Kays Translations

Chapter 29: The Road to Recovery

Four years have passed since the Gremlin disaster.
Two months since the Mushroom Pandemic.

I could feel the economic momentum that had been recovering start to lose steam.

I still receive staff delivery orders from Tokyo Magic University. The newly developed protective amulets have been well-received by the witches’ assembly, and multiple orders came through the Blue Witch after I disclosed the technology. While the production of protective amulets doesn’t require exceptional skill and could be handled by others, my brand—established through the manufacturing and sale of staff—plays a significant role.

In terms of performance, my products are comparable to those made by the university or general workshops. However, I take pride in their design. My design studies weren’t for nothing—my mysterious staff-craftsman brand is known for top-tier performance and aesthetics.

That said, the rewards for these orders have clearly declined compared to before the pandemic.

The monetary system has been in shambles since the Gremlin disaster, and I’ve mostly been paid in goods for my products—seasonings, long-lasting foods, medicines, precious metal ingots for work and hobbies, and occasionally rare items like beef or pork. Once, I even asked for the continuation of a manga series I’d been following before the disasters. The Blue Witch, through the Eyeball Witch, verified the mangaka’s survival, and a limited restart of the series was arranged. (Though, with only 200 copies and four serialized works, it felt more like a collaborative doujinshi. Still, the content met my expectations.)

Sadly, such requests have become harder to fulfill after the pandemic.

For instance, when I requested some medicine to replenish my stockpile, I was politely denied with a response stating, “We’d like to prioritize those who truly need it right now.” It was a perfectly valid point, but the logical punch hit so hard I felt my soul cave in.

Meanwhile, it now takes over two weeks for beef or pork to arrive, the sugar I ordered has no confirmed delivery date, and the manga magazine’s serialized works dropped from four to three. The livestock industry suffered major losses, sugar distribution lost its workforce, and, heartbreakingly, one of the mangaka passed away.

Even payments from Magic University for staff deliveries have been delayed. Alongside a deeply apologetic letter from Professor Ohinata, they sent me promissory notes instead of goods or immediate payment.

The fact that 20% of the population has died really hits hard.

Society hasn’t completely collapsed, but problems are cropping up in every corner of daily life.

As for the protective amulet, the impact I hoped for after disclosing the technology didn’t quite materialize.

The amulet’s magic recovery boost is percentage-based rather than a fixed value. For someone with 10,000 magic power, it adds 500 points of recovery, but for someone with only 1 point of magic, it adds a mere 0.05. To anyone without immense magic reserves, it’s little more than an accessory with a barely noticeable bonus.

In the post-pandemic world, there’s no room for such luxuries. With already diminished production capacity, allocating resources to accessory manufacturing is out of the question. As a result, only witches and wizards show interest in the amulets.

Of course, it’s not as if the amulet is only appreciated by witches and wizards. In fact, at the university, the Gremlin Engineering, Magic Medicine, and Monsterology departments regard it as one of the hottest research topics.

The newly established Magic Medicine department, created after restructuring efforts, opened alongside the resumption of classes in April. Its focus is on integrating scattered research on mushrooms conducted across Tokyo, pooling resources from the diminished workforce, and cultivating new talent. This department became so popular that its acceptance rate surpassed the previously top-ranked Magic Linguistics department. The pandemic left such a profound sense of urgency among Tokyo’s citizens.

In addition to studying the pathology of mushroom diseases, the department also investigates the effects of magic depletion on the human body and prepares for future magic epidemics. Interestingly, the Marble Gremlin amulet, derived from research on the mushroom disease, has proven highly valuable for advancing pathology studies.

The Gremlin Engineering department also continues to rave about the protective amulet. Professor Handa, along with his students, quickly enhanced the amulet. Within a week of receiving the prototype and manual I sent via the Blue Witch and Professor Ohinata, he boosted its magic recovery efficiency from 5% to 6%.

Seriously, how is he that good…?

Granted, creating the amulet from scratch and improving an existing one are two different skill sets, and he has a team of students assisting him, unlike me. Still, achieving a 1% performance increase in just a week is no small feat. As someone who spent ages optimizing its functionality, I can say with confidence—it’s not that easy.

Without me, Professor Handa might’ve become the greatest magic tool craftsman in Japan, maybe even the world. But for now, I’ll reserve judgment—he’s only increased the performance by 1%. Let’s see what he does next.

The high praise for the amulet in the Magic Medicine and Gremlin Engineering departments was expected, but the Monsterology department’s new discovery caught me off guard.

This discovery builds on my own research.

Recrystallized Gremlins, when infused with blood, take on unique colors based on the blood’s composition. Humans exhibit individual differences, as do monsters, but wild animals do not.

At least, that’s what I thought.

The Monster study department, through sheer manpower and a massive sample size, uncovered a pattern I missed due to limited data:

Among wild animals, individuals with latent potential to transform into monsters produce colored Gremlins when their blood is used. Conversely, those without such potential do not.

This discovery is monumental.

It holds the promise of dramatically stabilizing agriculture and livestock industries.

Monsters are animals that undergo magical transformation. Their appearance, behavior, and temperament change during this process.

A cow could transform overnight, destroying its barn and escaping. A once-docile rabbit might suddenly bare its fangs.

The destruction of the large farm in Katsushika Ward was caused by livestock-turned-monsters that escaped, ravaging crops from within.

With this new method to detect latent monster potential in animals, we can now prevent such incidents. Potentially dangerous livestock can be identified and culled preemptively.

This revolutionary discovery will significantly enhance livestock safety and efficiency, heralding a new era for the agricultural industry.

The protective amulet I introduced to the world is clearly proving useful within the Tokyo witch community, which suffered deep wounds during the pandemic. Just listening to the reports makes that much obvious.

But it’s not enough.

The protective amulet alone cannot heal all the scars left by the pandemic.

Of course, Tokyo Magic University isn’t the only one working hard to recover from the pandemic.

The Witch of Tobacco made the difficult decision to shrink her tobacco fields in order to secure arable land for growing food, which is now expected to face another shortage.

In Minato Ward, even without aid from witches and wizards, the central tower of the ward was successfully defended during the unprecedented pandemic and has become a refuge for lost Tokyo residents who lost their protective witches.

General staff workshops have increased their numbers and streamlined processing steps to produce wands more quickly, working tirelessly to ensure their spread and availability.

Furthermore, help for recovery efforts came from outside of Tokyo as well.

From one of the five large survivor communities in Japan with a population of over 100,000, the Tohoku Hunting Guild sent personnel to assist with Tokyo’s recovery.

The Blue Witch is reportedly planning to participate in-person, rather than remotely, in the next witch meeting—a rare occasion. She’ll accompany Professor Ohinata to provide protection as she attends the meeting with members of the Tohoku Hunting Guild.

Professor Ohinata also casually suggested I join, but of course, I refused. There’s no way I’m attending such a terrifying meeting. I’d rather take my chances in a one-on-one fight with a magic bear.

So, I’ll stay cozy in Okutama, waiting to hear the Blue Witch’s stories when she returns.

I did ask her to pitch my staff to the Tohoku Hunting Guild while she’s there. If things go well, my work’s reputation and recognition will grow further, and I’ll have more places to sell to.

I’m looking forward to it.

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