By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 18

Chapter 5 Episode 18: Considerate Colleagues?

One afternoon, I was walking through the woods that grew through the grounds, along a path that had been cleared of branches and trimmed of tall grass just enough to walk through. While I was still on the grounds, this area seemed to have been kept as natural as possible. Every now and again, I would sense a creature lurking...and see a wolf-like monster stare at me from a distance before trotting off unbothered.

“Is that the mistress’ familiar?” I asked Lulunese, who had been leading the way.

“Most likely,” she answered. “Most wolf-like monsters around here, especially those who seem curious about us, are Mistress’ familiars on patrol. Of course, there’s a chance it may be one of the servants’ familiars that happened to walk by. In any case, I have notified the security chief about our plans for the day, so they won’t attack us.”

Glad to hear. I wondered if many servants of the ducal family were also tamers.

“The lords and lady of Jamil have always been tamers, but they have an environment suitable for the familiars to roam in. Since they open these grounds to the servants and their familiars, I’m sure it’s an environment suited for those who study taming magic... Take a look over there, for example.”

We had reached the end of the path to find a rectangular clearing. The ground was coated in thick grass and wild-looking flowers, and a large lake spread out to the left of us. The clearing was as spacious as a school gymnasium, making for plenty of room for the familiars to run around or play in.

Lulunese pointed to the center of the lake, where a moss-covered, nearly cone-shaped island floated. Was there anything on the island?

“That may look like an island, but that’s actually a monster called a floatland tortoise.”

“Figures...”

She went on to explain that floatland tortoises had a swim bladder, allowing them to remain floating on the surface. They ate bugs and small fish, and had sharp teeth and a powerful jaw to gnaw through the bones of their prey. However, they apparently had a very gentle nature, and one could climb on their backs as long as they were of an adequate size.

“That one is contracted by the head chef, Bahtz. He let me ride on its back when I was little.”

“Ride... Well, I am interested in familiars that help with transportation. Is it comfortable to ride on its back?”

“You can ride on a floatland tortoise, but it mostly just floats, so it won’t help you get anywhere. It can capsize if it loses its balance too. I do recall enjoying that as a child.”

So it’s like a living balloon... I realized it was about time to start my work.

“Already? He isn’t here yet.”

“Just going to get set up a little bit. That should make it easier for our volunteers too. Nothing too difficult.”

Before setting up the wedding venue, I wanted to prepare for it. Specifically...

“Dimension Home.”

I enlisted the help of my slimes yet again. I’ll just have the weed slimes clean up the grass!

Strength in numbers prevailed in no time, and the plot for the wedding venue became cleanly weeded.

As preparations continued and volunteers began to show up here and there...

“Ryoma!”

I turned to Camil’s voice to find Zeph and Jill with him, holding Hughes, who seemed groggy for some reason, up by his arms. I was happy to see the four musketeers, but... “What happened? You look rather pale. Are you all right?” I watched Hughes feebly shake his head as he clasped his mouth and panted through his hand. “Too nauseous to talk?” His expression was enough confirmation.

“Whoa! Don’t blow up on me now.”

“Zeph, let’s just roll him next to that tree.” They swiftly sprang to action, and actually sent Hughes rolling into the shade of a tree. I might have been concerned if Lulunese hadn’t ran over to him right away.

“So... What happened? Did he overwork himself while studying for that promotion?”

“No. This is completely unrelated.”

“He didn’t mean anything by it... But he said something to a lady that lacked, well, decorum, and got a fist for his trouble.”

“It’s not an uncommon occurrence,” Camil countered.

“I see... But a punch messed him up that much?”

“Yeah... He crossed the wrong woman today.”

“You’ve met Libiola?”

“The ape beastkin? She helped me with my experiment before lunch.”

“Then I’m sure you can imagine. It was her. Of course, not only is she built very well, she’s properly trained in hand-to-hand combat.”

“There are places where men like us aren’t allowed entry. She takes care of guard duty in those locations. She’s one of the best, if not the best, female guards.”

“Her punch was so fast I lost sight of her fist for an instant. Got him clean in the sternum...”

“Oh, wow...” So she had swung at Hughes, full force, going straight for the kill... What could Hughes have possibly said to her? I glanced over to him to see Lulunese gingerly taking care of him. And while the pair seemed oblivious to them, the male volunteers were watching them with a glare. I could sympathize with them.

“Shall we let them be and get started, then? I don’t think everyone’s here quite yet, though.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

“I’ll go talk to the people coming in now.”

“In that case, please ask them to gather around that corner over there so I can explain what to do.”

“The spot with the mound of sand, right? I’m on it!”

“I’ll go with him.”

“I...won’t be needed there, it seems,” Camil said. “Can you use an extra pair of hands for preparations? Just let me know if I can do anything.”

“There is something I have in mind for you...”

Our work had begun.

“The first thing I would like you all to do is pave the ground where the reception will take place. The area has already been dug down and outlined with bricks, so make sure to stay in that square. There, you’ll see mounds of dirt throughout the area. Take some from a mound, flatten it over the ground, and even out the surface with this tool here. Please make the earth even with the markings on the bricks around the perimeter. Start working near an edge and work your way in.”

With Jill’s assistance, I demonstrated the process to the volunteers. After flattening a patch of dirt large enough for someone to take a few steps on it, I said, “Once the ground is ready, lay down these stone pavers.” The pavers looked like a combination of H-shaped blocks, which I had conceptualized as a single object, crafting them through earth magic, knowing that most of the volunteers would be unfamiliar with this type of work. They were a bit cumbersome at 3 meters by 3 meters, but that would allow us to quickly lay out the floor of the reception space after the ground was flattened. The drawback was their weight, but most of the volunteers, since they were guards, seemed pretty muscular.

“I would like you to leave no gaps between the pavers, except where there will be a block-sized gap between a set. Here, I would like you to place one of these blocks. This will neatly fill the gap and connect the pavers.”

“Hey, this seems easier than I thought.”

“Spread the dirt and lay down the pavers.”

“You sure that’s all you want us to do?”

“This will do nicely,” I reassured them. Taking on too many tasks would take up more time, not to mention make things more difficult once we would have to restore this place after the wedding. In lieu of laying down additional material, I had solidified the ground somewhat with an earth spell. The ceremony and reception would last a day. I figured the structure would last for a week without trouble, accounting for any preparations and cleanup.

“I’ve also prepared levels over here. Please be careful to keep the dirt and pavers even throughout. A lip can be a trip hazard after a few drinks, and a significant tilt can make plates and glasses slide off of tables. It may seem like a simple task, but it’s up to your workmanship to ensure that everyone can enjoy the reception!”

“So it’s up to us to make a good party, huh?”

“He’s got our attention now.”

“That’s the spirit. And one more thing. I would like to fill the gaps between the green bricks and pavers by trimming the same brick as before. If anyone here can use earth magic, I would like you to help me with this...”

“Allow me. I’m a member of the magic squad. I specialize in barrier magic, but I can use my fair share of earth magic, as well.”

“I can too.”

“Same for me!”

Two voices called from beyond the wall of muscular men. The group parted, and a slender man and woman came up to me, as well as a few others from around the pool of volunteers. I noticed that Camil was with them, and judging from the title ‘magic squad...’

“So you’re magic specialists! Thank you so much! This is amazing!”

My flattering, albeit a bit overblown, show of gratitude was met with quiet and somewhat satisfied chuckles from members of the magic squad. “Now...if the mages could step aside over here, I’ll have more things to go over with you. Everyone else, please jump right into your work.”

“Alright boys, let’s do it!” Jill called, to which the men responded enthusiastically. Meanwhile, Camil had grouped the members of the magic squad together. Zeph had begun telling some late arrivals which groups to join. Once the three members I was acquainted with jumped in to manage the crowd, work progressed rather smoothly.

And meanwhile, as for the two stars of the show...

“I’ll help.”

“Oh, Hughes. Your gut feeling okay?”

“Don’t let us keep you lovebirds apart.”

“You know what? Go back to her, now!”

“You realize we’re all jealous, right?!”

“Women can get cold feet, too!”

“Yeah, are you outta your mind? You never get to work when it matters!”

“If you cause any trouble for Miss Lulunese, your ass is grass...”

“Go talk it over. It’s not too late to change your mind, you know?”

“Just go already!”

“Get away from us, you traitor!”

“Wait a minute,” Hughes protested, “don’t you th-mmf!”

“Excuse me, but could you take him away?”

I didn’t know whether they were really jealous or just concerned, but only that they had knocked out Hughes yet again to manufacture themselves some alone time. He went on to spend time with his betrothed, spending what must have been a heavenly yet torturous afternoon with most gazes piercing him from a distance. Everyone seemed to be close friends, but I had no idea why they each had to be so aggressive...