Chapter 10
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Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Your Name Is…
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Where the invisible blades had passed, a swathe of severed wheat stalks lay scattered on the ground.
I picked up one of the stalks at my feet.
A clean cut, as if sliced with a sharp blade.
Yet, the wheat grains inside the husk were completely undamaged.
I never thought I’d use this spell like this.
Gale Force was a spell I had developed for long-range sniping on the battlefield.
While its power was relatively weak compared to other spells of the same tier, as I had focused solely on the cutting power of the blades, its extended range made it ideal for eliminating distant enemies.
“Woooow!”
“Amazing!”
“Incredible!”
The villagers, who had been watching me cast the spell, erupted in cheers.
It felt a bit like receiving a standing ovation, but I didn’t mind.
“Now, if you would all please gather the fallen stalks and pile them up.”
I stepped aside, and the villagers eagerly rushed into the field to collect the wheat stalks.
Vanessa, looking at the wheat field, most of which had been harvested with a single spell, approached me with a stunned expression.
“You’re a much more powerful mage than I thought.”
“I didn’t earn the title of Archmage by cracking jokes.”
The title of "Mage" was only bestowed upon those who had reached the fourth tier or higher. A sixth-tier mage was considered among the best in their chosen element.
Thanks to the large number of villagers who had gathered to watch the magic show, the task of collecting the fallen stalks didn’t take long.
They piled the gathered stalks into a massive heap that resembled a small mountain.
Once they were finished, Violet, who had taken the lead in organizing the villagers in the village elder’s stead, wiped the sweat from her brow and asked,
“So, Mage, what should we do now?”
“You can all rest now. I’ll take care of the rest.”
I urged the villagers to move away.
Realizing I was about to cast another spell, they happily returned to their previous viewing spot.
I extended my arms forward.
Manipulating objects with mana was my specialty.
The wind in the atmosphere slowly began to swirl around the pile of wheat stalks.
A transparent sphere formed, completely separating the interior from the exterior. Now, it was time to create turbulence within the sphere.
What began as a gentle breeze intensified as winds from different directions collided, creating a powerful gust.
The gusts merged into a vortex, and the vortex grew into a small storm.
The mountain of stalks within the sphere spun violently, as if inside a washing machine.
The centrifugal force separated the wheat grains from the husks.
I maintained the storm within the sphere for a while, until the wheat was completely separated. Then, I brought over a large burlap sack.
As I cut off the mana supply, the sphere of wind dissipated, and the empty husks fell to the ground. I collected the clean wheat grains and poured them into the sack.
The villagers, who had been watching in stunned silence, erupted in applause as they witnessed the entire process, from harvesting to threshing, completed with magic.
Well, that was easy.
As I puffed out my chest with a sense of accomplishment, Vanessa, who had been watching the entire spectacle, muttered in disbelief,
“Maybe I should have learned magic.”
***
I repeated the same process for the remaining fields.
“Gale Force! Gale Force! Gale Force!”
Instead of painstakingly cutting the stalks with sickles, I used my powerful magic to harvest large swaths of land at a time.
Let’s separate the chaff from the wheat!
The wheat stalks gathered by the villagers were then processed through my improvised “washing machine” spell, which threshed and polished the grains.
Thanks to our combined efforts and efficient teamwork, we managed to harvest the entire 25 acres in less than three hours.
While I could have pushed to finish the entire 100 acres today, both I and the villagers were starting to feel fatigued, so we decided to call it a day.
The burlap sacks filled with wheat grains were loaded onto the carts brought from the village.
The Bicorns proved useful here, as their superior strength and stamina allowed them to pull heavy loads with ease.
The Bicorns, with their impressive appearance, were particularly popular with the younger generation. However, due to their peculiar preferences, they shied away from children and maidens, yet allowed themselves to be petted by the village women without protest.
As I watched this from a distance, Roto, the beastkin child I had met at the village entrance, approached me and asked,
“Mage, what’s that horse’s name?”
“Name?”
I glanced at the Bicorn.
A Bicorn was a Bicorn. I didn’t have the habit of giving nicknames to my mounts.
But I couldn’t crush a child’s innocent curiosity, so I patted Roto’s head and said the first thing that came to mind.
“He loves used goods, so you can call him Craigslist.”
“Wow! Craigslist!”
***
After the first day of harvesting, Camilla and I returned to the village elder’s house.
We would be staying here until the harvest was complete.
Vanessa, the Demon Lord’s Captain of the Guard, couldn’t be away from the castle for long and returned to the Demon Lord’s castle.
This left Camilla and me alone in the village, but having already spent a night here, I no longer felt awkward staying in someone else’s home.
“Where’s the village elder?”
“Father has finished his meal and retired to his room.”
While the meal was simpler than yesterday’s, it was still a satisfying home-cooked dinner.
Violet was an excellent cook.
Having traveled extensively with the Hero, I could confidently say that her cooking was among the top ten home-cooked meals I had ever tasted.
Impressed by the delicious vegetable stew, I offered her a sincere compliment.
“Your husband is a lucky man, Violet. To be able to enjoy such delicious food every day.”
Violet blushed and shook her head shyly.
“Oh, no. I haven’t seen my husband in six months. Father doesn’t have much of an appetite these days, so it makes me happy to see you enjoying my cooking so much, Mage.”
We continued our pleasant conversation as we ate.
“…Thank you for the meal.”
As before, Camilla finished her meal quickly and excused herself, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
As she left for her room, Violet placed a hand on her cheek and said with a worried expression,
“Does Camilla not like my cooking?”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry. Objectively speaking, your cooking is excellent. If there’s a problem, it’s with her, not your food.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“It’s probably a… constitutional issue.”
I shrugged, and Violet let out a soft “Ah.”
It was common knowledge that succubi primarily sustained themselves on male essence.
However, I hadn’t seen Camilla with any men since we arrived.
And the Bicorn had confirmed her purity.
Anyway, since she wasn’t present, I decided to change the subject.
Thankfully, Violet readily followed my lead.
If Violet had been a normal human, I might have been slightly tempted by her caring, married woman persona.
After our dinner for two, I excused myself and returned to my room.
I’d been told it was Violet’s son’s room, the one who had been conscripted. Perhaps that was why it felt so comfortable.
Since the village elder and Violet were both fox beastkin, I assumed her husband and son were as well.
I mentally thanked Violet’s son, whom I had never met, and removed my green robe.
Clap! Clap!
I brushed off the dust and hung it carefully on a hanger, ensuring it didn’t wrinkle.
While I might have been lax about other things, I always meticulously cared for my robe, a mage’s equivalent of a formal uniform.
Just as I was about to lie down on the bed, feeling much lighter,
Knock, knock
A sudden knock on the door made me freeze.
“Are you asleep yet?”
It was Violet’s voice. My earlier tension dissipated.
Wondering what she wanted, I opened the door slightly.
“No, what is it…?”
Huh?
Violet was standing at the door, holding a bottle of wine and a plate of snacks.
While this wasn't particularly surprising, what truly shocked me was her appearance.
She was in her half-human form.
Usually, she appeared as a full beastkin, with a swaying purple tail. Now, she had suddenly shifted to a form that was indistinguishable from a human, aside from her ears and tail.
She held up the wine bottle and smiled coyly.
“Would you like a drink? I thought it might be lonely drinking alone.”
I stared intently at Violet, trying to discern her intentions.
She was a beautiful woman, with the slightly upturned eyes and a beauty mark near her lips characteristic of fox beastkin, and refined features.
She blinked innocently, as if she had no ulterior motives beyond sharing a drink.
I chuckled and opened the door.
“I can’t refuse an offer like that. Please, come in.”
“Oh my, then I’ll intrude.”
“By the way, is the soundproofing in this room good?”
“Father is a rather heavy sleeper.”
Click
I locked the door after she entered.
Indulging in a bit of fox-like charm wouldn't hurt, would it?