kscans

Chapter 156 - Magic Stone Tools, Ripples 1. Adon (Part 1)

The story goes back to September of last year.

Adon, having been entrusted by Yuri with full authority for the consignment production and sale of the magic stone tools, began to act swiftly.

After questioning, or rather, hearing the detailed circumstances from the two half-elves of "Lucky Footsteps," Katra and Dalia, Adon judged that he still had a little time. The elven village to which the two had sent their letter was quite far from here, and since there was no such system as a postal service, letters were usually entrusted to traveling merchants and the like to be delivered. Therefore, he calculated that it would take a month or two for the crucial letter to arrive.

In that case... if he moved now, it was possible to act before a stir was caused.

After a brief period of careful consideration, the policy Adon chose was...

"To hire an earth magic user, you mean?"

"Indeed. According to Yuri-kun, earth magic is essential to create that knife. In that case, it would be less troublesome to simply hire one for our house."

"That is true, but..."

"Hmm? Is there some problem? Helman."

"No... not so much a problem, but..."

"But what?"

"I have not met many who are earth magic users, you see..."

Hearing Helman's unconfident confession, Adon himself became a little uneasy, thinking, "Come to think of it..." However, he had no memory of hearing that earth magic was particularly rare, so he was sure he could find some if he looked.

He would learn the very next day that his optimistic plan had been overturned at its very foundation.

"...There are none?"

"Yes... I was not aware of it myself, but... it seems that earth magic, at least among adventurers, is an unpopular attribute. Many of those who have an aptitude for earth magic give up on it early on and switch to a different skill, I'm told..."

"What in the world..."

In this world, the trend of "if you're in a pinch for food, become an adventurer" had taken root, and many of those who possessed an aptitude for magic also flowed into the adventuring business. However, even for such adventurers, there were certain magics that were convenient to use, and fire magic and wind magic, which could be used for attacks, and water magic, which contributed to water supply, were popular. On the other hand, wood magic and earth magic, which were not very useful for attacks, had been given a somewhat raw deal.

"It seems that if their level in earth magic rises, they can contribute to the construction of strongholds and the like, but..."

"A fledgling magician cannot be expected to have that much ability, so they end up being given the cold shoulder, is that it..."

"Not so much the cold shoulder, but it seems it was not a very popular attribute."

Many of those who gave up on the unpopular earth magic tried to develop a different skill, he was told.

"It seems this is not the case for skilled users, but such skilled earth magic users are already employed in some kind of profession..."

Many were hired by military-related organizations such as the knightly orders for their ability to construct strongholds, or by mining-related companies for their ability to excavate, and some had also taken up blacksmithing-related jobs, he said.

"...Forcibly poaching one would be a poor move, I suppose..."

"Not only would it worsen relations with their employer, but it would also attract unwanted attention. In addition, their ability to construct strongholds is unrelated to the current job, and I hear that many of those employed in mines are those who use their magic power to forcefully shatter bedrock."

"Either way, they don't seem like they would be useful..."

"Indeed..."

In short, there were no freelance, competent earth magic users.

"In that case... Yuri-kun was quietly brilliant, wasn't he..."

"Whether he was quiet or not, I believe it is certain that he was brilliant."

Adon, having run into the unexpected wall of a talent shortage, made his decision...

"...It can't be helped. I shall borrow Professor Magam's power."