Chapter 169: Second Day of Development…
On the second day of the Demon Realm Development, the tasks remained unchanged. Rest left Viola and Primula behind and headed to the center of the Plain with the same party as yesterday. They would only traverse the route they had taken before, and they managed to arrive there in a shorter time than on the first day.
“This is…!”
However, Rest and his companions soon found themselves coming to a halt. Before them lay the same sight as yesterday. The same scene… which meant that the grass and trees had grown abnormally, transforming the Plain into a forest-like landscape.
“The grass we burned should have returned to normal… in just one night…?”
Indeed, the grass Rest had set ablaze with magic had grown to a height matching his own. While it was true that weeds grow quickly, this was still abnormal.
“So this is what the Demon Realm is like… it’s unbelievable.”
Rest sighed heavily. Behind him, Lübesse and Isis stared at the overgrown vegetation with troubled expressions, while Yuri cheerfully plucked at the grass.
“What do you plan to do about this, Count Clover?” asked Argil, the knight, with a sigh.
“At this rate, we won’t be able to fulfill Prince Andrew’s orders. With this much vegetation, it will hinder both our investigation and the extermination of the monsters,” Argil pointed out.
He was right. The orders given to Rest and his party were to investigate the center of the Plain and to exterminate the monsters. However, with so much grass growing, visibility was poor, making it difficult to see both the terrain and any lurking monsters.
“I suppose I should report this to the prince… it seems we’ll need to take some extra measures,” Rest said.
“Extra measures? This looks like it’s going to be more troublesome than I thought,” Lübesse remarked, drawing his sword and slicing through the weeds.
From the severed grass, golden particles of magical power spilled forth.
“Look at that. The cut sections are already starting to regenerate. They’ll be back to normal in a few hours,” Lübesse said, looking down at the weeds with a furrowed brow. The cross-section of the severed grass was slowly… almost imperceptibly, beginning to heal. Even if they burned it down like yesterday, as long as the roots remained, it would surely regrow.
“We won’t be able to do anything until we set up a barrier and drain the magical power from the Dragon’s Hole,” he continued.
The cause of the abnormal growth of the weeds was the immense magical power spewing forth from the Dragon’s Hole. To suppress this magical power, they would have to set up a special barrier to drain it. Conversely, once the barrier was in place, the area would likely develop into a city less prone to plagues and disasters.
“Well, that may be true in the long run… but if we’re looking for a short-term solution, I have an idea,” Rest said, raising his hand toward the overgrown weeds and activating his magic.
“Firestorm!“
Raging flames swept through the weeds, leaving behind a barren patch of land devoid of any vegetation. This part was the same as yesterday; the real innovation would come next.
“Hardening!“
He cast another spell directed at the ground. The soil beneath them hardened like pottery.
“Oh, it’s solidifying!”
“Wow… you hardened the ground to prevent the grass from growing back,” Yuri exclaimed, repeatedly stomping on the ground in surprise, while Isis looked on with admiration. Though there were likely roots of the unburned weeds still in the ground, with the soil hardened to this extent, they shouldn’t be able to sprout.
“That said… we mustn’t underestimate the vitality of plants. Let’s add a little more insurance,” Rest declared, activating another spell. This time, he used Stone Wall, which summoned a literal wall of stone.
He laid the stone wall down to pave the ground. Weeds could sometimes break through asphalt due to their tenacity, but with this measure, it was unlikely they would sprout again.
“Indeed, with this, the weeds shouldn’t be able to grow back… but what about your magical power?” questioned Rail, the priest, who had been at the back of the group. Rail, who had been somewhat overshadowed in the party, timidly voiced his concern.
“I saw how abundant Count Clover’s magical power was yesterday, but if you keep casting spells like this, won’t you run out of magical power?”
“Ah… well, I should be fine. I’ll just give it my all,” Rest replied vaguely. In truth, his magical power was boundless, so there was no issue at all.
“Right… don’t worry about my magical power. However, I will need to focus on this task, so please remain vigilant for any monsters. I don’t have the luxury to spare my attention elsewhere,” he instructed.
“Well… if Count Clover says so,” Rail conceded. As the leader of the party and a count, he would voice his opinions but had no intention of opposing Rest.
“I won’t let any monsters pass by Rest. You can rest easy,” Yuri assured.
“Even if the plants return to normal, dead monsters won’t come back to life. It should be easier than yesterday,” she added confidently, puffing out her chest, while Isis began keeping watch for any monsters that might emerge from the surrounding vegetation.
“Hmph…” Lübesse shrugged, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. Argil and Rail kept a watchful distance from the younger members, scanning their surroundings for threats.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you,” Rest said, confirming that his companions were in position before unleashing flames to incinerate the weeds.
Though the added tasks took some extra time, as Isis had pointed out, the number of monsters was indeed fewer than the previous day. With a slow but steady pace, they continued to make progress in developing the Demon Realm.