novelraw Chapter 121
Chapter 121
Chapter 121
While I had been away in Henil, the tunnel construction had continued smoothly without any problems.
Elder Benetrang, who had visited Rotsy for surveying, had safely returned and was now overseeing the construction in earnest.
The progress of the work, too, was generally going well.
According to the Elder, at this rate, we might be able to open the tunnel earlier than expected.
“Seems we got lucky. There were plenty of rocks in the surface layer, but once we dug deeper, we hit soft soil.”
“And no monsters either.”
“That’s the biggest relief. I was worried some weird thing might pop out again, but it looks like there’s none this time.”
The fact that no monsters or massive rocks had appeared as unexpected variables was the most positive part.
Considering the shape and formation of the strata, and other environmental factors, the Elder said there was no need to worry about the potential risks we had feared.
Since I didn’t know much about this field, I had no choice but to trust Elder Benetrang on that matter.
“If the soil’s soft, doesn’t that make it more prone to collapse?”
“Haha, do you think this is our first day on the job? You just keep throwing in those Mana Crystals on time. The more, the better.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. You know me.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
As construction progressed, we increasingly needed the help of the Builders, and the consumption of Mana Crystals was also growing exponentially—but that much, we could easily handle.
Now that the Builders dispatched to Hawrun were gradually returning, we weren’t short on hands either.
“The Rotsy side’s work is also going well. The lion friends are really fired up, I heard.”
“Is that so?”
“They say there’s a bit of competition going on, but that’s not a bad thing.”
Come to think of it, Rudelrof had said something similar.
After returning to the territory, I’d contacted Rudelrof via mana communication, and he’d told me he had started to see the Rabbit Tribe in a new light.
No surprise there—what the Lion Tribe remembered of the Rabbit Tribe was that they were incredibly weak.
They were more sincere about running away than fighting, and they had even lived as slaves to the Boar Tribe.
The Rabbit Tribe’s image was basically that of the weakest among the Beastmen.
—That’s not true. That’s just a misconception.
According to that rabbit guy, it wasn’t that bad, but still, that’s what most people believed.
After all, the Rabbit Tribe were the only ones among the Beastmen who had been enslaved by another Beastman tribe.
‘Well, that’s probably why they grind their teeth whenever they see those pig bastards.’
On the other hand, the Lion Tribe were among the strongest of all Beastmen and had immense pride.
They believed they were the best—and not just in combat, but in everything.
And now those same proud lions were working hand-in-hand with the Rabbit Tribe.
‘But seriously, if it’s a tunnel construction competition, there’s no way the Lions can beat the Rabbits.’
In this particular field, the Rabbits weren’t just the best—they were the G.O.A.T..
Even the Lions had noticed the Rabbits’ extraordinary agility, and it apparently bruised their pride a little.
So they were working even harder now, and thanks to that, the construction was proceeding at an incredible pace.
Besides, this tunnel was something of a long-cherished dream for the Lion Tribe.
“So, how long do you think the construction will take?”
“Hmm… at this rate, we might finish before summer.”
“Before summer? But spring’s already almost over.”
“Isn’t it amazing? Honestly, even I’m surprised. Those Beastmen— their work speed is just insane.”
Yeah, no kidding.
We had to dig about 4 to 5 kilometers, and they were saying they’d finish it in just a few weeks?
I had expected it to take at least a few months—half a year at most—but this was way faster than I’d imagined.
Even Elder Benetrang seemed shocked, so this definitely wasn’t a normal pace.
—If you think of one Worker as equivalent to a piece of heavy machinery, it’s not that strange, is it? And that old male is no ordinary mage either.
‘Well, yeah, considering he once rebuilt a castle in an instant…’
Still, I hadn’t expected it to be this fast.
A pleasant miscalculation, perhaps.
Given that we weren’t exactly in a leisurely situation ourselves, the sooner the tunnel opened, the better.
“But, my Lord, I heard something a bit disappointing.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Just as I was enjoying the good news about the tunnel’s progress, Elder Benetrang suddenly brought up something meaningful.
“Disappointing”?
Had there been anything for him to be disappointed about?
He was someone who never cared about anything except Irene, golems, and Mana Crystals, so hearing that from him made me uneasy—especially at a critical time like this.
When I asked what was wrong, he gave me a rather strange answer.
“I heard the territory recruited some aspiring Alchemists.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And that some Fox Beastmen joined the Alchemy Workshop?”
“Yes, apparently so. But why do you ask?”
“Come on, don’t play dumb. You’re adding people to the Workshop, but why aren’t you sending any to our side? We want to train disciples too.”
“Well, that’s because—”
“So, send us some of those Fox Tribe children as well. You know Beastmen children are more attuned to mana than human ones.”
When Peter had returned to the territory, he had immediately begun recruiting apprentices to study Alchemy.
As always, the residents turned a blind eye, and the outsiders who showed interest in alchemy lacked the necessary talent.
Thinking that this wasn’t going to work, I made a separate request to Yuria, and with the cooperation of the Fox Tribe, we were able to welcome some apprentices.
‘We gathered five aspiring Alchemists that way. Not many, but talented enough to satisfy Peter.’
Unlike most Beastmen, the Fox Tribe, who preferred using their heads, were well-suited to learning alchemy.
It was almost suspicious why they hadn’t learned human magic until now.
After all, the Fox Tribe had lived among humans long enough to have had plenty of chances to study magic.
When I asked why, they said that living alongside mages—who were extremely sensitive to mana—risked revealing the fact that they were Beastmen.
The Fox Tribe’s ability to disguise themselves as humans was their greatest secret. If it were exposed that Beastmen were living among humans in disguise, it could cause chaos.
Even Yuria’s immediate family treated everything about the Fox Tribe as top secret.
If their true identity were revealed, Yuria’s entire information network would collapse.
Before Yuria’s rise in Levelium, the one who had made the most use of her network had been the Level Merchant Group.
But now that they planned to settle down here permanently, they had no reason to refuse the arrangement.
It was a plausible explanation—one that made me nod in agreement.
‘Still, he wants to take Fox Tribe members as apprentices? I mean, it’s possible for them to learn construction magic, but…’
I doubted they’d have much interest in that field.
“But, where did you even hear about that, Elder? You weren’t in the territory.”
“I have ears everywhere, my boy. There’s no way something that important could slip past me.”
“Wait… was it Dr. Nickel?”
“Ahem, well, anyway—will you do it or not?”
So it was Dr. Nickel.
Honestly, who else in the territory would gossip about such things?
He must have blabbed out of excitement, thinking it was good news, but it had clearly sparked something in Elder Benetrang.
“But Elder, isn’t it a bit unreasonable for the Fox Tribe to become Builders? Especially under the Golem School?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, because the Golem School relies more on physical labor than intellect, doesn’t it?”
I honestly thought this was a stretch.
The Builders of the Golem School didn’t exactly give off an intellectual vibe.
From first impressions, they looked more like construction foremen—and in fact, they spent more time on-site than in labs.
A Builder of the Golem School was someone so used to fieldwork that they even carried their own personal tools everywhere.
It wasn’t exactly the kind of job suitable for the Fox Tribe, who had little interest in physical labor.
“Well, what else do you suggest then? Sure, I’ll admit it—the Golem School isn’t exactly the most popular. Unless you’re a Beastman with great stamina…”
So he did know.
That the Golem School was, well, a bit eccentric.
As far as I knew, Builders from other schools weren’t nearly as physically active.
The Golem School valued stamina and physical strength just as much as magical talent—an uncommon mix.
That’s why, even in Haken, overflowing with mage apprentices, the school wasn’t particularly well-received and always struggled with a lack of manpower.
‘The territory could really use more activity from the Golem School, though.’
The Golem School wasn’t just about being a Builder.
Its field was wide—Enchanting, Item Making, even Construction.
For a remote territory like ours, such versatility was invaluable.
Trying to handle all of those fields separately would be impossible with our current resources.
‘Come to think of it, this isn’t a small issue.’
The average age of the Golem School’s Builders was quite high.
Apparently, they hadn’t been able to recruit proper apprentices in Haken for some time.
That’s likely why Elder Benetrang was so sensitive about it.
If time went on like this, the situation would only worsen.
It seemed I’d need to push some fresh apprentices their way.
“Instead of that, why not try recruiting from among the residents?”
“The residents?”
It was true that the Golem School’s peculiarity had made it unpopular among applicants.
Most people who wanted to learn magic imagined working indoors. Who would willingly become a construction foreman instead?
‘Still, that can be quite appealing—depending on who’s looking.’
The muscular, tool-wielding, battle-ready mage-warriors known as the Builders of the Golem School had left a strong impression on the residents of Johnson Territory.
Unlike the Alchemists, who rarely left their labs, these Builders were active and dynamic.
If the Golem School announced recruitment, the macho men of Johnson Territory would leap at the opportunity.
After all, Johnson Territory was full of budding tough guys.
“The residents, huh…”
“I might sound biased, but our territory has plenty of children with strong mana sensitivity. And they’re temperamentally different from the people of Haken—they’d probably love the Golem School.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I can guarantee it. You’ll find good apprentices faster among the residents. Besides, they’re physically stronger than the Fox Tribe.”
“Hmm? That much?”
“Yes, that much. You should take a proper look this time.”
Whether it was due to the environment or natural temperament, the residents of Johnson Territory were unusually receptive to mana.
Despite frequent casualties among knights and soldiers, the ranks were always replenished quickly—proof that there was no shortage of reserve manpower.
They were a warrior people who valued knights and soldiers above all, and for whom training was a way of life.
It was true that Beastmen were generally superior to humans in stamina and strength, but that wasn’t an absolute truth.
Compared to the Black Lions, maybe not—but the Rabbit Tribe or the Fox Tribe weren’t necessarily stronger than our residents.
Of course, the Rabbit Tribe had been growing impressively lately—thanks to their daily consumption of Vitality Grass.
‘These days, even the residents are grinding up Vitality Grass and drinking it like crazy. Once the rumor that it boosts stamina turned out true, it became a craze.’
In any case, I believed that the residents of Johnson Territory were the best candidates for recruitment as Builders.
Elder Benetrang agreed, and once the tunnel project ended, he began recruiting Builder apprentices—gathering quite a few promising rough stones.
And later, those very Builders would go on to achieve remarkable feats across many battlefields.
They became the first combat engineers—using their war hammers to crush enemy skulls and build fortifications in an instant.
Of course, that would happen much later.