Chapter 514 – Towards the Reconstruction of the Sea City

“Waldom said… such things, did he.”

When I recounted the details of the battle to Queen Eldorene, she closed her eyes and shook her head.

“If Waldom was a Demon, then his survival of the Seal in the abyss might have been due to the Fear we hold. To pass down tales of the Merciful Mother is to simultaneously pass down the terror of the Sea King.”

“…That may be so. When I was told stories of the Merciful Mother as a child, I was also afraid of the Sea King.”

In response to Queen Eldorene’s words, Rovisa answered with a solemn expression.

“However, we cannot simply stop what we have been passing down until now. I have heard that on the surface, they enshrine sealed Demons to keep them asleep. Considering how he accumulated so much Evil Energy, we too may need to follow that example from now on.”

By “on the surface,” she must be referring to the rituals performed by the King of Silvatoria. Queen Eldorene probably heard about it from Princess Adriana.

Even a hated enemy who caused calamity can become a god if enshrined to prevent their curse. The leader is still alive, but Waldom was destroyed. So, unlike the erosion from Miasma that the King of Silvatoria must bear, there should be no such disadvantage.

“If it is to console the spirits of the dead, perhaps we can also be of assistance.”

“The Sirens’ requiem songs… Hmm.”

At Marion’s words, Queen Eldorene closed her eyes and nodded.

…Well then. The battle with Waldom and his forces has ended, his Subordinates have surrendered, and the situation has calmed down for now. We were located deep within Grantios’ Castle. This was the section containing the queen’s chambers and such, which was far from where the battle took place, so this area remained unscathed.

We had water drawn in and were all gathered there, talking leisurely. It was decided that we would stay in Grantios today, rest to recover from the battle fatigue, and then take various actions… but before that, I needed to get various permissions from Queen Eldorene.

“Later, I’d like to look around various parts of the castle, if that’s alright? Since I used Great Magic twice, I want to check if there’s any danger of collapse.”

“That is a welcome offer… but I feel apologetic having you go that far.”

“I was the one who cast the Magic, so I think I should at least handle repairs and reinforcements. Hidden dangers are hard to detect, and it also serves as practice for Magic control, so please don’t worry about it.”

When I said that, Queen Eldorene seemed to ponder for a moment, then quietly bowed her head.

“My apologies. I am indebted for your repeated assistance. I shall inform the soldiers accordingly.”

So the matter is settled. Then, today, after dinner, let’s turn in early. I want to take time to use Circulating Ki to remove everyone’s fatigue from the depletion of their Vitality and Magical Power, and the backlash from Grace’s bloodsucking impulse.

The next morning’s awakening was—thanks to spending ample time on Circulating Ki the previous night—quite refreshing. My wounds had closed, there was no pain or sluggishness, and my mind and body felt light. Since everyone took time with Circulating Ki, they seemed to have slept well and hadn’t gotten up yet.

“Good morning, Theo.”

While still lying down, concentrating Magical Power in my hand and clenching my Fist to check my condition, Grace, who had been sleeping beside me, spoke in a small voice.

“Mhm. Good morning, Grace. You were awake.”

“Yes. I was awake… but it felt like a waste not to, so I was watching your profile.”

Hmm… It’s a little embarrassing… but well, Grace was in a fierce battle too, so the backlash from her bloodsucking impulse was probably proportionally greater.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not bad. I rested well yesterday. And you, Grace?”

“Yes. Thanks to you. When we spend time on Circulating Ki, there’s a sensation of warmth lingering deep within the body, I’d say… I sleep well, and I feel good when I wake up.”

She said this with a smile. Mhm. That’s good to hear.

“…Nnn, good morning.”

“Good morning, it’s quite… a nice morning, isn’t it?”

It seemed Ashley and Rosemary had woken up too.

“Good morning. Ah—. Somehow, I slept very well.”

Claudia’s voice. Looking over, Marlene was also awake.

They were awake, but no one had sat up yet. They remained lying down, relaxing in the warm bedding, creating a very laid-back atmosphere.

Well… part of it is probably due to habit from being busy until yesterday, causing us to wake up early. It wouldn’t be bad to stay like this until someone comes to call us for breakfast, I suppose.

After a leisurely breakfast, I decided to take Seraphina and look around the castle with everyone. Well, since it’s Magic Construction, I’ll be the one moving things, but with Levitation, even large debris that’s difficult to carry can be moved, so everyone is helping out too.

The soldiers of Grantios, perhaps feeling they couldn’t contribute in the battle, seemed to have already started moving towards reconstruction. They were bustling about running through the castle. They looked busy, but everyone had bright expressions, and their energetic work was evident.

I had informed them that if they collected and piled up the debris, it could be reused.

First… let’s check the areas around where I fired the Volcanon Hammer and Dragon’s Roar. Even if we reuse the debris, it’s meaningless if the foundation isn’t sound. Repairs come after that.

So, we went around various parts of the castle, starting by eliminating dangerous spots together with Seraphina.

“This area might be dangerous.”

“Understood. Let’s see… then it must be around here.”

At Seraphina’s words, I looked around and touched a pillar that concerned me.

Having gained considerable experience in construction with Seraphina, I’ve somewhat learned to identify where things have weakened, where the balance is off and extra stress is applied, and so on.

I fired Magical Power like a sonar, and based on the reflected sensation, I reinforced weakened areas, fixed misaligned parts, and for places likely to collapse, I turned them into Golems beforehand and had them wait elsewhere, thus eliminating dangerous spots.

Once safety is firmly secured, the plan is to reference the surrounding structure and architectural style and rebuild the materials from the bottom up.

Meanwhile, I collected the lava scattered when I fired the Volcanon Hammer by turning it into Golems.

These Golems will later be used to fill the hole made by the Dragon’s Roar. The building materials that were in that hole section turned to sand and flowed down into the fissure’s depths. So, even if we collect the debris, it won’t suffice to fill the hole.

Then… for the difficult-to-collect fine dust and fragments, I created a vortex to sweep them up and gather them, returning them to usable materials.

“Speaking of which, Sheila, how is your physical condition?”

“I’m fine now. I also received Circulating Ki yesterday.”

Sheila had taken some damage when fighting Oberk’s Familiar. It was an attack method like ultrasonic waves, causing no external wounds but accumulating internally, so I performed Circulating Ki on Sheila last night too.

Continuing the work while making small talk like that, a group arrived consisting of Queen Eldorene, Marl, Rovisa, Princess Stephania, Princess Adriana and Princess Elham, the Grand Duke and the Duke, Elliot, Old Sigmund, Auria, Justia, and Dominique.

Their Familiars were with them too. The situation has calmed down, but they brought an Escort just in case.

Corulis bowed its head slightly in a morning greeting. Ramriya and Flamia also bowed their heads, following its example. The Lindwurm, Lavigne, and Eclair, who were with us, also bowed their heads and returned the greeting to Corulis and the others. I also returned a “Good morning” greeting to the Familiars.

“My, my… Despite all that debris being scattered about. For it to become this clean in the short time I was giving instructions to the soldiers…”

Queen Eldorene, who seemed to have come to see the site, widened her eyes upon seeing the scene.

Just collecting small stones and neatly arranging and piling up scattered debris makes the appearance much cleaner.

“Are we not intruding? We thought we could help with Levitation or Golems if there was anything we could do.”

Princess Stephania inquired. Princess Stephania is quite agile too. If they’re offering to help, it’s welcome. The others also seem eager to help… well, I’ll gratefully accept their kindness.

“That’s very kind. We started by dealing with dangerous spots where the structure seems weakened or places likely to collapse, but I think there’s no more risk of collapse now… Yes. It would be a great help if you could all help pile up the noticeable debris.”

“Understood.”

Princess Stephania smiled cheerfully and joined the work with everyone.

By turning the collected debris into Golems and reshaping them to integrate directly with the damaged sections, the damaged parts gradually closed up.

“Mhm. It’s always a sight to behold.”

Auria, while levitating debris, crossed her arms and nodded repeatedly, seemingly impressed by the spectacle.

“I had heard it was Magic Construction… but for the seams to become indistinguishable at a speed like wounds closing with Healing Magic… No, considering you can use such Great Magic, it’s rather understandable.”

“Regarding the Merciful Mother statue in the Mausoleum, since I haven’t seen its original form, it would be helpful if you could teach me various things. Was there also some protective coating?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. We need to apply the coating too, but we’ll handle that. It’s not something that needs to be done immediately.”

Queen Eldorene, who had been muttering thoughtfully while watching the restoration scene, seemed to snap back to reality when I spoke and answered somewhat flustered.

“Understood.”

Then, we can just keep progressing with the work. My condition is good, and if I channel Magical Power into Balor, I can probably handle repairs in two places simultaneously. Yeah. Let’s do that.