Chapter 617 – Towards the Decisive Battle

After positioning Hider near the Gate leading to the central area, we left the location.

Considering the training space available at the castle, it seemed Lindwurm would have plenty of room to participate in training. It would probably be best to bring it along when we come tomorrow.

So we arranged for a carriage, loaded the spoils we acquired this time, and headed to the workshop.

As we were unloading in the courtyard to bring everything into the workshop, Alfred and the others came out from inside.

“Hey, Theo-kun. This time… you’ve brought back quite the haul again.”

“The battle ended up being larger scale than expected. I’d heard beforehand that monsters would appear in the town section, but since there were no intruders themselves, maybe that’s why the numbers increased instead.”

“I see. The quality of the Magic Stones… is generally high. With these, we should be able to do various things.”

Alfred, holding a Magic Stone up to the light, actually seemed rather pleased. Having abundant materials must be something Alfred appreciates.

“With this many, it seems we can make various things again.”

Viola said this while helping unload the carriage.

“We also got some new ingredients. Well, they taste kind of like chicken.”

“I’m curious about what kind of monster it was.”

“Mmm. A monster like a big lizard. Very lively, jumping around and shooting lightning.”

“…I plan… to draw a picture later.”

Sheila and Sigritta explained this to Alfred.

“So we ended up with quite a lot of ingredients. Since it’s winter, they’ll spoil slowly, but we should freeze some quickly and put them in the Ice Room, then smoke or dry the rest.”

“If you’re going to smoke them, the workshop has a smoking box too, so feel free to use it. It’ll be faster if we do it in parallel with your house, right?”

“Then I’ll take you up on that.”

We sorted what would be taken home for storage or processing versus what would be processed at the workshop.

“Um… we’ll freeze most of it, right? If we’re storing it in the Ice Room, I’ll transport it to the house.”

Ashley said this. Ah, since it involves Magic Tools too, that would be helpful.

“Thank you. Then I’ll have Caduceus accompany you too.”

“In that case, I’ll also go with Ashley. Ignis should be useful for carrying things in too.”

“I’ll help with that side as well.”

“Thank you both. Then, Lavigne, please stay here and keep watch.”

It seemed Rosemary and Irmhild would accompany Ashley.

As Ashley smiled and thanked them, Rosemary nodded from behind her feather fan, and Irmhild responded with a gentle smile.

Lavigne would remain here for communication purposes. Being stroked around the throat by Ashley, Lavigne narrowed her eyes contentedly.

Well, the workshop and my home are practically next to each other, and if Ashley stores and freezes them in the Ice Room, she should finish up and return very quickly.

Though we call it an Ice Room, it actually functions like a freezer because Valentina-made water Magic Stones are incorporated into it.

So, leaving only the portion to be taken home in the carriage, Ashley and the others headed home by carriage.

“Then, I’ll proceed with the smoking process.”

“We’ll help with that work too.”

“Me too!”

After Grace spoke, the remaining Party Members, Sion and the others, along with Helvorte and Belius, followed suit. They probably intended to help Grace and finish the work all at once.

As for Helvorte and Belius, it’s likely for Claudia’s personal protection… but Helvorte was also carrying luggage, and Belius was balancing loads on its three heads, carrying them dexterously.

“Making smoked meat? That sounds interesting, we should help too.”

“That’s right. It seems fun.”

Princess Stephania and Princess Adriana joined them as well. Naturally, Corulis and Flamia followed the two.

So everyone divided tasks and carried the dinosaur meat to the smoking box located under the eaves beside the workshop.

“Did Alfred prepare the workshop’s smoking box?”

“No. The workshop is a remodeled private residence, so I just maintained what the previous resident had prepared. There’s a wine storage room in the basement too, though it’s unused.”

“Huh.”

A smoking box and a wine cellar. Probably for drinking while nibbling on homemade smoked goods, I suppose. It seems the person who previously lived in the workshop was quite a drinker.

Leaving the dinosaur meat processing to everyone else, I discussed potential uses and distribution of the new Magic Tools with Alfred.

“The Kaiser Ant and Prism Flea Magic Stones are quite good quality, and their sizes are fairly uniform too. I think it’s best to use them for countermeasures during the decisive battle.”

“That’s right. When quality and size are uniform, my work becomes easier too.”

“There are also quite a few medals for Golems. We’ll combine them with those, I suppose.”

Things we can obtain in numbers will be used for things that require numbers.

“What should we do with these Magic Stones? They seem to be from quite a large one.”

“I actually have an idea for the Dragonian Magic Stones. I’m thinking of combining them with this crystal and axe to create a Magical Creature.”

The T-Rex’s forehead crystal and the Dragonian’s axe. The crystal’s Lightning Strike was quite impressive, and the Dragonian’s axe didn’t even have chipped edges after the battle with Grace.

“A Magical Creature?”

“Hmm. Probably similar to Ouroboros’s type. The concept is an autonomous floating axe that can provide support to allies.”

The finished product might resemble something like the Dancing Sword that Luceriage used.

As for who could handle a heavy weapon like the Battle Axe the Dragonian used… among Party Members, it would probably be Grace, Dullahan, and Ignis, but since it’s a Magical Creature, I also think it could serve as a backup weapon when needed.

“I’ll do some experiments with the Spell Formula first and write it up later. We might also have Viola or Her Highness Elham modify the handle part a bit.”

“Understood. Then that one will be waiting for Theo-kun’s work.”

“Yeah. I’ll try to hand it over as soon as possible.”

Now then. Regarding this time’s spoils, we’ve mostly decided on uses for everything except the T-Rex’s fangs.

For monster fangs, potential uses include carving them into knives, or making them into spear tips or arrowheads. They seem compatible with Fighting Spirit and have sufficient strength, so they should be quite versatile.

While discussing fang distribution and such with Alfred, Ashley and the others returned first. Lasnote also came to the workshop with them.

“Ah, welcome back.”

“Yes. We froze most of it, and left an amount that can be processed with Cecilia-san and the others for smoking.”

“Mmm, thank you.”

Then shortly after, Grace and the others returned too.

“We’re back now. All that’s left is to wait for them to be smoked.”

“Welcome back. We’ve also thought of various uses over here.”

In that manner, everyone exchanged work reports, and I explained to everyone what we planned to use each spoil for.

“–A Magical Creature axe, you say?”

“I can’t quite picture what the finished product will be like.”

Grace widened her eyes slightly, and Rosemary also put her hand to her chin, showing a thoughtful expression.

“Well, basically it’ll be support personnel. Things like guarding the Vanguard’s backs or providing covering attacks.”

Also, since we’re making it at this time, it’s partly as a countermeasure against Demons too.

While we were chatting like that over tea, Alfred spoke up.

“That reminds me, I heard preparations for materials are progressing at the Royal Castle too. They said they’ll send a messenger to Theo-kun once everything is ready.”

“Ah. Regarding the Miasma Orbs?”

“The Fortress, yes.”

Alfred nodded.

To intercept and delay Beriondora… we’ve decided to construct something resembling a fortress at the location we assume will be the main battlefield.

A fortress itself holds no strategic value for the Demons to attack, but if Miasma Orbs are placed there, that’s a different story.

This fortress isn’t intended for Termwills’s defense, but rather to house the Miasma Orbs inside and cover the area with a Barrier to make it harder for the Demons to interfere. Naturally, we’ll also use it to delay the floating castle there.

The more impregnable it appears, the more it will attract their attention. Well, it’s not wrong that having a defensive stronghold at the main battlefield would work to our advantage either way…

If we did it normally starting now, building a fortress wouldn’t be completed in time, but since I’ll handle it with Magic Construction, it should be fine. Once preparations are ready, I’ll probably need to prioritize going for the Magic Construction.

Thank you for always reading my work.

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