Chapter 81

After a moment, Gordon had completely rounded off.

"Ah, Abel is having trouble transporting the Baum birds! Please, please let me handle it! I can help! Of course, I won’t ask for a share or anything! If you want, we can gather a few more people..."

His attitude was a complete contrast to when they first met.

I wanted Gordon and Mordon to go somewhere quickly, but if they could help transport the Baum birds, it would be a great help.

From the looks of it, it seemed unlikely that the Gordon brothers would turn against us.

If they could be trusted to do their job properly, I might even be able to entrust the handover of the magical beasts to Gaston and the collection of the reward money.

"...Well, if that’s the case, I might let you help."

Meara clung to my side, gripping my sleeve.

When she heard my response to Gordon, she peered up at me with a worried look.

She was probably still bothered by being called useless.

Although the words were directed at me, they had clearly affected her as well.

"If you’re this strong, you should be fine on your own in this forest... With that magic, you could easily bring down a Baum bird..."

Mordon immediately asked about something I didn’t want to delve into.

I could feel Meara’s body trembling through my shoulder.

"No, I have a bit of a physical issue, so I need someone to accompany me..."

"You’re an idiot, asking such a tactless question. Can’t you see the distance between them? They’re lovers. I knew it the moment I saw them."

Gordon interrupted my response, lightly tapping Mordon on the head.

What is this incontinent guy saying?

"No, it’s not like that..."

"No, no, I’m sorry, Abel. This guy is really dense..."

"That’s why..."

Just as I was about to argue, I noticed that Meara’s trembling had stopped.

"M-Meara... lovers... with Abel... hehe, hehehe..."

Meara’s face was flushed red, and her mouth was slack.

...For now, I’ll leave it at that.

It would be better to address what the Gordon brothers said to Meara when there are no extra third parties around.

"Still, four people might be a bit tough. Abel, why don’t you send your brother to Romane to gather more people?"

The more people there are, the easier it is for rumors to spread.

I want to avoid that.

I don’t want to go through the hassle of hunting a ‘Head-Eating Demon’ again.

Living in a cozy Maren village with family, I find it particularly stressful to be on the receiving end of hostile gazes from a large group.

I’d rather leave it to Gaston, who seems to have a hairy heart.

I counted the Baum birds again, thinking of ways to limit the number of people.

Four people should be fine in terms of weight, but the volume is too large to carry by hand.

By hand...? No, if I use bio-magic to give Gordon eight hands, it might work.

It would give him a somewhat harsh appearance, but if I perform surgery before entering the city and remove it afterward, it shouldn’t be a problem.

If a third party saw it, it might be considered a violation of regulations, or even grounds for execution as a demon.

"What’s wrong, Abel? Your eyes look scary... Is there something on my shoulder?"

There’s nothing there now.

I was just thinking about putting something there.

Well, I don’t necessarily need to increase the number of hands. I just need to increase the volume each person can carry.

It should work out somehow.

"Wait a moment, I’ll make a handcart."

I used a wood-carving knife to shave the surface of a tree and carved a design on it.

I want to create an Othum cart to transport the Baum birds.

I’m thinking of a large wooden box with four wheels.

However, unlike near the Maren village, the trees here don’t conduct magic very well.

It would be difficult to use magic to move them.

It’s not impossible, but it would be too costly and time-consuming. I don’t have enough materials on hand.

So, this time, it will be used as a handcart.

There are nearly twenty Baum birds.

I’ve designed the Othum cart to carry up to seven birds without any trouble, so I want to make three of them.

The Baum birds are about the size of a chicken. Seven birds would weigh around twenty kilograms.

This should be manageable for one person to carry. I can’t do it, though.

I instructed Gordon to cut down trees with an axe, and I used the wood-carving knife to shape them.

Once the wooden parts were mostly gathered, the next step was to make the screws and wheels.

I placed my hand on the ground and chanted a spell.

"Turpun"

I held my staff in the opposite hand and placed it on the back of my hand on the ground.

The soil contains many types of elements.

Iron and aluminum are among the most prominent.

It takes some time and delicate control, but I can extract the necessary components, combine them with spirits, and create Taut-Magi Metal.

Unlike Hidim-Magi Metal, which is created using components from the air, Taut-Magi Metal has stronger bonds due to its original components, making it more durable.

It can maintain its current form for at least a week.

While it can’t be mass-produced like Hidim-Magi Metal and has fewer magical properties, it is still highly useful.

I changed locations several times to refine Taut-Magi Metal from the soil, creating nails and wheels.

I also prepared two small Taut-Magi Metal hammers.

With this, the materials were ready.

"Can you help me assemble them?"

I handed the hammers to the Gordon brothers.

They silently accepted the hammers, tapping them and knocking on the wood to test their performance.

I hope they’re not worried; I didn’t make them so easily breakable.

With enough force, they could even destroy the floating fortress of Zesum, the pride of Eberheid. It would be a tedious task, but it’s possible.

"Yeah, the design is on that tree over there."

I added illustrations and speech bubbles to make it as easy to understand as possible.

"...You really can do anything, can’t you?"

"I was challenging this guy..."

Gordon rubbed his swollen cheek and muttered.