Chapter 10

I stood in the doorway of the other world, feeling a bit unusual to become a workaholic...

Rustle, rustle.

The gentle touch on my cheeks, no, on my entire face, brought Yuto's consciousness rapidly to the surface.

"Ah, Akane...?"

His muddled mind, the memories returning.

Unconsciously, he had called out the name of the girl he had once been closest to. However, he was not fully awake yet. In a half-awake state, he tried to sort out the situation.

(Yesterday, I went shopping with Yona in the port town, and then I used the "Instant Teleport" spell to return to Falv...)

After that, he lay down on the sofa in his office...

In other words, this dream-like reality was still continuing.

Squish, squish.

"Ouch."

The gentle touch had turned into something harsh, as if kneading dough. Unable to bear it, Yuto finally opened his eyes.

"Alcia-san..."

The first thing he saw was a pair of ample breasts filling his field of vision. Realizing they were a woman's chest, his head suddenly flushed with blood.

However, he regained his composure when he saw Alcia, who was pouting slightly and looking displeased.

She said nothing.

Because of her crimson eye patch, it was difficult to read her expression.

She just silently continued to touch Yuto's face, rustling and squishing it.

"Um, what are you doing?"

He didn't really want to know, but ignoring it was too scary. Very scary.

So, Yuto asked in polite language.

"Well? Since we're here, I thought I'd memorize Yuto-kun's face properly."

By birth—though Yuto didn't know this—Alcia's eyes did not reflect light. The magical device, the crimson eye patch, compensated for this.

The simulated vision provided by the crimson eye patch was similar to but different from normal vision. It did not hinder her actions, but it was difficult to discern fine details or shapes. Yuto imagined it was something like an echo.

"Can you remember things by touching them?"

"Of course. While I'm at it, would you like me to tidy you up a bit?"

"Stop it, it hurts!"

Yuto, like any teenage boy, thought he was handsome only when looking in the mirror at home.

"So, Yuto-kun,"

"What is it, Alcia-san?"

"Who is Akane?"

"Who, who could that be?"

A tense atmosphere formed in the morning at Falv Castle.

"Who could that be?"

Instead of his cheek, his ear was pinched.

"A friend from back then."

Yuto caved in easily. This wasn't a defeat. It was a rational decision to avoid worse consequences in the future.

"A friend?"

"Or, maybe a close friend?"

He realized that giving in meant she would push further. A simple fact he had overlooked.

While Yuto was wracked with despair, Alcia did not let up.

"Do you think of your friend when your face is being touched?"

Her smile was terrifying.

He couldn't say it.

For some reason, he couldn't tell her that he had been visited by his childhood friend, who had come into his room and caressed his hair and face in the same way, more than half the week.

He absolutely couldn't say it.

"Anyway, you didn't come here just to touch my face, right?"

"Right. Let's get to the main topic."

Surprisingly, Alcia readily agreed to the abrupt change of subject. Perhaps she intended to bring it up in front of Valtrode or Yona.

"Today, I managed to avoid a fatal injury again..."

Yuto got up from the sofa, wobbling, and looked around the room.

When he lived on Earth, he had shared an apartment with his family, but this office alone was larger than a 3LDK house.

However, the furniture and decor were minimal. Apart from a large desk by the window, there was only a sofa where Alcia had just been sitting and a clothes stand in the barren room.

The only decoration was a silver-framed full-length mirror pushed against the wall.

However, this was a high-level magical device, the Mirror of Farfrom, obtained from a fire dragon's nest.

If one could read the thoughts of the person reflected in this mirror, with the right knowledge, one could project any scene as if using the "Clairvoyance" spell, and even create a portal to teleport to the place reflected in the mirror.

He intended to use this for the dwarves' transportation.

This room would truly become an office a bit later.

"So, I'm not spoiling Yona, okay? Love is not a crime."

Yuto suddenly looked up with a bright expression, puffing out his chest.

"I'll hear about that later. By the way, I came because I finished the village inspection you asked for."

"Ah... That's it, right? I knew it from the start."

Alcia cast a suspicious glance from under her eye patch but abandoned further questioning.

"So, how was it?"

"To put it bluntly, it's premature."

"Hmm. I see, I see..."

Yuto looked at the ceiling and slumped his shoulders. However, he wasn't as disappointed as his demeanor suggested.

"I agreed with Yuto-kun's idea, too."

Alcia's disappointment was more evident than Yuto's. This difference likely stemmed from Yuto, who had grown up in a city on Earth, and Alcia, who had lived in a village.

"Maybe I rushed it a bit."

Yuto's plan. The core of it was to reform the tax system based on wheat. In essence, instead of growing wheat—since the staple food could be bought from elsewhere—grow something suitable for the land.

For example, the Istarus Barony, which Valtrode had received. While it was not fertile and had low rainfall due to the western mountains, it was also suitable for sheep grazing.

Minimize field cultivation, raise sheep, and harvest wool to process into yarn or clothing.

It would require learning new skills and time to get on track, but it would be far more efficient.

Additionally, they could introduce silkworms for sericulture, or if they insisted on traditional agriculture, they could reform fertilizers and farming methods.

However.

"Until now, tax collectors from the Rothschild Kingdom have only come to collect taxes. Measures against goblins and monsters have been left to self-defense or personal expense. Moreover, the existence of the 'Void Ledger' has put a heavy burden on the residents, lowering their motivation. In every village."

"In other words, they don't have the luxury to try new things."

"Exactly. Especially since they're not on the brink of starvation."

In that case, there was only one thing for Yuto and the Istarus Barony to do.

Ensure the safety of the residents.

"First, we need to explain it. Can you come with me as I visit the villages?"

"Well, I think it would be better to gather everyone for the initial explanation."

"But I need to visit the village at least once..."

"Because everyone will be curious about what you told the other villages, right?"

"Alright, then."

Yuto readily agreed.

Alcia was more of an expert in negotiation and persuasion.

"Valt is conducting interviews in the capital, Sejour. Let's wait for the results of that."

While Valtrode was not suited for practical work, he had a keen eye for people. Not in assessing their abilities, but in discerning their character.

Being able to exclude untrustworthy individuals was a significant advantage.

"Right. Until then, why don't you take a break?"

"I don't have time for breaks. We need to finish the land preparation in Falv before the dwarves arrive, and we also need to prepare the stone materials."

It would take years if done by human labor. An average magician might not even be able to cast the necessary spells.

Yuto, however, declared he could do it effortlessly.

Alcia couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at his confidence.

"I once served in a temple for a short time."

"Wow. It's rare to hear about Alcia-san's past."

"Work always seemed to fall on capable people."

"Wow, that sounds so interesting."

"And then, I died."

"Overwork death exists in this world too..."

Yuto was a bit shocked, having thought it was a unique custom in Japan.

"So, take a break. Even for the sake of someone you like, there are limits."

"Valt isn't like that."

"I didn't specify Valtrode, you know?"

"No, no, no. My hard work is for the development of the Istarus Barony, which will benefit Valtrode, right?"

"In other words, for Valt, right?"

"Ouch."

The young great magician, trapped in a vicious cycle, took a hit as the priestess serving the magic god stood up smoothly.

Then, Alcia bent down and whispered softly in Yuto's ear.

"Take a break today."

Her breath on his earlobe, the vision of Alcia's beautiful face filling his field of view, and her lips, like ripe fruit, moving away.

Alcia then left Yuto's office.

Yuto, blushing, could only watch her go.

In the end, Yuto didn't take a break.

Recently, he had indeed been working too much, but after a solid eight hours of sleep and refreshment, he found himself at a loss.

By mid-morning, he had taken off using the "Flight" spell.

"Well, I'm just using a spell."

From about 300 meters up, Yuto looked down at the Falv area.

Below was the Falv fortress, granted to Valtrode by the god Helion.

To the north, the Lady River flowed from the western mountains to the Golden Sheep Sea, where it met the Hardenturm.

The riverbank, without any levees, had long been abandoned, and the land had become barren and muddy in parts.

A considerable amount of construction would be needed to make it habitable.

Hundreds of workers would need to work for years to level the land.

Or, a world-renowned great magician could use his full power—

"King of the Earth."

As he cast the spell, Yuto took a deep-colored spinel from his uniform pocket.

It was as valuable as the gem Bruno Exedero had tried to bribe him with.

Without hesitation, Yuto crushed the gem.

The shattered gem did not scatter in the wind but floated around Yuto, forming five clumps.

But that was not the end.

"King of the Earth" granted the privilege to perform various earth manipulation spells for a short time. "Stone Wall," "Petrify," "Mudify," "Underground Movement," and so on.

"Earthquake."

Yuto chose this. What he needed was "Earthquake."

As he chanted, one of the spinels shattered. He did this four more times, casting "Earthquake" five times in total.

The spinels disappeared, and the casting was complete.

But the effects had not yet manifested.

On the winter wind, a rumbling sound came from below. The vibration was transmitted through the air.

The earth around the fortress was moving.

The effect covered an area of about 1 to 2 square kilometers. The earth liquefied and moved into the shape Yuto desired.

Was it a divine miracle or a demonic prank?

Levees were built around the Lady River, and the river itself was even diverted to serve as a defensive wall for the town.

The barren land was leveled and divided according to Vainamainen's plans, with rainwater ditches and sewers installed.

This was just a prototype.

It would be just a container without actual construction and adjustments by human hands.

Still, the transformation of the land was nothing short of spectacular.

"Phew... Next."

And it was not over yet.

Yuto adjusted the "Flight" spell and descended to about 100 meters.

In front of him were several hills surrounding the newly prepared Falv. They were obstacles to transportation.

"King of the Earth."

Again, he crushed the spinel to gain the privilege of earth manipulation.

This time, he cast the spell on one of the hills.

"Mudify."

As the incantation was carried away by the wind, the targeted hill melted into mud. Literally, the hard earth turned to mud.

A scene that seemed like a joke.

He didn't use "Mudify" just because it was easier to clean up the mud than to collapse the hill.

" Petrify."

He then used another piece of the spinel to turn the mud hill into a rock mountain.

This would provide building materials and clear the way for transportation, a two-for-one deal.

"Only fitting for a rock mountain."

It was too late to regret it. He blushed at the sheer silliness of it. He was glad no one was around to see.

To dispel his embarrassment, he turned the remaining hills into rock mountains one by one.

"Alright, I'll leave the quarrying to Valt."

Satisfied with the results, Yuto nodded.

If anyone had seen this scene, they might have prayed to their god. Yuto's expression, after causing such a natural disaster, was as bright as a high school student on a Saturday afternoon.

"Is that it for today's work? I didn't even work for an hour. But I can write spell scrolls and prepare the dwarves' employment contracts. Yeah, I'm pretty relaxed, actually."

The practical part is scheduled to end in the next chapter.

The number of views and favorites is gradually increasing, which is encouraging.

Thank you for your continued support.