A Creative Alchemist Enjoys His Freedom – After Being Banished from His Hometown, He Is Now Free to Create Magical Items with Incredible Effects Under the Control of the Demon King - Episode 46

Episode 46: “Solving the Winged Fairy’s Problem”

“We winged fairies (pixies) are born with one of the following attributes: light, darkness, earth, water, fire, or wind.”

　The winged fairy René stood on the stump and began to speak politely.

“And because our body is small, we’re sensitive to the flow of magical power, so we do things like investigating the magical power of each area and investigating narrow spaces.”

　When the demons and demi-humans arrived in the north, it was the winged fairies who discovered land suitable for farming and grazing.

　As a token of gratitude, the Demon King at the time offered to grant the winged fairies some territory.
　However, not wanting to be out in public, they were given an autonomous region and chose to live in hiding.

“The fairies lived in the forest we were given. And so Soleil, the 『Light-attribute Fairy』, and I, Lune, the 『Dark-attribute Fairy』, were born. But Soleil…”

　With that, René began to talk about her sister.

　René’s younger sister, Soleil, was born with a weak constitution.
　Even a little movement could make her heat up quickly.
　Although she could use strong light magic, she would be bedridden for three days after using it.

“Perhaps the strong magical power of the light is having an adverse effect on her body.”

　The winged fairy René said.

“The magic of light means the power of existence. While it is flowing smoothly through the body, it will be a powerful force, but if it gets even a little stuck… it will be a burden that will eat away at the person’s body.”
“That means the magical power of the light puts a strain on the body.”
“That’s right. Because winged fairies (pixies) bodies are smaller, we are more susceptible to the effects of magic.”
“Is there no solution?”
“Bathing in the river can temporarily relieve symptoms.”

　René pointed across the forest.

“Bathing in running water improves the circulation of magical power for winged fairies. However… for Soleil, this is only a temporary solution. That child’s magical power often stagnates, so she needs to bathe multiple times a day.”
“I see”
“However, she is physically weak, so it is difficult for her to get to the river. Even in places where the current is gentle, she can get swept away. It would be nice if there was something safe that wouldn’t put a strain on her body, so that she could bathe multiple times a day, but… nothing like that exists…”
“Hmm. Then please use this.”

　I took out a 『Foot Bath』 from the ultra-compact simple warehouse.

“Eh? What? Wh, what is this?!”
“It’s a 『Foot Bath』──like a bath that improves the circulation of magical power.”
“Wha-whaaaat?!”
“Just try it out and see how it works.”

　I was glad I made it yesterday as a souvenir.
　If she didn’t need it, I was thinking of giving it to the General or Agnis.

   A foot bath is something you put your feet in, but with a winged fairy, your whole body can get in.
　Moreover, it used a magic stone of the wind, which means 『Circulation』.
　It should be a safe place to shower or use as a bath.

“I’ve used this before to improve Mabel’s magical circulation.”
“Yes. Thor-sama… I still use it at least once every two days.”

　Mabel said, looking embarrassed.

“Thanks to that, the flow of magical power within my body has improved. I think it will also be effective on the winged fairy Soleil-san.”
“…Agnis was also allowed to use the 『Foot Bath』…”

　Agnis muttered softly.

“It felt so good. I think everyone would want a large-foot bath. I’d love to use it to wash the back of someone I care about.”

　…A large 『Foot Bath』?
　In other words, a bathtub with a 『Running water vibration function』.
　……Yeah. That was good. That was really good.

　Amazing Agnis.
　Even I hadn’t thought of that.

　Winged fairy 『Pixie』 can use 『Foot Bath』 as a bath, but ordinary people can only put their feet in it. It feels really good to have your whole body bubbled over in the bath.

     While it was good for some people who improved the magic circulation with a 『Foot Bath』, there might be some people whose magical circulation was so poor that it was not enough. Much worse than the winged fairy Soleil.
　For such people, it would be better to have a bath that also has a 『Foot Bath』 function.

　But it was hard to make the bath itself.
　In that case, I could put a magic item that generates vibrations into the bathtub to create the same effect as a 『Foot Bath』.
　I thought everyone would be happy if we installed it in the bath of the Demon King’s castle.
　I would design it as soon as I get back──

“Thor-sama, Thor-sama.”
“Please be strong. Thor Kanan-sama.”
“──Ha.”

　When I noticed, Mabel and Agnis were poking my back.
　The winged fairy René was also dumbfounded.
　Oh no. I was in the middle of explaining the item.

“Sorry. I was spacing out for a bit.”
“No, no, don’t worry about it.”

　René, the winged fairy, nodded.
　I decided to continue explaining about the 『Foot Bath』.

“This is an item that uses fire magic stones to heat water and wind magic stones to create a water current.”

　I placed the foot bath on top of the stump.
　The winged fairy René entered cautiously.
　In the empty foot bath, René hugged her legs and assumed what’s called a 『Taiiku suwari Position』 in the Hero’s World. In that position, her head just stuck out of the foot bath.
　It seemed just right for a bath.

“The magic of wind has the meaning of “circulation.”

　I said.

“By soaking in water that has this magical power mixed in, you can improve your magical circulation. First, try soaking your legs in it. If that helps, try soaking your whole body in it.”
“…Thank you very much, Alchemist-sama.”

　With that, René left the foot bath.

“I will gratefully use this foot bath for Soleil. I will never forget this kindness…”

　René bowed to me as she touched the foot bath.
　But she still looked serious.

“Maybe there are other problems?”
“…It seems you are well aware of this, alchemist-sama.”

　The winged fairy René sighed with a troubled look on her face.

“Soleil can’t fly when she’s wearing clothes.”
“If she wears clothes… she can’t fly?”
“When winged fairies fly, they infuse their clothes with magic to make them one with their bodies. They can sense the air currents through their clothes and ride the wind to fly.”

　Saying that, René picked up the leaves’s clothes.

“So, in order for fairies to fly, we need to wear clothes that allow magical power to pass through easily. And living leaves are the material that allows magical power to pass through very easily. That’s why fairies wear clothes made of leaves.”
“Is that so…”
“However, after wearing it for a few days, it will wither away, so we have to go back to the forest and remake it.”

　It seemed that was why winged fairies (pixies) had a hard time getting along with other races.
　As soon as leaves’s clothes started to wither, they would have to find new ones right away.
　They tried a lot of other materials, but in the end, leaves were the easiest to get, and they seemed to have the best magical properties. Also, they didn’t cost any money.

　I didn’t know that was the case. I thought leaves were a traditional part of the fairies’ costumes.
　It was surprisingly difficult to fly…

“But for some reason, Soleil’s magic doesn’t work well on leaves. I think it’s probably due to the properties of light magic…”
“Alright then. Here you go.”

　I took out the 『Light Magic Woven Fabric』 from the ultra-compact warehouse.

“This is a light-attribute fabric. If it’s the same attribute, the magical power of the winged fairy (pixie) should pass.”
“……Eh”

　The winged fairy René’s eyes widened.

“L-L-Light-element fabric?! Is there such a thing?!”
“Yes. However, it has the drawback that it becomes transparent when magical power is passed through it, so we need to do something about that…”

　It would take time to create a new magic cloth here.
    Thanks to making the 『UV-cut Parasol』, I was also able to make a two-layered magical fabric, but… I couldn’t let them use my experimental creation without testing it.
　Let’s ask Mabel and Agnis for help here.

“Mabel, can you make fairy-sized clothes here?”
“Yes. It’s okay. As a maid’s courtesy, I always have sewing tools on hand!”

　Mabel slapped her chest.
　As expected of Mabel, she was very reliable.

“Then, could you please use the 『Light Magical Woven Fabric』 to make some clothes for the light winged fairy?”
“I understand. I think I can make fairy-sized clothes in no time. However, if I make them with the 『Light Magical Woven Fabric』, the clothes will become transparent…”
“What if you layered the fabric and let some air in between?”

　When I made a tent with 『Light Magic Woven Fabric』 a while ago, the place where the cloth overlapped became less transparent and turned whitish.
　It seemed that stacking several layers or leaving air between them made it harder for light to pass through.

“I see… so I can just fold the fabric to make pleats or layer several pieces of fabric!”
“Also, I think wrinkled areas make it harder for light to pass through.”

　After saying that, I looked at Agnis.
　Her eyes were shining, and she looked like she really wanted to say something.

“What do you think, Agnis-san?”
“I think it’s a good idea to wear a belt! You can also add a collar or fold the skirt to make a lot of pleats. This will add thickness.
“Yeah. Then, may I ask you a favour?”
“Understood. Agnis also has experience making doll clothes!”
“Let’s make it together, Agnis-sama.”
“Yes, Mabel.”

　Mabel and Agnis were excited.
　I would leave this to them.
　Even though I could make magic fabric, I couldn’t make clothes out of it.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you.”
“Understood!”
“I’ll give it a try!”

　With that, Mabel and Agnis returned to the carriage.

“…to think there was a fabric with light properties…”

　Suddenly, I noticed a faint voice near the ground.
　René, the winged fairy, was sitting on a stump, shivering.

“The Demon King’s Territory has made such great progress under the leadership of Her Majesty the current Demon King, Lady Luquier Evargard…”
“No, I only recently started making this kind of fabric.”
“Recently?”
“It’s been a little over ten days since I came to the Demon King’s territory.”
“…I, is that so?”

　The winged fairy René opened her eyes wide and looked at me.
　Then, she slowly spread her wings and floated her body…

“I, too, want to get out of the forest and see the world.”
“The world?”
“Yes. I want to see how the world is changing, alchemist-sama, and I want to be a part of it. Could you lend me your help?”
“That’s right. Then, I’ll give you the magic fabrics of light, darkness, earth, water, fire, and wind.”

　I said that and stopped.
　By the way, the Chancellor Kelve-san told me. It was okay to give magic items to people personally, but I had to ask for permission if I wanted to give magic items to many people.

“Could you give me some time? I need the Chancellor’s permission to give you a lot of magic fabrics.”

　I said.
　I couldn’t break my promise to Luquier and Kelve-san.

“When I return to the mansion, I will send the application to the Demon King’s Castle, so please wait until it is returned. Once I receive permission, I will give the other magical fabrics to the winged fairies.”
“S-sure!”

　Saying this, the winged fairy René leapt up into the air.
　She came right in front of me and then kissed me on the forehead.

“I would like to thank you on behalf of the winged fairies. We have the utmost respect and loyalty to you, who are changing the way winged fairies live. If you ever need the power of the winged fairies, please let us know. We will fly anywhere on the continent using our wings.”
“That can be after the issue with the light-winged fairy is resolved.”
“Yes. Alchemist-sama.”

　The winged fairy René nodded repeatedly with a serious face.
　He was so close that it felt like she was headbutting me on the forehead. It didn’t hurt, though.
　It was somehow funny and made me smile.

　It’s a really earnest and loyal race. The winged fairies.

　A little while later, Mabel and Agnis came out of the carriage.
　The 『Opaque magic woven clothing of light』 that the two of them created was perfect.
　Even if you held it in your palm and looked through it, you could only vaguely make out the shape of your hand.
　I wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear this, I think. May be.

“If she has the same attribute… I think Soleil’s magic can also pass through.”

    René was smiling as she held up the 『Opaque clothes』.

“That child seemed to have a hard time wearing the leaves’s clothes. Perhaps it is not a good idea for those who are prone to light magic stagnation to wear ordinary clothes. But even in this day and age, even winged fairies can’t fly around naked…”
“Did winged fairies in the age of mythology not wear clothes?”
“Yes. We started wearing clothes after the appearance of the Heroes of Another World. They were constantly unleashing powerful magic, so we were afraid of the sparks and stone chips that would fly at us… That’s why even the winged fairies started wearing clothes.”

　So that was what happened…
　After all, the heroes were all extraordinary beings.
　Apparently, even when they were handling strong light magic, they didn’t get sick. I guess they were using some otherworldly super items to manage their health.

　As we talked, we carried the 『Foot Bath』 and some 『Opaque clothes』 to the entrance to the forest.
　At the same time, I also handed over a spare 『Light Magical Woven Cloth』.
    If we used the 『Opaque clothes』 as a model, the winged fairies should be able to make clothes.

　Of course, I also gave her the nuts, milk, and magic stones I brought as souvenirs.
　It was a gift for the race that would soon become my neighbours, and a sympathy gift for the light-winged fairy Soleil.

“Thank you very much. Alchemist-sama. Everyone.”

　At the entrance to the forest, the winged fairy René bowed deeply.

“I will never forget this kindness. Once Soleil gets better, I will come and say hello to you.”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”
“If you wish to give orders to the winged fairy, please place a letter on the stump.”

　The winged fairy René flew through the air, came right in front of me, and said that.

“We winged fairies will obey your orders, alchemist-sama. If there’s anything you would like us to do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask! Winged fairies are a loyal race, and they enjoy returning favours…”

　I said goodbye to René, who waved her hand while flying around the air──
　Mabel, Agnis, and I got into the carriage and headed off to our next location.