"Oh? Does it need to be done with multiple barriers? What about a barrier that can't be destroyed unless the caster runs out of mana?" I could not do this, or I would be outing myself to be someone with infinity mana, but this did not mean I could not ask the question. I was generally interested in what Sei would say to such a question.
"It's not that it can not be done but who in their right mind would put themselves at risk?" Sei countered with her own question. I could only give a dry laugh. I mean, I couldn't run out of mana, but that did not mean others couldn't.
"Okay, anyway, how does this inscription work anyway?" I decided to change the subject.
"Basically, to inscribe anything, you need the mana capacity for it as it will take up a lot of mana to write out the entire runic equation, unlike casting a spell where you use your mana to create a magic circle that needs to be activated in a short time. Runic inscription only needs you to infuse mana into the runes. Of course, these runes will need to be recharged every so often, but that is nothing major and only takes a few minutes. It is the inscription that takes a while. So watch closely because the process is very delicate." I watched as Sei's finger lit up with a ball of mana. Not magic but actual pure mana. It was not my first time seeing such a thing, but what I saw next really caught my attention.
She placed her finger onto the stone and pressed it into it, causing her finger to sink into the stone as if it was a hot knife cutting butter. She then began to proceed to write out the runic inscription that tied this stone to my barrier, making it the core of the barrier. Now all someone had to do was inject their mana into the stone to register themselves as a person living here, and they could then pass through the barrier unimpeded like how I could at the inn. Just seeing how it all worked reminded me that I still have a long way to go on my journey of magic.
While Sei was actually going quite quickly with the inscription, I could see the beads of sweat forming on her forehead. While it looked simple, the task of inscribing runes into anything was delicate and needed precise mana control. It took her almost an hour to complete the entire inscription, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief: "Done. All that is left is for you to pour in enough mana to allow the barrier and the inscription to stay functional. It will also register you as the main owner of the core."
I nodded and placed my hand on the inscription. I slowly began to inject my mana into the stone, and as I did, the runes grew brighter and brighter as my mana infused into them until Sei's mana was completely overwritten, and only my mana remained. I caught the bitter smile on Sei's lips as I continued to pour my mana into the runes. About ten minutes had passed before I finally removed my hand and created a five layer barrier around the stone. "There…."
"You really do amaze me. You just injected enough mana to last a few years…." Sei's words made me purse my lips. My understanding of what is too much is something I am not too good at figuring out. What is normal for me is freakish in the eyes of others. But at least now, I do not need to deal with the core for a while. Now it was just registering everyone.
I called a meeting of all of the residents on this plot of land to finally figure out who was working and who was not. I stood up on the makeshift stage and looked out over everyone here. "As I said before, I will not be providing any help to those who do not wish to work for it. One must understand that in order to survive, one must work. But I promise that by working, you will be able to live better lives and that you will be making a fair wage and get the benefits that any other person would get. You are not slaves but people who are just trying to live your lives.
"The barrier to protect this area is now up. Those who will be staying to work for me are welcome to register themselves and their families to be able to pass through the barrier freely. No one will be able to endanger your lives anymore. Your safety will be secure while within the bounds of the barrier. This means you can sleep at ease at night from now on." I looked out over the crowd that was looking back at me with eyes full of hope and smiled. This was the first step, the first step in reclaiming the slums and making them a better place for those who wish to live good lives.
It took almost the entire day to finish registering all those who were staying. From young to old, as long as they could move, their mana freely was registered. Younger kids who were not old enough would be registered on the day they were old enough. After a while, I will have someone become the leader of this group, and they will be able to register new people as they see fit. Of course, I would deal with those who abused their power as well. Hopefully, it will never come down to that.
With everything set, I walked home with Sophie and Sei in tow. It was going to be nice sleeping in the same bed. Tomorrow I would have to hand out jobs for everyone, but for tonight I just wanted everyone to rest. The more important things would begin tomorrow.
But now my house has a new resident. Sei was going to be living with me as my personal bodyguard. Not that I need one but to have a black knight with me in case anything happens actually puts my mind at ease. There were going to be a lot of things happening soon due to me taking over the east side slums and the increased knight presence patrolling the streets. Each aspect of the changes to come will affect many nobles, which means they will either…
A: Target me.
B: Target someone around me.
C: Or go after the Prince.
While I would preferably like for them to target the prince since it would make things easier but if they target anyone I hold dear, I might end up losing it and will end up flipping the entire capital upside down until I find the one responsible. There is just no way around it. Whatever punishment I am to get, I will deal with after the fact.
As we entered the house, Annie and the other girls were already preparing dinner. The scent of the meal they were making filled the air making my stomach grumble. "Annie, Rina, Brooke, I'm home!"
"Young Miss! You are okay!" Annie called out in a worried voice as she rushed into the room along with the other two girls. I was not able to tell them I was staying outside. So I am sure they were worried.
Scratching my head, I have an apologetic look as I said: "Sorry for worrying you. The King showed up yesterday, and we ended up staying up late, and since I still had things to do at the plot of land, we ended up staying the night."
"I am just glad you are okay, Young Miss. The food is almost ready, so please wait a little while." Annie was always on the move. After she finished speaking, she bowed to me and ran off. Although Brooke seemed more worried about Sophie because she was still checking her out to make sure there was nothing wrong with her. Sophie and Brooke really did get along well. I was glad to see it. Even now, Sophie was flustered as to what to do with the little girl, but she still let Brooke hop around her as she did her inspection.
"I guess with you here, I will become invisible." Sei said while fake sobbing.
"They are just worried because Sophie and I did not come home yesterday."
"I know, but I am amazed. Besides Annie, the other girls were having trouble being around others, but they seemed to have warmed up to you real quick. I mean, Rina is still inspecting your tail and wings for the tiniest of scratches." As Sei said, Sophie was not the only one getting a full body check. I was too. Rina had been hopping around me this entire time looking for the smallest scratch. I did find it amusing though. I will have to be sure to reward the girls later and take them all out to eat.
