Chapter 12

"Master passed away contentedly. I shouldn't grieve any longer."

After Master disappeared into the sky, I made this resolution.

And I decided not to build a tomb for Master.

He had said in advance, "I don't need a tomb. It's enough if someone remembers me from time to time," so I decided to follow his will.

However, there was one issue.

It was about the magic bag and its contents that Master left me as a keepsake.

Master was an orphan and had no relatives.

So, there should be no problem with me receiving it.

Even if there were, these items were supposed to rot deep in the Demon Forest.

Even if there were any legitimate heirs, it would be questionable whether they would risk their lives to retrieve them.

Master was an excellent magician and, before becoming the retainer of the Breichrader Margrave, he was also an outstanding adventurer.

So, his inheritance might be substantial, but it would be pointless to die in the Demon Forest to retrieve it.

Even if I paid adventurers to do it, it would be questionable whether anyone would take the job due to the location.

For ordinary people, giving up would be the most sensible choice.

In fact, the current Breichrader Margrave hasn't even searched for the remains, let alone dealt with the aftermath of the failed military expedition.

"For now, I should check the contents. I hope there are some good magical tools."

I touched the small magic crystal attached to the magic bag and sent a tiny amount of magic power.

By doing this, a list of the items inside the magic bag would appear in my mind.

I didn't know how it worked, but it was an incredibly convenient function.

The first item that appeared was a letter from Master to me.

I immediately took it out of the bag and opened the seal. It contained a neatly written list of the items inside the magic bag.

"This way, I don't have to struggle with the massive list of items that appear in my mind."

The letter read:

"First, I want to keep the final farewell simple, so I wrote this letter in advance.

Second, the fact that you can take this letter out of the bag proves that you are now the official owner of this bag.

'I have already expanded your magic capacity through resonance, and your magic power has increased significantly through our brief training. Never neglect your training until you reach your limit. Now, about the contents of my inheritance...'

First, there were the robes, accessories, staff, a sword with a magical blade, a bow that shoots magical arrows, and even several orichalcum and mithril knives.

Indeed, Master was an excellent adventurer.

All these items were enchanted and would be very expensive to buy.

Next were the magical tools he used, which included both specialized items for magicians and general-purpose items that were highly valued in the market.

"A magical tool that can cool food and create ice... Most of the general-purpose items were picked up from ruins during his adventuring days."

Adventurers invade the territories of monsters to hunt them for materials and meat, gather plants and minerals that only exist within those territories, and search for the ruins and dungeons of the ancient magical civilization to obtain their treasures.

However, very few adventurers can achieve this.

The ancient magical civilization, which flourished about ten thousand years ago, was skilled in the manufacture of magical tools. The tools found in their ruins are highly valued, but the risks are also significant.

The fear of monsters is evident from the fact that Master, who had successfully explored ruins many times, did not survive.

"However, in fact, invading the territory of monsters is more successful with a small, elite team. That's the nature of the adventurer's profession. I explained this to the Breichrader Margrave, but..."

The letter seemed to be written as if Master were talking to me, and I couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Such a large army invaded to exterminate the monsters in the Demon Forest for the purpose of developing new land. It was bound to attract attention. For the first few days, they successfully exterminated many monsters, but during their celebration, they were surrounded by dozens of times more monsters. It's amazing that a few people managed to escape."

Most of those few survivors were no longer fit for military service.

I remember seeing the survivors from our Bauheimer Knightly Domain's army, who were exempt from military service and always seemed to be trembling in fear while helping with farming and land development.

They must have suffered severe trauma.

"To get back to the point, I tried to stop the expedition as much as possible. However, if I completely opposed it, the Breichrader Margrave wouldn't have been convinced. Therefore, I suggested that even if the new land couldn't be freed from the monsters, rewards should be given for the hunting results to maintain the morale of the soldiers."

Two thousand soldiers would hunt, and the results, such as materials and meat from the monsters and items collected in the Demon Forest, would be bought and rewarded.

If the soldiers' pockets gradually warmed up, the mood might shift to withdrawing the troops, and the Breichrader Margrave would be able to cover the costs of the expedition and gain a good reputation for the large number of monsters exterminated and the materials obtained.

With this in mind, Master also joined the expedition.

The result was that the Breichrader Margrave became even more arrogant, declaring that he wouldn't withdraw until all the monsters in the Demon Forest were exterminated, and then he saw hell.

"Also, with me, the logistics would be less burdensome."

Indeed, Master used the magic bag to reduce the logistics burden and increase the front-line combat strength by one person.

For an army of two thousand, logistics is a significant burden.

Even though the neighboring territory was involved, the Demon Forest required crossing a mountain higher than Mount Fuji and marching about three hundred kilometers south.

Moreover, the population of our Bauheimer Knightly Domain was only about eight hundred.

It was impossible to supply the food needed for an army of two thousand.

Furthermore, the Bauheimer Knightly Domain's army was fighting to liberate the Demon Forest, not against an enemy army, so local procurement from the source was out of the question.

Transporting enough food and supplies for two thousand soldiers to operate for several months over a mountain higher than Mount Fuji with a logistics team was a daunting task.

Master lamented in the letter that it would have been better if the impracticality of the plan had been realized at this point.

Or, did my father not think about it at all?

To regain some power after the war, he sent a hundred soldiers led by a vassal who was my great-uncle, which only made the situation worse.

"I think you understand, but this magic bag contains all the food and supplies that the Breichrader Margrave's army and the Bauheimer Knightly Domain's army were supposed to use."

However, the magic bag of a great magician can hold an incredible amount of supplies.

It's impressive that the Breichrader Margrave prepared so much, but it's even more impressive that Master could store it all in the magic bag.

"Would someone with more magic power than me say that?"

The next line perfectly anticipated my thoughts and provided a timely rebuttal.

"However, enough food for two thousand people for about three months..."

Most of it was hard, long-lasting bread, unsweetened cookies, salted meat, and barrels of sauerkraut. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that the nature of the magic bag was not fully understood.

The inside of the magic bag is a world under the influence of magic, outside the normal laws of physics, where time does not pass.

That's why, in the capital at the center of the continent, fresh seafood is often served on the tables of relatively wealthy citizens.

This was knowledge from books, but I wanted to grow up quickly and leave this inconvenient rural area.

There were also spare weapons and armor, mostly made of iron and bronze.

Similarly, there were spare tents and other items typical of a medieval army. There were also large amounts of water in leather bags, likely to ensure a supply of drinking water, and wines from the Breichrader Margrave's domain and brandies, which could be used for medical purposes, to boost the morale of the soldiers.

Adults seem to enjoy alcohol in any world.

In my previous life, I wasn't particularly strong, but I never missed my nightly drink.

Now, in this new life, I can't get it, so I've given up.

"Then, there are the large amounts of materials and meat from the monsters and the spoils of war from the Demon Forest..."

It seemed that the spoils of war were abundant, likely due to the generous rewards offered. However, while I understood what they were, I couldn't use most of them in my current state.

Since they wouldn't deteriorate as long as they were in the magic bag, I decided to leave them as they were for now.

"And finally, a large amount of gemstones, jewelry, gold coins, and silver coins..."

These were either Master's wealth or items the Breichrader Margrave prepared to show off as a major noble or to reward the soldiers.

The amount of money in the bag was so large that it made me dizzy.

"Still, I can't use it now."

There were no shops in this village where I could casually buy things, and I couldn't reveal the existence of the bag.

Even if I were a neglected eighth son, if it were known that I possessed such wealth, it could be dangerous for my life.

"So, I'll seal the contents until I grow up."

I wanted to try on Master's robes and equipment, which were enchanted with powerful magic, but I was still a six-year-old child.

I had to wait for my body to grow.

"Phew... I'll go home..."

I put Master's equipment back into the magic bag, picked up today's catch, and headed home.