Chapter 2

After hunting the prey, I returned to the castle and disassembled it with the sand blades of sand magic. Before being exiled from the country, I used to practice sand magic while hunting in the forest.

I carried a pot of sand from the sandbox and tried various things. Disassembly was something I learned in the process.

Now, I need to portion out the long-tailed prey that looks like a rabbit and the one that looks like a lion. I can't eat them raw, so I need to cook them.

However, I can't make a fire with sand magic. What should I do? The outside is quite hot from the sun's heat. I can use this. By shaping the sand into a board and exposing it to the sun's heat, the temperature will rise.

Then, if I place the meat on top, it will start to sizzle. It looks quite delicious.

I tried it right away. The meat of the rabbit-like beast is soft, but it lacks flavor. There are no seasonings, after all.

The lion-like beast, on the other hand, has tougher meat, but when I bite into it, the juices spread in my mouth, and it's delicious!

Maybe they are magical beasts? Magical beasts are said to have abundant magic power in their bodies, which changes the quality of their meat, making them tastier than ordinary beasts.

But I still want some seasonings. At least some salt. I hope I can find some somewhere.

I had leftover meat. I can't eat all of it by myself, so I decided to preserve the remaining meat by burying it in the sand and using magic to remove the air, which will make it last longer.

Now, I'll take another look at the castle and the oasis. Hmm, it's not a bad place to live, but something is missing.

That's right, greenery. There's a definite lack of greenery. It's a desert, so it can't be helped, but since an oasis has formed, the conditions for plants to grow should have been created.

If left alone, seeds and pollen might eventually fly in and plants might grow, but if possible, I want to do it artificially.

So, I used sand perception. I found some plants nearby. There weren't many, but I moved them with a wave of sand. Plants grow faster when water is nearby.

While doing this, I found a plant I had heard of before. It's a cactus. Although it's covered in thorns, it can be eaten and used to make soap. I definitely want to bring this.

So, I tried to approach the cactus, but—

"Roar!"

Something flew at me. It moved fast!

"Sand Wall!"

"Growl!?"

I quickly formed a wall of sand to protect myself from the attack. The beast was repelled by the wall.

The fur resembled the sand of the desert—this is a leopard! There are a lot of fierce beasts around here, like lions and leopards. Did this one have this area as its territory?

The leopard opened its mouth and roared. My legs almost gave out. Its teeth are sharp, and its claws look sharp too. It might not be just an ordinary leopard.

The leopard was moving in a circle, keeping an eye on me. It's fast. I need to stay alert; if I let my guard down, I might be hunted.

Then, the leopard opened its mouth and spat something out. A sweet smell—my head started to spin. This is dangerous!

"Roar!"

"Sand Pillar!"

"Yelp!"

I quickly cast a spell. A pillar of sand rose from the ground, carrying me up. The leopard, with its momentum, hit its head on the pillar.

"Roar!"

It growled up at me from below. It seems angry. Still, that fur might be useful. Alright! If so, I'll try not to hurt it—

"Great Sand Wave!"

I cast the spell from the top of the pillar. A huge wave of sand swallowed the leopard, burying it and rendering it immobile.

Phew, I managed to take it down. I returned the pillar to sand and used the wave to move the cactus and the leopard's body to the oasis.

This will make the oasis a bit more vibrant—

"Uki!"

"Ukiki!"

Then, I saw large apes gathering around the castle and the oasis, causing chaos. They were hitting the castle walls and destroying the plants I had moved to the oasis.

"Hey! Sand Spear!"

I attacked with a spear of sand. However, the apes were quick. They dodged and fled. Hmm, I can't let my guard down.

What should I do? If I leave, those apes and beasts might target the place again.

"Alright, then this! Sand Golem!"

I created a golem from sand using sand magic. Some mages create golems from earth, but I did it with sand. I could only make small golems in the castle's sandbox, but here, with plenty of sand, I managed to create a full-sized golem.

"Can you guard the castle and the oasis?"

The sand golem nodded. Good, this should take care of the security. I'll make about eight of them.

Then, I planted the cactus and disassembled the leopard. I preserved the meat with sand and processed and dried the skin.

Hmm, it's starting to feel more like a home.

I'll gradually improve the environment at this pace.

Three days have passed since I started my activities in the desert. The leopard's fur is useful as a robe to protect against the sun's heat. Magic is good, but having something like this helps conserve magic power.

The greenery is gradually increasing. Grass grows quickly.

"Ukiki!"

"Ukya!"

The large apes that approached the oasis fled. The golems chased them away. It was a good idea to set them up. They try to cause trouble when I'm not looking.

Now, what should I do today? Maybe I'll work on the sand castle again. Since then, I've been playing with the inside of the castle, making rooms and a bed.

There are still things I need. The windows are open, so the air circulates, but I really need some glass.

I'll use sand perception to search the surroundings for something useful.

Hmm? What's this? There's a life reaction a little distance away. It's not just an animal.

This reaction is human! But the reaction is quite weak. And there are beasts around!

I hurried to the scene. The speed of the wave is fast! When I arrived, I saw a camel. It's the first time I've seen one, but it really has humps.

But in the books, camels have one or two humps, while this one has three. Maybe there are different types.

At its feet, a person in a robe was lying down. They must have collapsed. They are quite weakened.

"Chirp!"

"Chirp!"

And gathered around were goblins!

Goblins are monsters that exist in the empire. They have small horns and are small and cunning.

However, their skin is usually green, but these are sand-colored. They look like goblins, but are they different?

Hmm, I don't know, but I have to help them!

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