Chapter 9

"Hey, I managed to defeat them, so I collected the magic stones."

"Huh?"

"What?"

When we returned to the village, Kail and Reifan were in the middle of planning the next steps.

"Huh? You defeated them?"

"Didn't you say there were about twenty orcs? Were there fewer?"

"No, there were thirty-three."

"Ha!?!"

Reifan, you're overreacting.

Well, I'm surprised too, but not as much as you.

"I made sure to wipe them all out, so you can rest easy."

"Huh? How did you do it, Craft?"

"Attack magic, of course."

"Huh? But you were useless as a mage—oh! I'm sorry!"

"No, it's the truth."

I couldn't help but chuckle, but I wasn't really upset.

It was just a bit amusing how true it was.

"Since I got the alchemist's emblem, not only has my magic power increased, but I can also use spells I couldn't before."

"Really? That's amazing."

"Seems that way."

"Craft! That's impressive!"

"I can handle self-defense when gathering materials."

I felt a little tempted to become an adventurer again, but I decided to stick with the production guild. I'll work hard.

I want to show that annoying older brother of mine.

"I've gathered all the materials, so I made a dowsing teardrop."

I handed the teardrop, which I made with alchemy on the way back, to Reifan.

"Let's give it a try."

Reifan hung the teardrop from a string and walked around the village. The gem began to sparkle.

To be sure, he walked around more and found a spot where the gem shone the brightest.

"There seems to be an underground stream in this direction from here."

"Understood! Excuse me, anyone who is free, please gather! We're going to dig a well!"

"Wow!!"

At Kail's command, the settlers gathered and quickly dug down, and sure enough, water gushed out.

"Wow! Amazing! I didn't think you'd find the water source on the first try!"

"Yeah, usually you have to dig in several places to find it!"

"Thank you, Craft!"

"Craft wiped out all the orcs too!"

"Amazing!"

"Having Craft around makes the settlement secure!"

"Alright! Let's do it!"

"You're too reliable!"

"I know!"

The villagers who dug the well with sweat on their foreheads deserve the praise.

It's a bit embarrassing to be praised so much.

"Craft, you're amazing!"

"I'm still a beginner as an alchemist."

When I got the mage emblem, I learned the basics from a senior adventurer mage, but my magic didn't improve at all.

Even those seniors didn't think to reassess my aptitude, so it's rare to reassess aptitude.

It's pointless to think about it now. What I should do is use this alchemy power for Kail and the others.

Reifan quickly laid stones and built a proper well.

It's no wonder, given his earth elemental blood, which excels in processing earth and stone.

Thus, the village got a new well, and they no longer had to worry about clean water.

◆

The next morning, I delivered a freshly made stamina potion to the cook and helped out.

The communal meals were expected to continue for a while.

"Ah, good morning, Craft."

"Hey, good morning."

"...Good... morning..."

"Huh?"

I thought I heard a faint voice just now...

"Craft is amazing. Mina rarely gets close to people, but she must like you to greet you."

Kail's twin sister, Mina, didn't respond and quickly hid behind Kail.

"Sorry, she's just shy."

"Ah, yeah."

I wonder if this is what noble ladies are like. I don't know.

"Hey, Craft, good morning."

"Hey, good morning."

Reifan, who was talking to the villagers, came over.

"Alright, Reifan. Tell me the plan for today."

"Sure. The plan has been moved up, and everyone is asking to build Kail's house first."

"Huh? The house I'm assigned to is fine..."

"That's just a temporary shelter to protect from the rain and wind... For safety, it's better to have a proper building."

The two guards nodded in agreement.

"True, it's not a problem to live in, but in an emergency, it's a bit worrying."

"Exactly. Everyone is fine with waiting... They were planning to live in tents for a month anyway."

"Ah, I see."

There's a huge difference between tents and temporary housing.

Some of the settlers are from slums, and for them, this might be a better living situation.

People who join dangerous settlements often have quirks.

They might be forced, ambitious, or chasing their dreams.

"So, I'll focus on that for a while. Craft, you can do whatever you like."

"I don't know what to do, though."

"If it were a blacksmith or carpenter emblem, I'd ask for help. If you have nothing to do, you could stockpile stamina potions?"

"Sure, I have some things I want to try. I'll work freely for a while."

"Alright. Let me know if you have any interesting results."

"Sure."

So, I returned to my room.

The temporary housing, made from pre-processed wood, is much more comfortable than the adventurer guild's housing I lived in recently.

The room is spacious, and there's no leakage.

For alchemy, a cauldron is needed to make potions more efficiently, but since the emblem whispers that it's not necessary yet, I'll use magic power alone for now.

When it comes to alchemists, the first thing that comes to mind is a healing potion.

Adventurers often use a healing potion to treat external injuries.

Not only those with production emblems but also those with holy emblems can make them, but alchemist-made potions are more effective.

They are also more expensive.

So, I'll start with the familiar healing potion...

"..."

For some reason, Mina was gripping my cloak and staring at me.

Behind her, Persia was standing silently.

"Um..."

"Ah, Mina seems to like you. Kail is busy with paperwork, so if it's not a bother, could you keep her here?"

Persia scratched her head, looking troubled.

I hadn't noticed before, but Persia... is quite soft.

I won't say where, but it's something Reifan doesn't have.

"It's fine, but... it's a bit amusing. Is it okay?"

Mina nodded firmly.

If that's the case, it's fine.

First, I mixed a few types of herbs lightly with a pestle, as the emblem instructed.

Next, I took an empty barrel from my spatial storage.

"Hmm. No matter how many times I see it, it's an impressive spatial storage."

"I'm surprised myself."

As far as I know, even those who can use spatial storage often need concentration and time to store and retrieve items. I've never seen anyone use it so casually.

"Sorry, I'm in the way."

"No, no. I welcome conversation with a beautiful person."

"What!?"

Persia's face turned red, and she panicked.

You're so innocent.

If you're a knight, you're probably surrounded by men all the time.

"..."

Mina pulled my cloak strongly, so I looked at her, thinking she had something to say, but she turned away.

I don't understand.

---

Great!

We became the top of the weekly ranking!

I'm so happy!

Thank you for your continued support!

2018/08/02

Changed the Cure Potion to a Healing Potion.