Chapter 181

Episode 181

The change in treatment was evident from the mount itself.

The reindeer provided by the Margrave sped across the rough snowfield as if it were flat ground.

That wasn’t all.

Food, supplies, and various materials needed for construction were loaded onto sleds and followed us in a seemingly endless procession.

Freya led the way.

Even though it looked like a snow-covered plain, the terrain could be treacherous. Taking a wrong turn could lead us to a crevasse, where even our bodies wouldn’t be recovered.

We crossed the border and arrived at Aslan Village.

The village head and the villagers, who had been informed beforehand, came out to greet us.

“Welcome. You must be tired from your long journey, Lady Freya.”

“Are the preparations complete?”

“Yes, everything is ready as you commanded.”

The village head led us to an open space next to the village. The snow had been completely cleared.

“You can build the facility here. The ground is solid, so there won’t be any shaking. It’s also safe from avalanches.”

“Good work.”

“I have a request.”

Freya nodded, and the village head spoke cautiously.

“Our Aslan is a small village founded by nomadic people of the north. We survive on our own, without relying on anyone. That’s the northern way. It’s been years since we started living with that mindset.”

Judging by the expressions of the other villagers, they seemed to have agreed on this beforehand.

“Our village has been indebted to House Whitefield twice. You saved us from the avalanche and the monsters, and now we’re receiving this heating facility. From now on, we will pay taxes to House Whitefield.”

“Paying taxes means you want to join our family?”

“Yes. We all agreed on it. Please take us in.”

It seemed like a big decision. But unexpected words came out of Freya’s mouth.

“I can’t accept that request. It wasn’t House Whitefield who saved you from the avalanche and the monsters, but Baron O’Brien of House Walker. And the heating facility is also being built entirely at the expense of House Walker. So if you want to pay taxes, it should be to House Walker.”

“Is that so…”

The villagers finally started paying attention to me.

“Then we ask you, Sir O’Brien. Will you accept us?”

“That’s impossible.”

“Oh…”

The village head sighed. The other villagers also drooped their shoulders, their disappointment evident.

“Walker Barony is geographically too far from here. And even though it’s a small village, if a southern family were to annex a northern village, it could escalate into a diplomatic issue. So I’ll accept your sentiment. House Walker will look after this place from now on.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean…?”

“It means we’ll protect you without asking for anything in return.”

“I-Is that true?”

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

“Oh, thank you. Thank you so much!”

The villagers all knelt before me.

My eyes met Freya’s.

She was staring at me with sparkling eyes, which was a bit overwhelming. I had just said I wouldn’t accept anything because it was a small amount, but it seemed like I was misunderstood.

Freya spoke to the village head.

“I’m no longer a member of House Whitefield. I’ll be working for House Walker from now on, so report any matters concerning the village to me. My lord has a lot on his plate.”

The village head and the villagers were surprised. It seemed the news hadn’t spread here yet.

But they couldn’t ask what was going on, so they just bowed their heads.

Freya was still a great warrior of the north.

The title of “great warrior” wasn’t a formal position. It was earned through the recognition of other warriors.

The warriors of the north still respected Freya. As long as she held Mistilteinn, there wouldn’t be any problems.

“Then, my lord, please leave the construction preparations to us and go rest at the village head’s house.”

It was a kind offer, but I had no intention of doing that.

“We need all hands on deck right now. You and Sir Heinkel go organize the supplies. Jericho and I have some work to do.”

“Understood.”

Freya and Heinkel started organizing the supplies.

Selendis carried a large pipe. It was too heavy for even a strong man to lift alone, but for an aura user, it was a different story.

Meanwhile, the northern warriors built bonfires everywhere to warm up the surroundings as much as possible.

Jericho and I sat on the ground and began discussing the pipes.

“We need to find a way to reduce heat loss before the mages from the Magic Tower arrive. Which attribute would be best?”

“Hmm, logically, it would be fire. But we don’t know how it will interact with this metal, so it’s best to experiment.”

“I agree. Make three small pipes with this. Seal one end completely.”

*Buzz!*

*Crack!*

Jericho cut the pipe with celestial light. Then he bent the pipe into a small, sushi roll-like shape. It all happened in an instant.

The northern warriors who were carrying luggage looked over and flinched.

Ever since I had shot three arrows using magic power, magic had become an object of awe for them.

“It would be great if we had something to accurately measure the temperature… We’ll have to make do with visual confirmation for now.”

Jericho tried to ignore my words “something to accurately measure the temperature,” but it wouldn’t work.

“Alright, alright. I’ll make it! Stop glaring at me.”

“I wasn’t glaring.”

“Ugh, seriously!”

We filled the pipes with snow and melted it with mana. We adjusted the volume by adding a little more snow to each pipe, making sure the water levels were the same.

“It seems about right. Then let’s heat them up.”

“I’ll do it.”

Jericho looked at me in surprise. It was understandable. I usually made him do everything.

I had been trying to use mana more often lately.

I had discovered by chance that using mana in any way increased the purity of both magic power and mana.

In other words, it felt like my ‘proficiency’ was increasing.

There had been hints of this before. It was the same principle as Jericho’s magic power increasing the more he used enchantment magic when making demon-resistant armor.

‘It’s not just skills that have levels. Magic power and mana definitely have ranks too.’

It was only natural, considering this world was based on a game system.

So I planned to utilize my magic power as much as possible in the construction of the heating facility.

‘If I’m lucky, I might even see a system message saying my rank has increased.’

These little fun elements kept me from becoming lazy.

*Buzz!*

I infused the pipes with magic power.

A while later, the water in all three pipes started boiling uniformly.

I stopped channeling magic power and focused on infusing the outer surface of the pipes with magic power.

I infused the first pipe with non-attribute magic power. Then I imbued the second pipe with fire attribute magic, and the last pipe with ice attribute magic.

“This is a good combination. We can find the most effective magic with this. To think we’d be conducting an experiment worthy of the Magic Tower here!”

As Jericho marveled, the state of the pipes changed rapidly.

The water in the fire magic pipe cooled down first. The magic power quickly dissipated in the extreme cold, and even the steam disappeared.

“Fire attribute is out. Then it’s between non-attribute and ice attribute.”

The water in the two pipes was initially similar, but the difference became more apparent over time.

“As expected, non-attribute is better! This one seems much hotter.”

“No, wait a bit longer.”

“Huh? Isn’t the result already clear?”

When I just grinned, Jericho observed the water in the pipes again.

As more time passed, the pattern of change shifted.

The boiling water in the non-attribute magic pipe was slowly cooling down.

On the other hand, bubbles were still rising in the ice magic pipe.

“Huh? What’s going on? I thought the water in the non-attribute pipe was hotter just now?”

“It’s because of time. To be precise, it’s because of the environment here in the north.”

To think the top graduate of Kalisto Academy would look so bewildered. It was a simple principle.

“Check the magic power remaining in the pipes. Which one has more left?”

“Well, of course…”

Jericho touched the two pipes and was startled.

“There’s almost no magic power loss in the ice magic pipe! What’s going on?”

“Magic power is a pure force of nature. It’s only natural for it to be affected by the surrounding environment. The cold here and the ice magic are creating a synergistic effect.”

“Ah! That’s what it was!”

Initially, non-attribute magic coating was advantageous, but over time, the non-attribute magic would dissipate, and its effect would drastically decrease.

This was why theory and practice were different.

If this were a hot desert, fire attribute would have been more efficient.

“In the long run, ice coating is advantageous. There’s almost no magic power loss. The key is to make it affect only the outer surface of the pipe. That way, it’ll properly block the cold.”

“Wow, this feels like we’re back in the academy! Inspector, you should become a professor at the Magic Tower or the academy after you retire.”

“Don’t say such horrifying things.”

“Hahaha!”

I left the pipe placement and coating to Jericho and moved to the civil engineering construction site next door.

The northern warriors were rolling up their sleeves and building a large log cabin.

It was a simple task of stacking logs and hammering nails.

I immediately activated my magic power.

*Whir!*

The logs next to me slowly rose into the air. With a slight wave of my hand, the logs were placed where I wanted them.

This time, I flicked my right hand.

Long nails from a bucket rose into the air and flew like guided missiles, lodging themselves in the exact positions and firmly securing the logs.

Once again, the northern warriors stared at me in wonder.

“I’ll handle the assembly, so please just move the logs. It’ll be faster that way.”

“But… we can do it…”

“I’ll talk to Freya, so don’t worry. Let’s get moving.”

The warriors’ task became simpler, and their speed more than doubled. They started carrying two logs at a time, as if competing with each other.

‘I can’t lose to them, not with the Inspection Unit’s name on the line.’

I also got the hang of it and was able to carry three logs at once, instead of just one.

By the time the building was completed, I could place five logs at different target points simultaneously.

There were some gaps, but the foundation work was complete.

I dusted off my hands and withdrew my magic power.

“How are we finishing it?”

“We’ll cover the exterior and interior of the building with reindeer hide. That alone will block the wind.”

“Reindeer are truly amazing animals.”

They were used as mounts, food, and their hides were used for weapons and building materials. They seemed to be as valuable as gold in the north.

Jericho approached.

“I’m done welding the pipes. I think it’s time to build the magic power storage.”

“Can I watch?”

“Normally, you wouldn’t be allowed… but since you’ve learned all of our family’s secret magic, I’ll make an exception.”

“Stop acting so important.”

We entered the log cabin. As the warriors had said, it was surprisingly windproof.

*Swoosh!*

Jericho opened his subspace inventory.