Let’s Manage the Tower

Book 5: Volume 2 Chapter 11, Gathering Materials

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

In the Elf Village, where a small miracle had occurred, voices of praise for Kousuke grew louder with each passing day.

The subtle tensions of the past had already faded into memory.

Some might view it as a drastic turnaround, but since things were moving in a positive direction, Kousuke had no intention of interfering. Furthermore, he had no desire to dwell on the past. That was ultimately Collette’s matter to manage. Given the ongoing interactions between the Elf Village and the Tower, he believed maintaining good relations would serve everyone better than prolonging old grievances.

Still, he could not help feeling concerned that enthusiasm in the village was running a bit too high. But that fell under the village to self manage. Kousuke did not wish to overstep.

While the village buzzed with renewed energy, a more practical matter was unfolding elsewhere.

Shrein was delivering a lecture to Shiomala and several other Elves. Not Kousuke, who had already returned to the Management Floor of Amamiya Tower. Shrein had insisted on staying behind, and given her expertise, it made sense. She possessed the second-highest understanding of Magic Circles after Kousuke, making her the perfect choice for this task.

The Magic Circle Kousuke had created would require long-term maintenance to function properly. Shiomala, who could travel to the base of the World Tree, would be the one to physically work on the Magic Circle. However, the materials needed would require other village Elves to venture outside and gather them from the forest.

This lecture was to explain exactly that.

The Elves broke into a cold sweat as they heard the full outline from Shrein and Shiomala.

“D-Do you really need all this?” One of them asked, staring at the paper before him.

His expression clearly showed distress. The list was longer than they had anticipated. More materials to gather from the forest than they had imagined possible. It was not just him; every Elf present wore the same troubled look.

Shiomala glanced at Shrein, thinking it would be better for her to explain, given her closer connection to Kousuke. Catching Shimala’s meaning, Shrein nodded and spoke.

“The amount written there is what’s needed once per year. It shouldn’t be too difficult for you Elves to collect, should it?”

Shrein was right. It was certainly a quantity that two or three Elves could gather over the course of a year. The burden on manpower was not unreasonable. The problem lay in what they were being asked to collect.

“Y-You’re certainly correct.” The Elf replied hesitantly, “but if we use these materials to maintain the barrier, then there are other things we need…”

“I don’t know what those other things are.” Shrein interrupted, her tone matter-of-fact, “but it comes down to which is more important: those things, or maintaining the forest barrier. By the way, maintaining a Magic Circle becomes meaningless if even a single maintenance cycle is skipped. I’m sure you understand what that means.”

Even a regular Magic Circle requires frequent maintenance. By that standard, maintaining this particular Magic Circle only once per year was already miraculous. Moreover, if the Magic Circle’s quality deteriorated from neglect, restoring it to its original state would be impossible. The nature of Magic Circles dictated that rebuilding from scratch would be preferable compared to attempting any repairs.

The Elves fell silent.

“The choice is yours.” Shrein said with the air of someone discussing someone else’s problem, watching their anguished expressions, “but I’m sure you understand the stakes without me spelling them out for you.”

Romana, who was among the gathered Elves, tilted her head thoughtfully as she studied the paper.

“I’d like to ask: Is it really possible to maintain such a massive Magic Circle with only these materials?”

It was a Magic Circle that had astounded nearly every Elf in the village. Just imagining the resources it must have consumed made clear this Magic Circle must consume a ton. The materials listed in the document seemed small in comparison, at least to Romana.

The other Elves seemed to share her sentiment, and almost all of them turned to look at Shrein expectantly.

“Don’t worry about that,” Shrein assured them. “You may think so, but Kousuke is the God in this field. He’s able to accomplish something that incredible.”

As she spoke, Shrein recalled the Magic Circle that had appeared days earlier. That Magic Circle contained every necessary element while being designed to minimize cost. This was a feat that required ideas that would normally be unthinkable. Kousuke created it casually, yet they embodied concepts beyond conventional understanding.

Shrein was somewhat confident in her own Magic Circle abilities, but even she felt she was nowhere close to Kousuke’s level. Though others would consider Shrein brilliant and talented, in this case she was simply being compared to an unbeatable opponent.

Hearing Shrein’s words, Romana sighed and looked around at her people.

“We must secure the materials listed here every year. This is a village decision.”

“But, Chief!” One Elf protested. “Then what about the elixir…”

Romana shook her head firmly.

“The elixir is important to us, but maintaining the barrier is far more important. There’s no comparison between them.”

More than half the Elves groaned but nodded in agreement. The remaining Elves followed suit, albeit reluctantly. In the end, all the Elves gathered there reached the same conclusion: it was unavoidable if they wanted to maintain the barrier.

“By the way,” Romana asked, “after collecting these materials, will the shrine maiden process them?”

Shrein and Shiomala exchanged glances and smiled wryly.

“That was the initial plan,” Shiomala explained, “but I was somewhat concerned, so I asked that either Kousuke or Shrein come here periodically to oversee it.”

“I don’t think Elves skilled at compounding medicinal herbs would fail though.” Shrein added with a shrug.

Even with rare materials involved, Elves were exceptionally skilled at handling anything found in the forest. This was especially true for High Elves, a superior race among Elves. As a High Elf, Shiomala’s technical proficiency far exceeded that of ordinary Elves.

The Elves, aware of this, looked uncertain how to react, their expressions conflicted.

“So please don’t worry too much about the processing.” Shiomala said, sensing the awkward atmosphere and forcefully concluding the discussion.

The gathered Elves soon left, leaving only Shrein, Shiomala, and Romana in the room.

Almost as soon as the others had departed, Romana bowed deeply to Shrein.

“I’m sorry. To think we had to argue over something like this, even after all you’ve done for us…”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Shrein said, waving her hand dismissively. “Both Kousuke and I understand that each race has things they value. It’s only natural.”

Romana had begun apologizing, but Shrein genuinely did not think it was necessary. Vampires had their own precious things too, after all.

“Besides,” She continued, “regardless of individual thoughts, in the end you chose to maintain the Magic Circle.”

Neither Kousuke nor Shrein would have objected if the Elves had chosen otherwise. Ultimately, it was their decision to make. Since the Elves had chosen to properly maintain the Magic Circle, Shrein and Kousuke intended to fully support them.

In that sense, the Elves gathered here had chosen the best possible outcome.