Chapter 14 -
On our second day at the abandoned mines exploration一一
Teto and I entered the mines after waking up and having our breakfast at the inn and used the «Transfer Gate» that I secretly installed inside to temporarily return to the «Empty Wilderness».
«Welcome home, Master.»
"We're back, Baretta. I have quite a lot of monster corpses so can you help us take out their mana stones? Also, burn the corpses and scatter their ashes in the forest while you're at it."
«Yes, Master. I’ll have all the service dolls cooperate to finish the task right away.»
Baretta bowed respectfully.
I moved to the wasteland region where the tree planting hasn’t started yet and emptied my bag carrying over 200 insect monster corpses there.
Teto and I were already used to it and Baretta was also looking at the mountain of corpses with calm eyes but some of the service dolls who came here to help out had their faces twitching for some reason.
"There are a total of 214 corpses. Well, they're only E and F-rank monsters but the reproductive capability of these insect-type monsters is really something. Then, please handle them for me. I’ll stop by again before the day ends."
«Alright. Please leave this to us.»
I saw the despair-filled expressions of the other service dolls just as I was about to go back through the «Transfer Gate».
"Oh, right…," Teto and I stopped as we remembered something and the expressions of service dolls brightened as if they had seen their angels.
"There are a lot of monsters living in the mines so please help us with this matter for now."
The hope disappeared from the service dolls’ eyes as if they had once again been pushed into the abyss of despair when I said that.
“Sorry!” I mentally apologized to them. I wanted fertilizer that could be made from monster corpses. Maybe I should also ask for help from the dwarven town's residents in dismantling the monster corpses.
This will also give their poor town some relief due to the mine closure and reduce service dolls’ work at the same time.
We teleported to the point where we stopped our exploration yesterday while formulating plans for later as we aimed for the core region of the mines.
And a week later一一
The number of monsters we had defeated one by one 一 as we avoided using any flashy magic which could lead to the cave-ins 一 had surpassed a thousand.
"Their numbers are troubling."
"And they're gradually getting a bit stronger as we advance to the core region."
I put my hand on my chin and tried to think of an efficient way to clean them up en masse.
"What are your plans now, Majou-sama?"
"Hmm, lots of insects with such tenacious vitality call for...... Insecticide."
But sprinkling insecticide capable of killing these insects that are all over the mines would also cause the death of vital insects in the fertile ground or soil in the surrounding area.
Another drawback is that such a potent medical item may also hurt the people here. I shook my head to brush that idea out of my head.
"Hmm, what to do now..."
"Majou-sama, Majou-sama...... Let's just make our way straight in."
"You're right. Their numbers are gradually dwindling, let's just defeat them one by one."
In the beginning, the number of insect-type monsters we encountered was increasing explosively and there were several varieties of them as well but their population in the inner region of mine was fixed despite their explosive reproductive abilities. I didn't think it was because they were preying/cannibalizing among themselves though.
Their numbers were gradually decreasing as Teto and I mowed them down.
It took us one month but Teto and I managed to crush all the insect monsters in the upper region of the mines and we also put up monster-repelling wards in all the key places to stop the monsters from invading those areas anymore.
"Alright, to the middle stratum then."
"I really don’t like this place."
I used «Earth Sonar» to check the number of monsters after setting up the repelling ward and there were around 5000 of them left.
Teto, who has been eating the mana stones of the insect monsters we gathered here left and right for this whole month, stepped into the middle stratum alongside me.
"The quality of air here is completely different compared to the upper region."
"It's not the air, but more like the mana density as there’s more mana here."
After finally reaching the middle stratum, we didn’t only feel the stagnant airflow here but also the seething mushy mana ー miasma ー from the core region.
"Well, well一一 «Purification»!"
"Amazing, the mana returned to its normal state."
Purifying magic is really so convenient. It's quite effective against mana disasters and evil mana lifeforms.
And一一
"I just hope the worst-case scenario hasn't happened in the core region of mine."
"What do you mean by the worst-case scenario?"
"The Gu pot-like scenario."
I then proceed to explain in detail as Teto cocked her head, apparently not understanding the scenario.
The Gu poison, otherwise known as the pot of venomous insects, is an evil art that has existed for a long time.
It was magic where one person would seal several venomous insects in a pot, letting them eat each other, and then use the last one standing, which is assumed as the most venomous, on a target to curse and kill them.
"The insect monsters, after being exposed to and stimulated by the mana of the earth veins, have been breeding here for so long. What I'm worried about is the accumulation of the said curse due to their cannibalism, evolution, or mutation, and the death of monsters in large numbers......"
In the worst-case scenario, the place might either give birth to a gargantuan monster that could take down a kingdom by itself, or the core region was bubbling with so much miasma that it would turn the region into a hellish place for people to enter.
"Well, it's the request that the goddess directly asked of me through an oracle. Teto, can you still keep up?"
"I can do it, Majou-sama. It's just that there are lots of monsters, and Majou-sama has more on your plate."
My mana consumption was intense due to keeping the surroundings bright through the illuminating spell «Light», purifying the miasma with «Purification», and combining the «Barrier» and «Air Control» magic to secure fresh air for us all while using the several types of magic like «Wind Cutter» during combat.
"6 hours is the limit of our exploration at this pace."
My mana had never stopped increasing as I continued to eat the «Mysterious Nut» and, as of now, it is just a bit higher than 300,000 but my proficiency in magic control was the one improving rather than my firepower.
And that was why I was able to use five types of magic simultaneously.
However, maintaining so many magic spells for a long time also takes a considerable toll on my mana reserves. That being said, it's only ‘considerable’.
Having said that,
"We have been working too hard recently. Let's return in the afternoon after making some progress!"
"Hmm, you're right. Also, let's check on Baretta since we have time."
There were already C-rank insect monsters appearing from time to time.
But, we of course crushed them as easily as the others since they were still just insects. We also purified the stagnant mana to stop it from spreading and installed a barrier magic tool where we decided to call it a day.
Then we returned to the safety point near the mine's entrance and took the «Transfer Gate» from there to go back to our home in the «Empty Wilderness».
«Welcome home, Master, Teto-sama.»
"We're back, Baretta."
"We're back, nanodesu!"
I couldn't help but wonder if Baretta was always on standby here to welcome us without a moment's delay but it seemed like she was just working on various things in the kitchen.
She just took out some ripe vegetables, made something to eat, and stored the excess.
«Did you already have lunch, Master? I can prepare some if you haven't yet.»
"No, I have not. Then let's have your cooking."
"Baretta's cooking, yay!"
Teto and I waited for service doll Baretta's cooking.
Our materials for cooking were usually procured from various sources like our fresh vegetables that were grown in the kitchen garden, some items purchased from the town, edible parts of the dismantled monsters we took down, and seasonings made through «Creation Magic» and stored in the storehouse, which had cooling and time stop functions. Baretta has been getting her ingredients from there.
«Master, today's lunch is a plate meal so you can enjoy the taste of many dishes.»
After saying that, she served chicken rice in a tiny mountain-like shape, spaghetti, 2 pieces of deep-fried chicken, and a mini hamburger.
On the side were soup, salad, and pudding.
"Isn't this...... A kid's meal?"
"Looks delicious-nanodesu! Thank you for the food-nanodesu!"
I grabbed my spoon though my face was twitching a bit in contrast to Teto who swiftly began to dig into her food.
...Never...... Never in my dreams did I ever think I would be eating a kid's lunch after reincarnating into another world, even after passing the age of 40...
Though every single item could be eaten normally and they were, in fact, delicious too when I took a bite.
"Your cooking is delicious, Baretta."
«It's my honor to receive your praise. Master is petite and a light eater that's why I came up with this method so that you can have a taste of all sorts of cooking at once.»
"It's really delicious! I want to eat your cooking again!"
Teto cheerfully quipped her request however for me, eating a kid's lunch at my age was as if, as if...... yeah, as if I lost something.
"If you ask me, it’ll just increase Baretta’s workload to make a little bit of everything, and this amount won’t be enough for Teto to have her fill, anyway."
"Hmm, now that Majou-sama said it, it does feel like it's not enough."
«I thank the Master for being concerned about me. However, I did forget to take this point into account. I’ll cook in large quantities keeping this in mind next time.»
“I did it,” I mentally made a fist pump after somehow averting the next meal from becoming another kid's meal.
Though her cooking was really delicious and eating it in small bites felt really extravagant, it wasn’t bad to eat like this once in a while.
Although my adult mentality was rejecting this child-like treatment, the food did tickle a bit of nostalgia in me, maybe because I had a meal that felt similar to what I ate on earth.
After lunch, Baretta and I talked about our recent activities while sipping on some post-meal tea served by Baretta.
Baretta couldn't freely do any activity anywhere except on the premises of this house but it seemed like she was having fun just by managing the house and kitchen garden or by reading the books I gathered from various places.
There was also the dismantling of the monster corpses that I had been recently asking her for help in.
«These are really magnificent books, Majou-sama.»
The books Baretta was reading with shining eyes were things I created with «Creation Magic».
They were recipe books about many dishes, books on how to properly take care of plants being raised in the kitchen or house garden, and a book about meticulous techniques for household work all translated into this world's language.
«I want to grow this vegetable in spring. And this too, I also want to raise this flower, Master. Is it possible to prepare them?»
"Leave it to me. I'm happy that Baretta is having fun, actually."
With a wry smile, I created the seeds of photographed flowers and vegetables from the page Baretta showed to me with «Creation Magic».
Besides that, the service dolls under Baretta's command regularly checked the magic tools for any malfunction and managed the house following her instructions.
Though there seemed to be a service doll who was somewhat of a clutz and, to be honest, I'm a tad looking forward to seeing that service doll giving birth to a soul.
«Thank you very much for everything, Master. Also, there's something I want to discuss with the Master.»
"What is it?"
«The development of this wilderness is progressing steadily as of now but the number of insects inhabiting it has been increasing. I am thinking it's about time to move on to the second stage.»
‘So we finally reached the stage where their numbers were multiplying huh?’ I nodded joyfully while looking back at the development route so far.
"Alright. I’ll do something about it."
"Majou-sama, is it bad if the number of insects increases?"
Teto asked while tilting her head so I explained it to her.
"Organisms in the lower part of food have begun to increase in number so it's about time to introduce those insect eaters to the environment of the «Empty Wilderness»."
The number of small insects or microbes that were mixed in the mulch and the soil ripening has increased and the «Empty Wilderness» at present was their paradise without their natural predators.
Thus it was a discussion about introducing the ants and earthworms who fed upon fallen leaves from plants or corpses of living beings: the decomposers.
Herbivorous insects that fed and grew on the plant leaves: the consumers.
And then while they were growing in numbers, I was thinking of releasing carnivorous insects that feed on those herbivorous insects or omnivorous animals that feed on them and the plants.
"I see. Have you already thought of an idea, Majou-sama?"
"From a future perspective, we can have birds who’ll come to eat those insects in the forest, make their nest there, and lay eggs. Then we’ll also hunt them for bird meat."
«The current plan is to release chickens that were brought in as livestock for emergency cases but they alone can’t create much diversity in the ecosystem.»
"That's very important indeed! Having variety in food is of paramount importance!"
I couldn't help but smile wryly at Teto who only understood the gist when it was connected to food, though we could only use a part out of that environmental food chain in this case.
"I do have some information given to me by Liliel which she gave to me in the past for the development of the «Empty Wilderness» so I’ll look for animals that won’t pose any danger to the wilderness for now."
«Yes, please. Master.»
Then we talked about the situation of the abandoned mine and the dwarven family in whose inn we were staying and then went back through the «Transfer Gate» before evening.
