piece of torn ruffian pigeon, making it easy to eat, closer to the floor.

For a noble, kneeling in public is usually reserved for bowing to the royal family, and personally feeding animals is almost unheard of. However, Malin, with a delighted expression, seemed to be quite fond of animals.

Without much caution, Orihime approached. She lightly sniffed the piece, let out a small meow, and then began to eat.

Seeing that, Malin’s face blossomed with joy.

“Hehe, seems like she enjoys it.”

Nodding in satisfaction after Orihime finished eating in no time, Malin returned to the sofa.

“Nyaa~”

As if expressing gratitude, Orihime rubbed her face against Malin’s feet.

“Hmm. Isamu, feel free to visit anytime. Even if you have no specific reason. But please, be sure to bring Orihime with you.”

“…Understood.”

Smiling as he looked at Orihime clinging to his feet, Isamu could only give a wry smile at Malin’s words, sounding like a newly minted grandfather with his first grandchild.

Afterward, as promised, Isamu and the others came to the nearest grazing land to lecture on magic useful for defense.

“That’s an impressive defensive wall.”

“Well, it won’t completely defend against everything…”

The defensive wall surrounding the grazing land was made of wood and stood about three meters tall. Due to the extensive area, not all of it was a wall; relatively safe areas had wooden fences of similar height.

When damage occurred, it was often because the wall was broken, allowing intruders to enter.

“Now, let’s start with magic that can help enhance defense.”

Saying this, Isamu walked to the edge of the wall, lightly touched the ground with his right hand, and chanted a spell.

“Sky-piercing chaotic stakes, born from the earth itself. Heavenly Earth Stake: Grand Spike!”

As Isamu chanted the spell, sharp, pointed stone stakes with a bottom diameter of about five centimeters and a length of 40 centimeters emerged over an area of about 50 centimeters in width and three meters in depth.

It was the Heavenly Earth Stake: Grand Spike magic that Isamu had used in the previous Mage Ogre battle.

“This is…! To think the Heavenly Earth Stake: Grand Spike could do something like this…”

Surprised voices rose from the knights of the Bisseling territory, who were receiving the lecture.

While Isamu had support, he couldn’t teach old magic to everyone indiscriminately. Therefore, he selected the knight commander, vice-commander, and three others skilled in magic for the lecture.

“You may have some familiarity, but you should be able to do it soon. The key is to imagine the thickness, length, sharpness, and range of the stakes as concretely as possible. Be cautious because the consumption of magic power is significant. If the stakes are too thick or too long, your magic power will be quickly depleted. Since it takes time to set up over a wide area, I suggest expanding gradually, starting from the areas with the most damage.”

“May I try it, Matsumoto-dono?”

The Knight Commander asks Isamu.

“Yes, of course. Start by narrowing down the range and getting a feel for the size of the stakes.”

“Oh!”

“Hmm, perhaps this was too thin…”

“G-Gugh, my magical power was quickly depleted…”

For about 30 minutes, each person tried their hand at it.

“Well, it’s a matter of getting used to it, so do your best.”

Though they couldn’t control it completely yet, they had reached a point where they could make some adjustments before moving on to the next magic.

“The remaining two do not have lethal power, but they can be used to drive away or communicate between members on guard duty.”

Saying this, Isamu chanted the two spells.

“Layered winds, become explosive sound upon release. Fake Burst!”

Boom!

The sound of an explosion echoed throughout the surrounding area.

As the name implied, Fake Burst was a magic that produced explosive sounds. Depending on the adjustment, the position and volume of the sound could be controlled to some extent.

“Gathered particles of light, dance, spin, and become a guiding light tearing through the dark night. Flash Bomb!”

With the chant, light spheres the size of ping pong balls flew upward from Isamu’s hands. After ascending for a while, they burst, illuminating an area about five meters in diameter with strong light.

As its name suggested, Flash Bomb was a magic that could adjust brightness depending on the magic power invested.

“These two, as I mentioned earlier, only produce sound or brighten the surroundings, with no lethal capabilities. However, since the consumption of magic power is quite low, even those who cannot use attacking magic due to insufficient magic power may be able to use them. Also, with just sound or light, you can startle and repel monsters. If you use it when you notice monsters approaching, you can immediately inform everyone of their whereabouts, enabling a quicker response to the scene and reducing damage.”

Although both seemed somewhat meaningless at first glance, these magic spells were useful for diversion and drawing enemies out.

Until now, they had been considered magic with little meaning, producing only small sounds or brightening the immediate surroundings. However, by reproducing the correct form of the magic, Isamu had turned them into useful spells.

Having lectured on these three magic spells, Isamu set out on the return journey to Klaufendam the next day.

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