Episode 46

"You see? This is a much faster method. It'll naturally double as a census too."

"...I suppose so."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I'm amazed. These days, you keep surprising me at every turn, Young Lord. I should be used to it by now. Heh."

"Stop talking nonsense. Ah, and there might be some among the territory's residents who are injured or otherwise unable to participate in the corvée labor. Make sure to distribute food to those in dire need, understood? Starting this year, no one in our territory should starve to death."

"Even with just these measures alone, it's already— Yes, understood. I was just worried the people might grow lazy and complacent... Yes, yes. I get it. Please stop looking at me like that."

"Tch."

Logan clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes.

"Anyway, if we wait just a little longer, we'll be able to properly execute the construction. I appreciate that you're trusting and following my lead, Financial Administrator."

"Anything but that construction!"

"Eh, I'm doing it anyway."

"Please reconsider! Huh? Why would we spend 2 million gold a month just to drill a hole through a mountain?"

"Nope. It's happening. No amount of arguing will change my mind."

"Ugh... Young Lord..."

Dwain slumped in defeat, realizing he couldn't stop this nonsensical, wasteful project.

Having effortlessly crushed Dwain's resistance, Logan turned his gaze westward again.

'Even if the scrolls aren't ready yet, we still have Clayton.'

The other materials Logan had ordered through Philip had already arrived.

It was time to start the plan to bore through the mountain.

"Alright! One, two, three!"

"Heave-ho!"

With synchronized shouts, countless tents rose into the air.

On a barren stretch of land slightly removed from the construction site Hamar and Logan had chosen, makeshift shelters sprouted like mushrooms after rain.

The location they had selected was a midpoint between Tesron Castle (a day and a half's journey) and MacLaine Castle (a day's journey), making temporary lodgings for the laborers an absolute necessity.

And, most importantly, accommodations for the mages had to be arranged as well.

"Are you truly fine with the same lodgings as the laborers?"

"It's fine, Young Lord. After all, our Earth Magic Tower is already mocked as the 'laborer's tower' among mages—and our faction does the most work. You saw how the Tower Master threw a fit."

"Well, it's less hassle for me, so I'm not complaining. Haha."

"Leave it to us. We'll finish this as quickly and perfectly as possible."

The murderous glint in Clayton's eyes somehow felt reassuring.

And then, the very next morning.

Nearly 8,000 people gathered from both castles turned their attention toward a section of the mountain.

"If we want to dig a straight tunnel, this is the perfect spot. Calculating the range, if we collapse just this area..."

"Dwarf, sir. My magic can handle a much larger area than that."

"No, no! If we collapse too much, it'll be unstable! The goal is a semicircle with a diameter of about 30 meters—"

"Ah, come on. Trust me, let's go bigger, make it more spectacular!"

"Ha, this is ridiculous..."

The dwarf and the mage bickered as they coordinated the construction plans.

Logan watched them fondly from a step behind.

Beside him stood the dazed, hulking figure of the financial administrator, blankly surveying the surroundings.

"You're really pushing through with this... What will you do when the family head returns...?"

"It'll be fine, it'll be fine. Everything will work out."

"...I give up. Do as you please."

With Dwain's grumbling fading into the background, construction finally began.

"What's that guy doing?"

"No idea."

"The higher-ups must have some plan."

The curious gazes of the territory's residents—who had never seen or heard of magic before—fixed on Clayton.

"Master Mage! If you're ready, begin immediately!"

At Hamar's signal, a brilliant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yellow light began radiating from Clayton's body.

"Whoa! What's happening?!"

"Wow, that's magic..."

"Nothing bad's going to happen, right?"

"The Young Lord is right there. It'll be fine."

The laborers' eyes, filled with both wonder and unease, remained glued to Clayton.

At that moment, Logan vividly sensed the changes Clayton's power was bringing about.

'Hmm... The flow of mana...'

Natural energy—mana.

Alongside Force, it was one of the two great supernatural abilities that governed the continent.

What had once been a vague sensation in his past life now felt vividly clear.

The five mana rings engraved in Clayton's heart.

The mana emanating from them stimulated the same energy scattered throughout the world—Logan could see it distinctly.

The intricate yet orderly patterns mana traced, repeating countless times in a brief moment to gather power. Even the minute fluctuations.

The heightened senses granted by his Force Core were evolving beyond Logan's expectations.

As he marveled at this strange sensation, a yellowish light slowly advanced toward the rocky cliff in the direction Clayton raised his hand.

The moment the light touched the cliff, the earth began to tremble.

Ooooom...

The light quickly spread across the entire cliff face.

KWA-BOOOOOM!

RUMBLE—

A deafening explosion and tremors that shook the world itself slammed into the site.

"AAAAAH!"

"G-Get down!"

"I knew this would happen...!"

Amid the flying dust and the laborers' panicked screams, Hamar's furious roar could be heard.

"I told you to hold back! That was too much! Why are you showing off like this?!"

The moment Hamar lost his temper, Logan sensed an even stronger surge of mana.

'Another spell?'

Through the rising dust, he felt a far more intense mana force erupting than before.

CRACK—

Before anyone realized it, the collapsed rocks and earth had formed into a massive giant, rising to its feet.

'What?!'

A towering shadow, easily 20 meters tall, loomed through the dust.

THUD. THUD.

THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.

The colossal giant, shaking the earth with each step, swiftly approached the cliff and began burrowing into the epicenter of the explosion.

KWA-BOOM!

RUMBLE—

Deafening roars echoed from within the cliff.

"W-What the—?!"

"What's happening now?!"

Panicked voices spread through the crowd. After a brief moment, the dust obscuring their vision settled.

Most could only gape at the source of the commotion now visible before them.

"A m-monster!!"

"It's a monster!"

"AAAAH!"

"The mountain spirit is angry!"

"P-Please spare us, O Spirit!"

Inside the newly dug tunnel, spanning dozens of meters, stood a massive giant formed from earth and stone.

Its appearance alone was enough to terrify the laborers from the territory.

RUMBLE—

They didn't even realize it was supporting the unstable upper part of the cliff, preventing further collapse.

"What are you idiots standing around for?! Secure the foundation now!"

At Clayton's bellow, his disciples rushed forward, unleashing beams of yellow light toward the tunnel's ceiling. One by one, the laborers realized this was magic and hesitantly rose from where they had crouched or flattened themselves on the ground.

"T-That's magic?"

"Haaa..."

"S-Scary..."

"Magic is this incredible?"

Amid their awestruck murmurs laced with fear...

"H-He really did it... Oh, family head... Hehehe..."

The only unique reaction—the financial administrator's crazed laughter—snapped Logan out of his daze.

"Huh...?"

The patterns of mana etched in his mind kept resurfacing.

Both the collapse magic and the spell that created the giant—Logan found himself fantasizing that, if his Force Core grew stronger, he might be able to replicate them to some degree.

'Magic that even prodigies spend over a decade researching and mastering?'

Cold reason swiftly erased that delusion.

'No matter how incredible the Divine Sword Secret Arts are, that's impossible.'

Shaking off the fantasy, Logan's attention returned to the results of Clayton's magic.

"A golem like that..."

Even to Logan, that massive golem was undeniably impressive.

Having witnessed countless spells in his past life, he was all the more astonished.

'A 5th-Circle Mage can do something like this?'

In his understanding, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠golems were a type of artifact—magical constructs assembled around magic stones and other enchanted materials, shaping earth or stone into humanoid forms.

But the giant Clayton had summoned was incomparable to such golems.

Logan had seen countless spells on the battlefield in his past life—even witnessed 6th-Circle Mages, hailed as Transcendents, summoning storms of flame to devastate entire battlefields. Yet none had left him as awestruck as this.

A giant holding up a mountain—even with some exaggeration, the sheer scale was staggering.

If such a creature were deployed in war, its destructive power would far surpass mere flames.

'And it's not just a one-time spell...'

Thanks to his Force Core's influence, Logan could now perceive mana—allowing him to grasp even the process behind Clayton's magic.

Of course, he didn't fully comprehend the intricate mana conversion that originated from the mage's heart.

But he could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tell that the core at the center of the golem resonated endlessly with Clayton's own circle.

As if to confirm his speculation, the golem began moving again the moment the ceiling stabilized.

THUD.

THUD.

"It's moving again!"

"WAAAH!"

This time, the golem started pushing the scattered debris of rock and earth in one direction.

RUMBLE—

Though its height reached about 20 meters, its shoulder width was nearly half that, making the earthen giant appear somewhat squat. Yet its sheer mass allowed it to effortlessly clear the cliff's wreckage.

'Why wasn't such magic—such a mage—known in my past life?'

The thought came unbidden.

A 5th-Circle spell more versatile and no less devastating than most 6th-Circle magic?

'Why...?'

No matter how much he racked his brain, no answer came.

But one thing was certain.

'I want him. I want this talent.'

Magic like this was impossible not to covet.

And right now, he was employing this top-tier laborer for free.

Naturally, Logan couldn't help but grin brightly at Clayton.

"Elder. That was truly incredible. I never imagined I'd witness such magic in my lifetime. You've opened my eyes."

"Ahem. Well, this is just the basics for the head of our Golem Faction, Young Lord. As I assured you."

"Haha. Of course."

"Narrow-minded fools like the Tower Master only see the flaws, but the history our faction has forged is second to none in the world."

Clayton's chin lifted proudly, his face expressionless.

Had it not been for the sweat streaming down his forehead from the scar on his brow, he might have perfectly embodied the image of an aloof, lofty mage.

Hiding his pity, Logan gave him two thumbs up.

"Hahaha. I wasn't doubting you, Elder. If anything, I'm shocked because you exceeded my expectations."

At that, the corner of Clayton's mouth twitched upward slightly.

To most, his near-expressionless face would have revealed nothing.

But after weeks of observation and explanations from his disciples, Logan knew this was Clayton's version of genuine satisfaction.

"As reliable as ever. Can your disciples use the same magic?"

Seizing the moment, Logan didn't hesitate to ask what might have been a rude or even confidential question.

Right now, Clayton's disciples were only using magic to stabilize the collapsing terrain.

If they could wield even a weaker version of this golem magic, the construction would progress far faster than planned.

However—

"They can... but, ahem. There's a slight... issue."

"Oh?"

"The ritual to create a golem's core with pure mana requires 5th-Circle proficiency, so my disciples need magic stones. Even then, theirs will be much smaller and weaker."

Clayton's answer left Logan dumbfounded.

'Magic stones...?'

Mana Crystals.

A mineral as rare as orichalcum—the so-called "divine metal"—or mithril, formed when natural mana infused itself into ore.

They couldn't be artificially produced, and mages endlessly consumed them as magical aids or for crafting artifacts, making their price exorbitant despite their rarity.

Though graded by mana density, even the lowest-grade magic stone cost far more than its weight in gold.

'Sigh... The cost-efficiency is terrible...'

But since when was war about cost-efficiency?

'If the results are worth it, that's all that matters. Investing money to amplify power...'

For a moment, Logan even forgot that Clayton and his disciples were merely hired help.

"What about your magic, Elder?"

"Of course. Even at my level, using a suitable magic stone can multiply a golem's power several times over. Strength, speed, and durability alike."

"Wow. Truly remarkable."

Logan's genuine admiration didn't stop him from quickly running calculations in his head.

If the golems could move just a few times faster than now...

'They could steamroll ordinary knights. Amazing!'

If they could deliver that level of performance, the cost wouldn't be an issue—

"However, as I mentioned, it requires a suitable magic stone."

"What qualifies as 'suitable'?"

"Ahem. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Given that I'm 5th-Circle... only the highest grade will suffice."

...That might be a slight problem.

A top-grade magic stone the size of a fist was estimated to cost between 500,000 to 1,000,000 gold.

Now Logan understood why the Golem Faction was always strapped for cash.

Still, he wasn't ready to give up hope.

"What about your disciples? Would they also need...?"

"Of course not! For 2nd-Circle Golem Magic, even low-grade stones are sufficient. They can maintain it for about a day, with strength several times that of an average adult man."

A low-grade magic stone of the same size would be worth roughly a lump of gold—around 1,000 gold.

Spending that much for just a few times an average man's strength?

And with a one-day time limit?

The cost-efficiency was still abysmal.

'But... in a short-term battlefield, they could achieve far greater results.'

Even considering all the drawbacks, the moment Logan imagined golem magic deployed in war—

'If they're on our side...'

He couldn't help but shiver slightly.

But then—

'Ah, right. They belong to the Magic Tower... Tch.'

Reality came crashing back. Logan could only click his tongue and turn away.