Chapter 6

After harvesting the usable crops left in the field, Mea went to tidy up the field.

By expanding Mea's skill, she can instantly create crops.

This is a great hope for our territory.

In other words, the more fields we create, the more crops we can produce in large quantities.

There is almost no damage from monsters or diseases during the growth process. The ability to produce crops immediately is an overwhelming advantage for farmers whose lives are unstable.

From a territory that was afraid of monster attacks, we have been granted the ability to produce a large amount of crops steadily, even with some monster damage.

This is a significant advancement.

It is painful to call settlers to a harsh and devastated territory, but with this, we can somehow call them in.

In conjunction with this, what we can do is regenerate the territory.

Even though we have this selling point, we cannot call people to a devastated territory, so I have Mea hurry to tidy up the fields.

As for me, I need to verify my skill.

It is unbearable to make only Mea work, but there is no doubt that the skill is our current hope.

I need to grasp the skill as soon as possible.

My skill has an effect on objects, and even on skills.

The next thing I am concerned about is whether it can affect people.

However, it is scary to use it on myself immediately, so I want to try it on a slime, a creature close at hand.

Slimes are a staple monster in games and anime.

That said, they are almost harmless and will not defeat you unless you are an infant. They are one of the less dangerous monsters.

If the shrink skill is activated, the slime will become smaller.

I wonder if my skill can affect monsters...

With my heart pounding, I place my hand over the slime and activate the shrink skill.

"Shrink"

The slime's body trembled and quickly became smaller.

"I didn't think it would affect living things..."

I couldn't help but pick up the shrunken slime.

It was about the size of a hug, but now it fit in the palm of my hand.

However, I felt a slight resistance when the skill took effect.

Perhaps a significant power difference or consent is required to affect living things.

I put the slime back on the ground and try to enlarge it this time.

Despite a slight resistance, the slime grew rapidly.

"Wow, a slime this big is quite impressive."

It was probably about fifty centimeters long, already surpassing the height of my knee.

I confirmed that growing larger is not a problem, so I shrink it back to its original size.

I look around to see if there are any other living things, but since this is a field within the territory, there are none.

Mea is in the nearby field, but it's hard to ask her to let me test my skill on her.

"Should I try it on my own body?"

I try to enlarge myself by imagining my height increasing slightly.

My height slowly increased, and my line of sight rose slightly.

I was about 160 centimeters tall, but now I seem to be around 180 centimeters.

Since my father and brother were about this tall, I felt a bit like a role model.

"Whoa!"

However, my height increased suddenly, and I stumbled over a small step while just walking beside the field.

"When I enlarge myself, the length of my limbs changes, and my senses go haywire."

Even though it's my own body, I feel a sense of discomfort.

I thought about making myself larger for combat or heavy work, but it seems this is not something that can be done easily.

Considering the discomfort when returning to my original size, it seems I need to get used to it over a long period.

Still, it might be useful when I want to see something far away or show off.

I laugh wryly and imagine my original height to deactivate the skill.

I considered secretly increasing my height by a few centimeters but decided against it.

If the enlargement skill works, the shrink skill should also work.

This time, I try to shrink my own body.

My body quickly became smaller, and my line of sight lowered.

The weeds at my feet covered me, and even the pebbles on the ground seemed towering.

"Amazing! It's like I've become a fairy in a fairy tale!"

Everything is on a different scale than what I know. The impression changes so much when you go from looking down to looking up.

Even weeds feel like a deep forest to this small body.

Walking around, even a slight bump in the ground becomes a significant obstacle.

I didn't realize that such small things could become obstacles when I was my original height.

"Lord Noct? Is that you?"

While looking up at the enlarged ridge, Mea's voice echoed.

"Lord Noct? Where did you go?"

Mea's somewhat anxious voice echoed through the field.

I had only shrunk, but from Mea's perspective, it must have seemed like I had suddenly disappeared.

"Mea! I'm here!"

I tried to call out as loudly as I could, but my voice was smaller due to my reduced size.

Mea continued to call my name anxiously without noticing me.

Realizing my voice wouldn't reach her, I tried to shake the nearby weeds, but she didn't notice.

Of course, even if the weeds moved, she wouldn't pay attention if I were my original size.

I was about to return to my original size when a large shadow fell.

I looked up in fear, thinking something might be attacking me.

I saw a well-shaped, long white leg, and the white fabric visible in the well-muscled thigh—wait, it's a woman's underwear!

The only other woman around here is Mea.

"Lord Noct?"

Her voice echoed from above.

I almost shouted in response but then came to my senses.

A lord who shrinks and ends up under a maid's skirt—this is clearly not acceptable.

Considering the situation, I moved around carefully to avoid being stepped on by Mea.

To me, Mea is like a giant.

If I were stepped on, it would be the end.

Dying during a skill experiment by being stepped on would be too pathetic.

"Maybe he went back to the mansion?"

Mea moved away, concluding that I wasn't around.

"Good. I won't be stepped on—!"

Just as I was relieved, another large shadow fell.

I thought Mea had returned, but it was the slime I had been experimenting with earlier.

The slime, seeing me as a smaller creature, tried to engulf me with its body.

Slimes are almost harmless, and humans rarely lose to them.

However, in my current state, smaller than a slime, I am even less capable than an infant.

If I were engulfed by its sticky body, I would suffocate and die without a chance to escape.

"Aaahh!?"

I quickly moved away and enlarged myself.

This way, I finally returned to my original size, and the fear of being suffocated by the slime was gone. I calmed my breathing, which had become ragged from the near-death experience.

"Phew, that was close."

Being nearly killed by a slime as an adult—am I the only one in this world who has experienced this?

I almost lost my life unexpectedly.

Perhaps it was punishment for seeing Mea's underwear with the shrink skill.

"I need to be careful when using the shrink skill; it can lead to serious problems."

If I shrink in a crowded place, I might be stepped on and die, or even be attacked by animals. I could even be picked up by a passing bird and carried away.

The biggest achievement of this verification is that I have a real sense of these dangers.