The Magic Master Who the Hero Party Is Obsessed With (2) — Making a Home

Homeownership. Kevin had finally achieved the dream he had longed for ever since his previous life.

“I did it!”

The corners of his mouth lifted on their own, and his shoulders squared with pride. A warm sense of fulfillment swelled in his chest.

The room was so modest it was almost barren, furnished with nothing more than a bed, a bookshelf, a table, and a chair. By modern Earth standards it looked closer to a prison cell than a proper house, but a home was still a home.

A sanctuary no one could invade, a territory belonging solely to an independent sentient being. After countless preparations and endless trial and error, he had finally succeeded in claiming it.

Choosing the location had not been easy. The site had to satisfy three strict conditions.

First. Was it a prime location both geographically and mystically?

Second. Did it possess the minimum environmental conditions for food self-sufficiency and a self-sustaining ecosystem?

Third. Was it unclaimed land with no owner?

They were demanding conditions, yet plenty of places in the empire met one or even two of them. Lands that satisfied all three, however, were extremely rare.

“It was tough. Really tough.”

For various reasons this planet had not been developed to the same exhaustive degree as Earth. Still, with its own independent civilizations and systems in place, nearly every livable plot of land already had an owner.

Kevin considered himself a magician of respectable skill, but even for mages, the real-estate problem was no small hurdle. In the end, the place he turned his eyes toward was a magic territory.

Before he knew it, Kevin had flopped onto the bed. He rolled himself up in the blanket like a burrito and muttered.

“Magic territory, land of death—whatever they call it, these people really know how to exaggerate. The air’s perfectly fine. What’s the big deal?”

Not every magic territory was truly uninhabitable. Some regions were simply labeled as such because powerful monsters had taken up residence and acted like they owned the place. The triangular zone in the Lethe River basin that Kevin had chosen for his home was one such area.

“That fat lizard wasn’t even all that strong.”

The Lethe River, born from the massive Mount Atlas that towered at the continent’s center, was one of its great arteries. The basin nestled between mountain and river possessed every condition necessary for human civilization to flourish. Yet prime locations were not attractive only to humans.

Thanks to its rich ecosystem, the Lethe River basin teemed with small and medium monsters, all the way up to various large species. And most decisively—

A Draconid. The sub-dragon called the worst tyrant on the ground, a creature that yearned for the dragons of the sky, had ruled the region as its overlord.

Of course, that was now past tense.

“Was that thing really supposed to be such a big deal? How can something that can’t even handle one Magic Missile call itself a tyrant?”

Kevin felt the Draconid’s fearsome reputation had been somewhat overstated. If it had been a true dragon, fine. But a creature with clear weaknesses and straightforward strategies being hyped up as some ultimate tyrant simply didn’t make sense to him.

Then again, even on Earth there had been perfectly developable land left unclaimed for complicated geopolitical reasons.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter.”

He decided that good was good. The important thing was that he had finally obtained a house.

Joy doubled when shared. Kevin glanced into the empty air and smiled as he spoke.

“Good work, Partner.”

To an outside observer it might have looked like the ramblings of a madman, the sort of thing a schizophrenic patient would do.

At Kevin’s single phrase, mana coalesced in the air and a hazy human-shaped silhouette appeared. It crossed its arms as though the action were the most natural thing in the world and began to nod.

“Yeah, yeah. You worked hard too.”

Tulpa. This spiritual partner—often called an inner guardian or imaginary friend—was not merely a delusion, contrary to common belief. With proper training it could develop into an independent personality capable of holding actual conversations and sharing opinions.

It was a real concept on Earth, though known only to a select few. In Arcadia, where magic and all kinds of mysteries breathed and lived, manifesting a Tulpa was not particularly difficult. For Kevin the magician, it was even easier.

Even after reincarnating as the youngest son of the McCloud Baron family, his fundamental preference for staying indoors had not changed. Kevin spent far more time alone than with others, so the Tulpa had been an enormous help. Especially here, where solo entertainment options were far fewer than on Earth; without it he might have lost his mind before he even finished learning magic.

“I would’ve been in real trouble without you, man.”

Kevin grinned and bumped fists with his Partner. The Tulpa scratched its head a few times as if embarrassed, then walked steadily out of the room to handle the housework and other chores.

Kevin called after the departing figure.

“Let’s eat meat today to celebrate the move!”

The Tulpa thrust a thumbs-up in reply.

Because the Tulpa’s very existence originated from Kevin’s own spirit and consciousness, he never needed to micromanage it. As a literal soulmate, it always produced the best possible results without being told. The reason Kevin still spoke his requests aloud was out of respect for the Tulpa as both a friend born from himself and a separate personality.

“Hmm…”

After rolling around in the blanket a little longer, Kevin sat up as though he had reached a decision.

Today was the first official day in his new home. Just because he had left the chores to his Partner didn’t mean he could loaf around.

“I’ve already organized everything that needed organizing, but it can’t hurt to scout the surroundings.”

Kevin snapped his fingers lightly and muttered.

Dozens of translucent windows instantly floated up before his eyes. It was a unique spell he had created by combining the basic 1-Circle Vision magic that any magician could use with simple shamanic techniques and modern ideas.

The formulas engraved on the flying beasts, flying-type monsters, and pre-installed totems around the house resonated all at once. Each window began displaying a different scene.

Kevin examined the screens one by one with care.

“Doesn’t look like anything strange is going on…”

He had already set up a barrier to block any evil entities that might directly threaten the house’s safety, and the initial cleanup of the surroundings was mostly complete. Still, this area had been designated a magic territory for a reason. The more thorough his preparations against potential hazards, the better.

But then—

“Huh?”

Among the many screens, one caught his eye. Familiar faces were engaged in a precarious standoff with a monster that looked familiar yet somehow different.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

With additional incantations, Kevin cleared the other windows, turned the audio on, and focused on that particular scene.

“Hero, this is our last chance. If even this strike fails, there will be no more hope.”

“Y-yes! Everyone, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clench your buttocks tight and give it everything you’ve got…!”

“Heh heh… If this old bag of bones could trade its life to solve the problem, how wonderful that would be. But the enemy is simply too powerful. How can such a monstrous being exist in this world?”

The people conversing inside the translucent window appeared as vividly as if they stood right in front of him. A magician in colorful robes wearing a serious expression, a small priestess in plain holy garments, and a white-bearded warrior clad head to toe in solid armor.

And then—

The hero with flowing golden hair, drawing his sword and steeling his resolve with solemn determination.

Even a shut-in magician like Kevin could not possibly fail to recognize those faces.

“Wait, why are they here?”

They were the continent’s most famous adventurers, the indomitable vanguard who threw themselves into the most dangerous front lines in the name of the Goddess for the sake of all humanity.

The hero’s party.

The monster they faced was none other than a Draconid. Only its appearance differed in several ways from the one Kevin had already killed.

“What’s wrong with that thing? Did it eat something bad?”

Its already huge body had swollen to one-and-a-half times the size of a normal specimen. Black, unstable mana continuously leaked from its scales, claws, entire body, and the vertical pupils characteristic of reptiles. It was a mutation phenomenon.

An abnormal occurrence that had begun appearing across the continent roughly twenty years ago. It was believed to happen mainly among monster individuals exposed to intense stress—rapid environmental change, violent rage, or threats to survival. The mutation dramatically increased combat ability and currently ranked among the greatest threats to humanity’s continued existence.

Fortunately, cases of apex predators like Draconids mutating were extremely rare. Yet that very rarity had occurred here.

“We must eliminate it. If a monster like that is allowed to rampage freely, there’s no telling what kind of disaster will follow.”

“I agree. It no longer seems to possess even its territorial instincts. If it decides to follow the mountain range or the river toward a city…”

The golden-haired hero and the elderly warrior spoke with grim determination as they faced the mutated Draconid. Watching them, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a single line of cold sweat trickled down Kevin’s back.

“Oh no… don’t tell me…”

He had a vague inkling of why this was happening.

Draconids, as apex predators, normally roamed a fixed territory alone. The breeding season was different. A mated pair would share a territory and maintain a deep bond while laying eggs and raising hatchlings until they matured.

And the individual Kevin had killed had been female.

Once the realization hit him, Kevin let out a long sigh.

“No wonder I had a bad feeling. Of course things wouldn’t go smoothly after I spent so much time wandering around outside.”

Normally, for the sake of a peaceful indoor life, he would have avoided getting involved with the hero’s party or anything else. But since he was most likely the cause of their current hardship, his conscience would not allow him to simply watch.

“I guess I’ll help a little.”

Kevin rose from his seat and raised his mana.

What he desired was the complete annihilation of the hostile entity.

Mana resonated in accordance with the magician’s will. Above the small cabin on the grasslands, deep blue energy slowly gathered into a single point. When the high-density mana had condensed to the point of distorting the surrounding space, three transformations occurred.

A point became a line.

The line became a surface.

The surface became a cube.

The magician chanted once more. The history of humanity hunting beasts was symbolized by the staff and the blade. The cube slowly rippled and took the form of a long staff ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠topped with a bladed spear.

Three incantations in total. With this, the magic was fully prepared.

Normally the reinforcement process was unnecessary for activating the spell itself and was therefore omitted. Even when included, it usually amounted to nothing more than a simple increase in power or change in property. Moreover, if the spell formula was already held in the mind, the three steps of ignition, construction, and reinforcement occurred automatically without any need to chant; the magic would activate through the magician’s will alone.

But Kevin deliberately chanted them aloud. And he put special effort into the final, seemingly unnecessary step.

The magician clasped his hands together and looked up at the sky.

The three symbols were imbued into the magic. The magician took the stance of a hunter holding a spear, and the hunter hurled that spear toward the beast threatening humans. This was a hunting rite for the heavens, and the beast would become the offering.

The spear of mana tore through the air, and the magic activated.