Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Chapter 47 Part 1: That time when I was stationed to help with the defenses but was actually the one in charge of odd jobs
TL: kizen
ED: Filip
Im being openly harassed.
I was made to clean up the corpses in the moat by myself.
I had to make temporary repairs to the wall that was damaged by the catapult all by myself.
I checked the water channel leading to the moat was clogged up all by myself.
There was no one to change shifts with when I had to stand watch at night.
I couldnt even go to sleep the next day since I had to sort stuff out in the warehouse.
And lets not forget that theyre not even giving me proper meals.
I wrote a detailed account of these things in my diary.
-1st entry-
3 days since we defeated the humans surrounding the fort
I woke up early, ate the same dull breakfast, then was assigned to clean up the moat. After pulling out the sunk corpses out of the moat using my waterball, I extracted the arrows from their bodies, stripped off their armor, place them on a cart, then threw them in the area where we burned the other corpses the other day. I still need them to dry up so after piling them up, I moved on to repairing the damaged rampart.
I kneaded a mudball with just gravel and regular mud. I used that to fill in the holes located at different places of the rampart as temporary measures for the rain and the wind. They forced this task on to me by saying.
Youre just hired help so you do it. We soldiers need to be prepared since we dont know when the enemy will attack after all. And besides, your pay is already decided so shouldnt you work for it?
The person himself brazenly said that in my face so I reluctantly agreed.
What about the prisoners you say? Unfortunately, since theyve already completed their job, they already went back together with Yaoul-san and the others two days after the goods were delivered.
Although the cat-eared old mans wound was just starting to close, he was forcibly taken with them. Even most of the prostitutes went back home. Only those who want to earn a bit more have remained in the front lines. The others took advantage of the carriage carrying the injured to go home so there are only a few of them left.
Thats the reason why the task of disposing of the dead bodies was left to me. Keith has good eyesight so he was sent to the highest part of the fort as a lookout.
Whats with this overwhelming sense of unfairness? Isnt this comparable to the black companies in my previous life? Well, I guess working in one of those companies would be better than going to the front lines.
I looked at the sun by chance while I was immersed in my work and noticed that lunchtime had ended a long time ago but I wasnt called to eat. What the hell? No matter how you put it, this is making me want to start my own one-man rebellion.
It still took them about an hour before I was called. When I got to the mess hall, they looked pretty irritated while giving me a cold soup that doesnt have anything left in it, hard baked bread, and dried meat. Since its already cold, I held the cup of soup in one hand and produced Fire in the other to heat it up before drinking it and eating the rest of my lunch.
It seems like they only give me my share after the soldiers have finished. Are they treating me like this because the unit who brought me is no longer here? I wouldnt be complaining if I at least have some help but since theres none I would like to say at least one. Ill just make sure to write everything down on a memo pad Im using as a journal so I wont forget.
I also had to dispose of the corpses in the afternoon. Starting from the gate, I moved to the left going around removing the bodies from the moat. While I was doing that, I looked up and saw a familiar fox tail. Its the fox-eared prostitute. So she didnt leave While I was thinking that, she smiled and waved at me so I did the same in return. That gave me some of my motivation back.
Once evening came, I was able to finish cleaning up the corpses in the front and the left side of the moat. Its been a while since I felt this worn out from using up my magic. I was exhausted but as I thought, when I was called for dinner, I was still given the same treatment as earlier. To distract me from my exhaustion and annoyance, Ill just drink tea with brown sugar in it.
By the way, since they said there were no vacant rooms left, Im just sleeping under the stairs so that I wont get in the way.
-2nd entry-
4 days since we defeated the humans surrounding the fort
While I was drinking tea last night, I received the announcement Mana Increase: 2. Did it go up because I used up my mana yesterday? How much do I usually use anyway? Im not really sure.
I pretty much did the same work as yesterday. If I had to say what was different, I guess I no longer had to repair the wall since I already finished that yesterday.
The corpses I gathered yesterday had already dried up so I tried asking for oil or something to use as an accelerant but they just told me:
You can use magic so do it with magic. Dont waste oil
Even if its dry outside, theres still a lot of water inside so that would be impossible
We continued arguing about that till the sun had already set half way.
After that, I continued disposing of the dead bodies inside of the waterway until evening. Like I had expected, I was only called after all of the soldiers have eaten and it was still the same cold soup as yesterday. I was also given the same hard baked bread and dried meat.
Since I didnt use up my magic today, I went to talk with Keith. It seems like that guy gets called at the same time as the soldiers and receives warm soup.
Seriously, why am I the only one treated like this?
-3rd entry-
5 days since we defeated the humans surrounding the fort
The humans blocked the water canal at the back of the fort so clean water doesnt flow into the moat. It might smell because of the stuff that collected there but it cant be helped, go and clean it up!
I was some typical sounding stuff like that. It didnt bother me since I was planning to head there the day before anyway. Since I dont trust those guys, Ill just bring all of my luggage with me.
I walked for a while until I saw a river. A large amount of sediment has accumulated there blocking the water supply. I used magic to clear it off and after confirming that theres nothing thats preventing the water from flowing, I decided to head back. Ill just walk slowly though so that the soldiers are already done eating by the time Im back.
Is it because its already autumn? Theres a fruit that looks like a mandarin orange growing near the river so I took some with me to eat. Ill just eat these as a source of vitamins.
I would have squeezed out its juices if I had some empty bottles with me but unfortunately, the only bottles I have already contain distilled liquor and oil so Ill just have to give up on that. If this was like my previous world, I could have just reused the PET bottles lying by the river. I guess Ill also bring the peel with me so that I can dry it and make herb tea.
Im sure Ill get the same cold soup again so Ill just make tea beforehand. When I got back, I found out that I was being accused by the of pilfering the warehouse goods by the bald mouse-looking guy. Its a good thing that I didnt get my turn guarding it so they didnt have anything against me.1
-4th entry-
6 days after we defeated the humans surrounding the fort
Theyre still trying to mark me as a thief.
Theyve been calling me out for everything and keep on pushing random work to me.
Keith also thought it was strange so he tried to talk with the soldiers but that didnt do anything. Although I think it would be nice if I get sent home, Im not willing to do that at any cost.
2
The guys finally stopped trying to mess with me so I was able to go stand watch with Keith.
Iya, you can see pretty far away after all
Yeah, the vision you get here is the best
Shall we do our magic lessons then?
Oi oi, werent you completely overworked up until now? You should just make this a day where you dont use magic
Why are you trying to ask me to take a day off all of a sudden?
Well, I just considered that as training. If you dont do that then you wont be able to master anything
I guess thats true
I just did as he said and sat on top of the tower cross-legged to try and come up with ideas. I thought of things and decided to create some kind of scope. An actual scopes internal structure is complex so I guess I should just go with something a bit simpler.
First, I need to make the objective lens. With magic, I produced Fluorite and shaped in an ellipse. Ah, its starting to look like a magnifying glass. Its also showing everything in reverse. Next would be the erecting lens that makes the image upright. The reticle is added to this part. After that is the ocular lens which makes the image visible to the shooter. What should I do about the reticle I wonder?
Image a red cross of light in the erecting lens with red lines at fixed intervals below the center line execute
Ah, it appeared. It looks exactly the same as the line youd see when looking through a scope or ACOG
I said that out loud without thinking. Well then, I guess I should try looking through it.
Ah, its not coming into focus
Because of that, I tried moving it around to fix it. While Im at it, I also encased the scope in obsidian. Once its showing the image properly, its done.
What are you doing?
Its still a secret
After saying that, I took two thick logs and went outside then drove them in the ground until it was the same height as me and at 400 and 600 meters away from the gate.
Hey, Im back
Ive been looking at you for a while now. What the heck were you doing?
I decided to go all out and share with him my game knowledge.
As a bow user, are you aware of a bird called falcon?
Yeah. Its a famous bird for having good eyesight. Itll be able to see a mouse in the ground even though its usually flying high in the sky
Then this would be easier to explain
After saying that, I handed over the scope I made with magic earlier to him.
Try looking through that
Keith gave me a weird look as he tried peeking through the scope but it immediately changed into a look of disbelief.
Whats this What the heck is this!?
Let me explain. You see this small fine sand grains here?
While saying that, I showed him the sand I gathered on my hand.
Yeah
What happens if you look at this using this crystal made of fluorite?
It looks bigger
What about if you hold it like I did earlier?
Everything is upside down
Its upside down right now but if you add this
After saying that, I made Keith look through it with the erecting lens.
Its upright now
It can even make farther objects look even bigger if you add this plate-like crystal
No way You can see things at a distance clearly
Thats what this is for
After saying that, I handed the scope again to him.
Those floating crystals you showed me are inside of this right?
Thats right
What about this line?
That is what indicates the center of what you are looking at
What about the lines at the bottom?
You saw those logs I propped up right? The first one is 400 paces away so if you align the top of the log with the long horizontal line, the center should be at the 2nd line from the top
Yeah
If you do the same with the other one at 600 paces away, the center should align with the 3rd third line from the top
Thats true
It basically lets you know how far your target is345
it disappeared
I made that with magic so it would disappear once it runs out
Whats with that!
I created twoObsidian Knives and placed it on the ground.
To put it simply, for some reason, things that are produced out of nothing using magic would eventually disappear. It does that even quicker if it receives any impact
After saying that, I took one of the knives and used it to hit the ground. After doing that 4 to 5 times, the knife disappeared into thin air.
It would disappear immediately if it received a strong blow so you can only use this to defend against a sword or axe once. Even if we just leave this lying here in the ground, it would eventually disappear after a while6
No shit! Can you make me one?7
Well, do you have crystals and transparent fluorite as well as a way to polish it while making sure that it doesnt break?
If its someone from the dwarf race then
Its probably impossible right? Even if they can make it, wouldnt it be really expensive? Wouldnt it be better if you just learned magic?
Hmm Ill think about it
Just let me know whenever youve made your decision. You should remember that if you do decide to learn it, youll be able to make these things even when Im not around
After that, I decided to test out the scope.
Keith, dont tell anyone about the magic youll see here. Do you swear on whatever gods name you believe in or to your parents or a respected master?
What the hell are you talking about?
Just say whether youll swear or not
I said that in a serious tone instead of my usual light-hearted one.
I dont know
I see. Well whatever, just keep looking at those logs
I produced a stone bullet while Keith wasnt looking then tried looking at the flags hoisted on the corners of the rampart to check the wind direction. Since it doesnt look like theres wind blowing, I guess Ill just aim my dot sight at the center of the log then.
I hit it. I dont know exactly where but I can see that my shot caused the log break in two. I hit it just a bit below the center point I guess.
What was that?
I used my magic to hit it
Even though I didnt see you cast anything?
Oh but I did. Anyway, next will hitting the next one
The bullet dropped a bit when I aimed at the center of the log at 400 meters away so this time, Ill try aiming near the top. This logs height is quite smaller than the one at 400 meters so I placed my left hand on my right shoulder, and my forearm on my cheek as a makeshift gun stock. After that, I looked through the scope, aimed at the log then took deep breaths.
Suu Haa. Suu Ha
After the last exhale, I held my breath, counted for 10 heartbeats, then launched my Stone bullet.
This time, I was able to hit the center. Good thing I didnt miss.
How are you doing that!? The log broke again!
You can just say that I hit it using magic but at the same time, you could also say that Im not actually hitting it with magic
After saying that, I got up and brushed off the dust on my clothes.
Well, I guess its just like an arrow you cant see. Now lets go eat our lunch. Ill probably get warm soup if Im together with Keith
sure
As we were about to go to receive our meal, the bald mouse approached us said.
Caam, youre still on watch. Go back!
Hearing that, Keith replied to oppose him.
Let me go back then. Caam, you can just go ahead and eat before me
After that, the bald mouse just stormed off with his face reddened.
Haa What should we do with this blatant harassment?
Dont worry about me. Thanks for your concern
Its been a while since I was able to have a filling and warm soup without me having to heat it so I immediately poured it into my stomach. It has been decided that Keith will be the one to change with me.
Caam, you will be on lookout tonight! We dont have anybody to switch with you so youll have to work hard till morning! Make sure you dont miss anything!
The other soldiers were looking at me like theyre looking at a crook.
Keith looked like he wanted to say something but I looked him in the eye while shaking my head to convey to him that he shouldnt bother.
This guy I could poison or assassinate him but I cant since I would immediately get blamed. I guess Ill just do it even though I dont want to.
While thinking that, I went to the highest point of the fort to come up with even more ideas for my new scope magic. I know the theory behind infrared and night-vision scopes but Im not sure what image I have to use. Because of that, those will just have to wait until I manage to come up with an idea.
I wonder why Im suddenly getting assigned to stand watch at night without any relief.
-5th entry-
7 days since we defeated the humans surrounding the fort
I was up all night so Im really sleepy. However, Im not able to sleep because Im stuck with sorting out the items in the storage room. They probably intended for me not to sleep. Im currently at my wits end right now because, at this rate, Im going to be forced to stand watch tonight as well.
Its night time and as expected, I was ordered to stand watch.
Theres no way I wouldnt get mad after all of that so I took some of those plants that cause addition when smoked, shredded them, then I snuck into that guys room in the middle of the night. Once there, I lit up the leaves, blew on it until it smoke came out, then left it under his bed. It wasnt hard to do that since he didnt lock his door and there were no witnesses either.
-6th entry-
8 days after we defeated the humans surrounding the fort.
The other soldiers looked like they were starting to worry about me but they still didnt say anything. They would probably get in trouble if they did.
Im starting to feel like the taste of the dried meat theyre giving me is getting thinner.
As usual, they didnt call me for lunch while I was standing watch, but this time, they didnt even give me bread when I went there myself. Keith was really angry at that but I just didnt think about it.
Before I noticed, it was already evening.
Keith came over to tell me to sleep so I just did as he said. My head is starting to hurt.
By the way, as dawn was starting to creep in, a certain room was once again being filled thick smoke.
Chapter 47 Part 2: That time when I was stationed to help with the defenses but was actually the one in charge of odd jobs
TL: kizen
ED: Filip
Seventh entry
9 days after we defeated the humans who were attacking the fort.
Cravatte-sama came to the fort to lift up the soldiers morale.
In order to avoid me telling on the unreasonable demands he pushed on to me, the bald mouse immediately approached him and in order to converse privately with the lord of the castle, the two of them entered a room. After that, he still continued following Cravatte-sama no matter where he goes.
I wonder if anyone will tell him about my situation?
Well, whatever. Ill just go to the top of the tower.
[ED: Cravattes PoV]
Where is Caam-kun right now?
Caam is currently standing watch at the highest point of the fort
I see. Lets go there
No no, let us have somebody call Caam here It would be dangerous for you to go all the way there and your clothes are going to get dirty as well
I dont mind. Things would get dirty if you use them after all. Its just a matter of what degree
After saying that, I asked a soldier nearby to lead me there but he interrupted.
Let me lead you there then
I then followed bald mouse-looking fellow until we reached the stairs.
Up here?
Yes. However, it would be dangerous so we will just have him come here
I dont mind. I want to see the scenery from up there
It seems like this fellow is up to something
But
Dont make me repeat myself
After saying that, I started climbing the stairs.
[ED: and its back]
Even though my head hurts due to the lack of sleep, I still diligently wrote stuff in my journal while mumbling complaints. As I was absentmindedly looking at the surroundings, I heard someone climbing the stairs. Is that Keith?
Hey, Caam-kun. What a wonderful view you have here
Cravatte-sama!
I stood up and straightened my posture.
Theres no need for titles. Theres nobody else here and they wont hear us down there
Ah, okay. I understand
He still wants me to be less formal as expected but he didnt have that carefree attitude he had when we first met. Is it because hes currently in the battlefield?
I overheard your complaints earlier. Is there somebody harassing you?
Ah, you could tell? That high-handed bald mouse-looking guy keeps on making me do unreasonable tasks
What do you mean?
Ah, it would bothersome if I explain everything by mouth so Ill just give you this
I cant really explain stuff properly in my current condition anyway so I just showed him the stuff Ive been writing these past few days. As he turned the pages to my journal, his expression kept on getting warped.
Is all of these true?
Yes. There are still some that I left out of there. Do you want to hear it?
No, if its disadvantageous to you then its fine
Okay then. Why did you come all the way here? Are you here to raise the soldiers morale?
Hm, I havent heard anything about you in the reports so I just thought it was strange how its written like you werent taking an active part in anything. Want to see it?
Sure
After saying that, he took out some fine quality paper.
From what was written there, they made it seem like the forest attack didnt happen and the goods were just safely delivered. The catapult was also defeated just by the combined effort of the soldiers. They even said that it was prisoners that disobeyed orders and pushed too far who eliminated the humans flanking behind. My mood just kept getting worse as I skimmed through the pages.
Ah, I also heard about what happened from the rumors being spread by the prostitutes who came back. They said that someone used magic to defeat the catapult even though there were no magicians inside of the fort. They also said that the soldiers split up in order to attack the right and left side but due to that, they were late in assisting the heavily bombarded right side. It seemed like the humans were already annihilated when the prisoner unit finally reached that area though. You also helped in saving the injured soldiers. Those were all of the things I heard from the prostitutes who came back you know?
Well, youd get anywhere quicker if you arent marching together with an army after all.
Ive heard this from five different sources but is what I said accurate?
Yes. Thats pretty much it
I see. I understand. For now, you should come with me. Ill be going down first. Ah, by the way, I heard that even with all the soldiers in this fort gathered, it would take them 3 days to clear the corpses in the moat. However, it seems like Caam-kun was able to do that while repairing the walls at the same time within just two days
After saying that, he didnt wait for my reply and just descended the stairs.
Welcome back. How was the view?
Aa, it was the best. You have an extensive view of the surroundings up there and youd immediately find out whenever an enemy is approaching
Caam, youre still on duty. Go back
Seeing me come down, the bald mouse said that in a different tone than usual. It feels like hes making me out as the bad guy.
I asked him to come with me. You should come too, Gebiss-kun
With that said, we entered a place that looks like a council room. Cravatte-sama sat at the head of the table meanwhile, I and Gebiss sat opposite of each other. After that, he called out to one of the soldiers guarding the door and said.
Ah, you over there. Tell Keith-kun and the fox-eared prostitute to come here. Bring with you five soldiers and one combat medic who doesnt seem to busy as well
Understood!
After saying that, the soldier immediately left.
Seeing that, the bald mouse started to get a bit anxious. A while later, the five soldiers, a combat medic, the fox-eared woman from that time, and Keith entered the conference room one by one.
It seems like all members are here. I have something I want to ask all of you. It concerns how Caam-kun over here has been treated recently. It seems to me like he has been experiencing terrible, terrible injustice but what does everyone think about that?
I agree. They make sure that hes the last one to eat and is purposely given soup thats pretty much just water. Theres also the fact that its already cold when he receives it. There was even one time where he was made to skip his meals. He also had to clean up the moat and repair the walls all by himself
Keith, thank you. I guess Ill give you a bit of sake tonight.
Umu. I also want to hear the other soldiers opinions
After Cravatte-sama said that, everyone just looked at each others faced unable to speak.
Then, the soldier who was looking at me with concern during that one mealtime finally said something.
It wasnt a mistake, even I saw it myself!
Hey
Hearing that, the others around him said that in a low voice. I guess that confirms that theyre being forbidden to speak.
Well then, what about the combat medics? It seems like Caam-kun was able to assist you with various things, however, none of that is written in this report. Based on a rumor from a reliable source, didnt you get your supply of hot water to use in curing the wounds of the injured soldiers from him? It seems like that hot water also benefited the members of the prisoner unit who wanted to wash their bodies
After saying that, he took out the report and placed it on the table.
Yes, that is correct. It was I who asked Caam-san to give us some hot water after all. We were given an order to only treat the prisoners last so I saw him cure a prisoner with his own potion. He might have been someone he knew but we didnt think that prisoner would make it.
Ah, so he was that guy. I was mad at that time so I didnt really see his face clearly.
Hou
After uttering that, he dipped his quill pen in ink then started writing something.
Well then, how about the fox-eared Ojou-san? According to the rumors, we were only able to prevent the humans surprise attack due to Caam-kun discovering it. Is it also true that he prevented our troops from being attacked inside the forest because he defeated the humans hiding there?
Yes. I saw him entering the forest covered in grass while we were inside our carriage. He came to our tent to buy our services that night so I remember him clearly. I listened to all of his complaints at that time
Ah, you dont need to elaborate more than that
No, please continue
I have been ruthlessly sentenced.
At first he just told me that he hasnt experienced killing anything aside from monsters and animals but then it started looking like he was experiencing that illness new soldiers get. After that, he started caressing my tail a lot while calling it cleansing his soul
Aaaaaaaaaah!
Together with that scream, the light in my eyes vanished as I looked up to the ceiling.
I can hear everybody talking about me in a low voice.
Dont worry about it Its possible for everyone to contract that disease. And besides, this woman works by selling her body nobody can question what you want to do after youve handed the money. If its to heal your soul then paying money to caress her tail is fine. Now what else Ah, thats right. What about the matter with the catapult
Yes. I saw it myself. While we were frantically dealing with the humans climbing the walls, the ground underneath the catapult suddenly caved-in
I even heard the other soldiers saying that there are no magicians capable of that inside the fort
The other soldiers who realized that they can no longer be forced to keep quiet started talking one by one.
I was right beside Caam at that time so the catapult, it was definitely Caams magic that destroyed the catapult
Really? The report said that it was defeated due to everyones cooperation though
Now that the report was mentioned, the bald mouse started looking pale. For some reason, hes starting to look like hes aged all of a sudden.
This must be a mistake!
I can hear you clearly so you dont have to shout. Keith, Ill leave it to you
Pardon me
As your punishment, youll have to stand and wait in front of the door. Understand?
Hearing Cravatte-samas words, I looked at the bald mouse but he was hanging his head so I couldnt see the look on his face. I dont know if Keith is up to something but he happily escorted him out the door.
Now then, the final matter will be about the attack behind the fort. The report says that while an intense melee was happening in front, the flanking humans were dealt with prisoners who disobeyed orders. Is that true?
Thats inaccurate. We werent expecting the reinforcements to attack our post so we were surprised. Thats when a huge ball of water suddenly appeared in the sky and launched itself towards the humans. Moreover, that water was boiling hot and it traveled towards the enemy at such a great speed that we ourselves were already thinking about jumping into the moat. That huge waterball caused a lot of steam to form so we werent able to see what happened next but once it cleared, there were no humans left and the prisoner unit arrived. After that, Caam-dono, whose entire body was the same color as the ground, and Keith-dono came out from behind a bush
Ah, so this guy was part of the forces defending the back side.
Caam-kun, frankly speaking, why were you over on that side?
We didnt receive a command from the army before the reinforcements began their assault so we just moved as a commando unit. The right path led to a melee in front so we just took the left path. The humans over there were distracted by our cavalry unit so we just used magic and arrows to deal with them
Did you not get seen?
Like what that soldier said earlier, I was using magic while we were hiding behind a bush. Because of my attacks though, the panicked human soldiers started running our direction but I just left those guys to Keith
I have more or less understood the situation. Now, the reason why I came to this fort in such short notice is because of the rumors I heard about Caam-kun and Keith-kun who, even though they were not soldiers, I expressly requested them to come here. Based on the rumors, the two of them played a very active part however, there was no indication of that in the report that I received. Isnt that strange, Gebiss-kun?123
No, you see. Ah, this must be someones plot against me! Someone must have switched the report while it was en route!
