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 49

Episode 49: “Learning about the compatibility between winged fairies and 『Magic Woven Fabric’s Clothes』”

　We were in the western forest again.
　We stopped the carriage at the end of the road and moved over to the stump.
　I had told the winged fairies (pixies) I met at the house earlier that we were coming here.
　So we were planning to wait for someone to come and pick us up, but──

「「「Please, come into the forest!」」」

　A voice came from the entrance of the forest.
　I still couldn’t see them. I guessed they were still embarrassed.
　But they are welcoming.

“Please don’t hesitate to enter. We’ll show you all the way to René.”
“…we’ve been waiting for you.”
“We welcome you enthusiastically.”
“I’m so excited and nervous, rurururu!”

　Flap, flap. Knock, knock. Slap, slap.

　 I could even hear the sound of trees being struck like musical instruments.
　That was how we were called out…

“Let’s go in, Mabel. Agnis.”
“Yes. Thor-sama.”
“If there’s a guide, I don’t think we’ll get lost inside.”

　I decided to go into the forest.
　Either way, I had to entrust the permit to the winged fairies, and I also wanted to meet the winged fairy of light, Soleil, and ask her a favour.

　Plus, it was exciting to enter the forest of the winged fairies.
　The winged fairies were a mysterious race.
　I was really curious about where they lived.

　So we went into the forest.
　We were walking in a row with Mabel in front of me and Agnis behind me.
　Mabel checked my footing, and Agnis supported me if I tripped.

　That was how I stepped into the forest──

　It was extremely difficult to walk.

“…Watch your steps.”
“Thor-sama. There are large roots in the ground. Please be careful.”

　Winged Fairy, and Mabel said that.
　Looking down, I saw tree roots as thick as a person’s arm. Similar tree roots continued deep into the forest, filling the ground.
　Looking up, I saw the branches of a huge tree that blocked my view.
　The winged fairy that had warned me waved her hand, then hid herself in embarrassment.

　It was easy to see why the winged fairies chose this forest to live in.
　This place wasn’t made for humans or demi-humans to walk on.
　Or rather, there were no paths to begin with, because a winged fairy who could fly in the sky didn’t need one.

　There were no dangerous animals, so there were no animal trails.
　Without the guidance of the winged fairies, it would be impossible to move forward in a straight line.
　This forest was like a barrier created by the winged fairies.

“Please turn right at the tree with triangular leaves.”
“…Then go straight through the trees with the yellow berries.”
“I’ll show you around, even if it costs me my life!”
“Hey, hey, this fruit is delicious; eat some!”

　Mabel caught the fruit as it flew towards her.
　She handed it over to me as it was.

　The fruit was similar to grapes.
　The fruit grains were large, and it only had about three of them.

“That’s a fruit I’ve never seen before.”
“These are Elvas fruits, a speciality of the Demon King’s territory. They’re juicy and delicious.”
“I’ve never seen that before.”
“That’s true. Even Her Majesty the Demon King can only eat it on her birthday.”
“Hang on”

　Wasn’t that a super-luxury item?

“It is a variety that bears fruit randomly, so it is very difficult to find ripe fruit.”
“Agnis has only eaten once, too.”
“I wonder if the winged fairies know when it’s ripe…”
“Maybe there’s an ability to discern the flow of magical power.”
“…Winged fairies are amazing.”

　I divided the Elvas fruit into three pieces and gave one each to Mabel and Agnis.
　I tried my share, and… yes, it was sweet.
　It also had a lot of juice, which moistened the throat.

　We took a short break while eating fruit.
　After taking a short rest, I started walking again…

「「「「It’s here」」」」

　──My vision widened.
　The gaps between the trees widened, revealing a plaza surrounded by flowers and plants.
　It was a place bathed in light, and there was a small spring on the ground.
　There was a rock sticking out of the ground, and water was gushing out of it.

　The winged fairies explained to it us. This was a water place. The river they used for bathing was deep in the forest. They even asked if I wanted to see the place where they bathed.
　I started to nod without thinking, but then I noticed the winged fairies standing next to the water area.

　One of them was René, a black-haired, winged fairy.
　As she floated in the air, I looked at another winged fairy on the ground.

　It was the first child I had ever seen on the ground.
　She was a pure white winged fairy with platinum blonde hair.
　The child was in a silver tub. Her wings were sticking out so that they wouldn’t get wet, and she was relaxing in the 『Foot Bath』.

　The 『Foot Bath』 was vibrating slightly, so it appeared to be in use.
　She was humming happily as she shook her shoulders out of the bath.

“How are you feeling? Soleil”

　René lowered her altitude and sat on the edge of the 『Foot Bath』.

“We’ll know for sure once we see how it goes, but just to be sure, please tell me yourself.”
“…You see. René ane-sama.”
“Yes. Soleil.”
“Soleil is feeling very good for the first time since he was born.”

　Sticking her long legs out of the 『Foot Bath』, the white winged fairy—Soleil said.

“This bath that alchemist-sama gave me… I can tell that it’s regulating the magical power in my body. It’s flushing out the stagnant magical power and allowing it to circulate throughout my body. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it can do this…”
“That’s good for you. Soleil.”
“Y-Yes. I would like to express my gratitude to the alchemist-sama.”
“That’s right. It is a very good thing to express your gratitude.”
“Yeah. If I had the chance to meet him, I would thank him profusely. And I would repay him with my life.”
“I think it would be best to tell him that directly.”
“……Eh?”
“I heard that he was also concerned about Soleil’s health, so I invited him over.”

　René, the dark-winged fairy, extended her arm towards us.
　There was a loud bang.
　The light-winged fairy Soleil stood up in the 『Foot Bath』 and looked my way.

　I saw her pure white back.
　Translucent wings grew from around the shoulder blades.
　Her wet hair covered her back, avoiding her wings. It seemed as though a magical force field was being generated from her wings.
　The force field, which could also be used for flight, was probably bouncing off her wet hair.

　Apart from their wings, their body structure was no different from that of humans or demi-humans.
　It was just the size of the body that was small.
　But winged fairies were sensitive to magical power.
　So, were the wings an organ that reacted to magical power, or was there something else? As I was thinking about this, I noticed Soleil’s face turning bright red.
　She stood stiff with her eyes wide open, and her small body began to tremble.
　This was bad; I had been looking at her too intently, I thought, and as soon as I looked away, René blocked my view.

“My apologies. Alchemist-sama. It seems Soleil has been unexpectedly surprised.”

　René, the dark-winged fairy, said this apologetically.

“Soleil has already bathed in the bath created by the alchemist-sama and is wearing the clothes created by the alchemist-sama. In other words, it is as if the alchemist-sama is embracing her body the way she was when she was born.”
“…I’m not sure about that logic.”
“That’s why I showed her around while she was taking a bath, but… it seems the stimulation was still too strong for Soleil.”
“…That’s true. You can tell just by looking at her.”
“Excuse me, but please wait a little while until Soleil gets dressed.”

　René said, bowing her head.
　She was serious.

“I’m sorry too. Now, I’ll turn around until you get dressed. Soleil-san──”

　I said to René.

“Could you please help me out a bit while Soleil gets ready?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Mabel and Agnis, please.”
“Yes, Thor-sama.”
“Understood!”

　Mabel, Agnis, and I sat down at the roots of a tree with our backs to the square.
　Then I took out a magic woven fabric of darkness from the 『Ultra-compact Simple Warehouse』.
　Mabel and Agnis nodded, acting exactly as we had agreed.

　First, Mabel took the magic woven fabric and stretched it out so that it would be flat.
　Agnis then took out the needle and thread.

“Could you please lie face down on this cloth? René-san”
“Eh? Yes? Could this be… for the measurement?”
“That’s right. I want René-san to serve as a pattern for winged fairies (pixies) clothes..”

　I had talked to Mabel about giving clothes to the winged fairies.
　As a result, we concluded that about three pieces of clothing would be fine without permission.

　I planned on having the winged fairies deliver the application to the Demon King’s Castle.
　As a token of my appreciation, I would like to give some clothes to the winged fairies who deliver them.
　So I asked René to help me measure the basic size of the winged fairy. The other winged fairies were shy and didn’t come out easily.

“So, René-san. Did the 『Foot Bath』 have any effect?”
“As you can see, Soleil has become much healthier.”

　René answered while lying face down on the cloth.

“She also seems to like it, as she has been taking a bath every few minutes since then. It seems like the flow of magical power is regulated when she is bathed in it… Up until yesterday it seemed like she had a hard time getting up, but now she is flying around normally.”
“I see… That’s good to hear.”

　It is very nice.
　It’s nice to know that the items you make are useful.

“The light-element clothing seems to be working well. Not only can she fly while wearing it, but it also seems that she can move the clothing as if it were her own limbs.”

　──But then René said something unexpected.

“Can she move them like arms and legs?”
“Yes. Apparently, she can spread out her skirt and use it as spare wings. That way, it’ll be easier to change positions in the air.”
“…They’re amazing. The winged fairies.”
“No, I think the most amazing thing is the cloth you made, alchemist-sama…”

　René looked at me with sparkling eyes.

　But… I understood.
　lf the winged fairies wore clothes with the same attributes, they might be able to move and transform them as they wish.
　What about people of other races?
　I wondered if Agnis would change the shape of her clothes if she put on the clothes of the fire magic-woven fabric.
　…There was room for experiments.

　In that case, it might be best to get René to try it out first.
　As a defence mechanism in case the winged fairies were attacked by demon beasts… yeah.

“Winged fairies really are mysterious beings. When I talk to them, a lot of ideas come to mind.”
“No, no. I’m glad I could be of help.”
“For the time being, can you leave the design of René’s clothes to me?”
“Yeah. Certainly.”

　René laughed happily.

“I believe that, as an alchemist, you can create something that will utilise René’s powers.”
“Of course. I plan to make something that will utilise René’s magical powers.”
“That’s a relief!”
“Yes. I’ll make sure it’s safe.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Thank you. I look forward to working with you.”

　Me and the winged fairy René bowed.
　Alright, I got permission.
　Let’s give René’s clothes magically movable wings and ribbons that could move like tentacles.

“Thor-sama is truly a kind person. To think that he cares so much about René-san…”

　Agnis wiped her eyes, looking deeply moved.
　Mabel… yeah, she seemed to know what I was thinking.
　She nodded as if she understood.

　While we were talking, it seemed that Soleil had finished her preparations.

“Oh, sorry to have kept you waiting, Alchemist-sama…”

　──When I turned around, I saw Soleil, wearing a magically woven light garment, floating in the air.

　It was magnificent.
　Her long platinum-blonde hair swayed like feathers.
　She was nervous; her shoulders were shaking slightly.
　But those big eyes were looking straight at me.

“It’s nice to meet you, Alchemist-sama. I’m Soleil, a light-attribute winged fairy.”

　Soleil said as she bowed her head.
　Her white skin seemed to glow faintly in the light from the sky.

　She’s wearing the clothes of  『Magic woven fabric of light』 made by Mabel and Agnis.
　When magical power was passed through it, it became transparent, but with the two of them, it had been transformed into 『Opaque clothing』. As clothing, it seemed to function as a cover for the body.
　In particular, the areas around the chest and waist, which were decorated with multiple ribbons and folds, were not at all transparent. As expected from Mabel and Agnis, they were very skilled.

“Sorry for the late reply. Thank you for the bath and the clothes.”

　Soleil bowed again.
　Every time she moved, the skirt and ribbon changed direction and shape.
　It was like a spare wing.
　Just as René said, it seemed that this clothing could be controlled by the wearer’s will.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Thor Kanan, the alchemist. These are my companions, Mabel and Agnis.”

　After I introduced them, Mabel and Agnis bowed their heads.
　Then I looked at Soleil.

“First of all, let me hear your thoughts on the 『Foot Bath』. I’m planning on making a 『Fizzy Bath』 for larger demons and demi-humans, so I’d like to hear what it feels like to soak your whole body in the 『Foot Bath』.”
“Eh, yeah.”

　Soleil looked down in embarrassment, then

“Oh, you see. My body was always hot, like I had a fever. I knew that it was because the magic of the light was too strong and wasn’t flowing properly through my body. I was bathing in the river to circulate it, but…”
“It went back to normal pretty quickly, right?”
“Yes. But when I took a bath, in the bath the alchemist made… the heat that had gathered in one place… slowly melt to every corner of my body. My whole body felt warm… and magical power spread to every corner, and the pain… disappeared.”

　Soleil muttered while making a praying gesture.

“And then I waited for a while, but it never came back.”
“Huh? But René-san said that you took bath in the 『Foot Bath』 every few minutes…”
“That was because I was afraid that if I stopped taking baths, I’d go back to how I was. However…”

　Soleil fluttered her translucent wings and leaped into the air.
　Then, using the light magic woven fabric clothing as auxiliary wings, she flew around me.
　Then she stopped in front of me again.

“It’s probably okay now. I can fly just like this. That’s the feeling I have.”
“Please don’t push yourself too hard. Please use the 『Foot Bath』 regularly. If you notice anything unusual, please let me know immediately. I will provide user support.”
“Oh, I understand.”
“What about your clothes?”
“These clothes… are like a part of me.”

　Soleil said, picking up the hem of her dress.

“Magic power flows through it very easily. It doesn’t feel heavy at all. I can move the skirts of my clothes to catch the wind or flatten them out to change direction. It’s very convenient.”
“It means your body feels more comfortable.”
“That’s right. I have nothing but gratitude for the alchemist-sama…”

　I understood.
　As expected, clothes made of magic woven-fabric seemed to have a great effect on winged fairies.
　The reason was… somewhat predictable.

　The winged fairies channel magical energy into their leaf clothing, allowing them to sense the flow of the wind.
　The leaves varied in hardness and thickness, and all they could do was wrap them around them to protect themselves without allowing them to move freely.

　But the magic woven fabric was light and soft. The thickness was also unified.
　In addition, it was highly effective at letting through the magical power of one’s own attributes.
　If leaves could be made into a part of the body, then it should be possible to make magic-woven fabric into a part of the body as well.
　So I guessed they could move them freely and use them as auxiliary wings when flying.

“…Thor-sama.”

　When I noticed, Mabel was tugging at the sleeve of my shirt.

“May I speak to you for a moment, Thor-sama?”
“What’s wrong, Mabel?”
“You intend to give clothes to all the winged fairies eventually, don’t you, Thor-sama?”
“Yeah. If possible.”

　I didn’t know how many winged fairies there were, so it might not be possible to get all of them.
　However, if I get permission from the Demon King Luquier, I might be able to turn to a craftsman to make clothes.
　That way, all I needed to do was make the magic-woven fabrics.

　It was not that difficult to make, as all I had to do was add the elements of light, darkness, earth, water, fire, and wind to the fabric.
　If I received a large piece of cloth and added attributes to it, I could instantly turn it into a large piece of magic-woven fabric.
　All that was left to do was cut the cloth and make clothes…

“Even if we can’t get everyone, I think we can manage around 100 or 200 people.”
“If that happens, the winged fairies will be able to live normal lives in the Demon King’s territory, right?”
“That’s right. They’re shy, so they may not be able to go out in public anytime soon. But I think they’ll be able to go to work and do things like that normally.”
“Moreover, clothes made of magic-woven fabric are useful when flying in the sky, right?”
“Yeah. It looks like it can be used as an auxiliary wing.”
“That’s right. Soleil-san. It looked like it was really easy to fly…”

　Mabel’s face became serious.

“So, if Thor-sama gives the fairies clothes, many of them will have the same abilities as Soleil-san, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Does that mean that, with Thor-sama’s help, the abilities and lifestyles of the winged fairies will evolve?”
“……Yeah”
“In other words, wouldn’t that mean that Thor-sama will cause one species to evolve…?”

　…Indeed. That may be true.

“But that’s not my power. Because the magic woven fabric is based on the 『Body Pillow』 of the hero’s world.”

　I said.

“Magic Woven Fabric is made from the 『Body Pillow』 of the Hero’s World. In other words, it’s no exaggeration to say that magic woven fabric is also an item of the hero’s world.”
“……Ah”

　Mabel put her hand on her chin and looked thoughtful.

“Certainly, that’s true. The fact that there is a 『Body Pillow』, which means that the magic woven fabric, which is the material, also exists in the world of the heroes.”
“Yeah. In that case, it’s possible that the hero was also wearing clothes made of magic woven fabric.”
“A hero would wear clothes made of this material?”
“It’s not in the records, though. If you think about it that way, it explains the hero’s quick movements and super-reactions. There was a swordsman who was said to have eyes in the back of his head.”
“Yeah. There is a legend that he cut down a monster that came from behind as he turned around.”
“Hmm. He’s the hero that appears in the legend.”

　I nodded.

“That means that the hero, like a winged fairy, channelled magic into his clothes, making them a part of himself… in other words, like a sensory organ.”
“For example, he could have used magic-woven fabric as a cloak and used it as a sensory organ, right?”
“Yeah. By doing that, I think he was able to sense the other person’s presence and react super quickly.”
“…Indeed, if that’s the case, it makes sense why there are heroes with such hyper-reactions.”

　Mabel took my hand and seemed convinced,

“If that’s what magic woven fabric is, then it’s probably inevitable that it will change the way the winged fairies live their lives.”
“It’s an item from the Hero’s World.”

　That was probably why the Prime Minister Kelve-san asked me to get permission before spreading it.
　If the magic woven fabric was spread carelessly, it might end up spreading all over the Empire.
　Prime Minister Kelve-san thought about it that much before handing me the application form.

　I realised he was an incredible person with great foresight.
　I was glad the Prime Minister was on my side.

“For now, I think I’ll start by getting a few winged fairies to use the magic woven fabric’s clothes.”
“That’s true. Winged fairy clothes require less fabric.”
“If it’s a small magical woven fabric, there’s no use for it even if someone gets it.”

　Mabel and I looked at each other and nodded.
　Agnis and René continued to take measurements for clothes, with Soleil helping them.
　Soleil was flying energetically between the two of them.
　If that was the case… I thought it was okay to ask.

“Actually, I have a favour to ask of you, Soleil-san.”

　I looked at the light-winged fairy Soleil and said that.
　She was flying around, and then she came in front of me.

“First, can you take a look at this?”

　I took out a 『UV-cut Parasol』 from the ultra-compact simple warehouse.
　I opened the pure white umbrella and placed it at the base of the tree.

“I was researching holy swords, and as part of that, I created a 『parasol that can protect against light attack magic』.”
“A parasol that can block light attack magic…wait, there’s such a thing!?”

　Soleil stared in amazement at the pure white parasol.
　The same goes for René.
　From the top of the branches, I could hear the voices of the other fairies. Everyone was surprised. Or rather, it seemed like it was the first time some of them had seen a parasol. Some of them were asking, “Is it a vehicle?” or “A house?” It was true that, from the fairies’ point of view, it seemed like it could be used for a vehicle or a house.　

　We originally came here looking for someone who could use light-attribute magic.
　I had almost given up because the user, Soleil, was in poor health… but if she was feeling better now, I didn’t think it would be a problem to talk to her.
　I decided to continue the explanation.

“This is a copy of an item from the hero’s world. It has been proven that it can extinguish the light of the magic lamp. However, I can’t test whether it can actually block light magic attacks. There are no light magic users around.”
“So that’s what you meant when you said light magic was necessary…?”

　Soleil nodded in understanding.

“I heard from René why you needed Soleil. You wanted a light magician to cooperate.”
“Yes. Of course, once you feel better.”

　I said.

“I’d like you to use just one strong offensive spell. Can you do that?”
“I understand.”

　Soleil flew in front of me with a soft noise.
　Then, just like René had done, she gave me a kiss on the forehead.

“Right now… I’m still worried about my health. But, in a little while… I will definitely be by your side. I won’t just do it once; I’ll be with you until you are satisfied. Alchemist-sama.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Also… I’m still embarrassed right now, but I think I’ll get used to people seeing my skin. Once I do, I’ll be with you until you’re satisfied, Alchemist-sama.”
“Wait. That’s a whole other story.”

　Soleil seemed to have made up her mind, but I quickly stopped her.
　Well, I am curious about the beauty of the winged fairy’s form, but…oh well, never mind for now.

　Anyway, now we could experiment with the 『UV-cut Parasol』.
　When Soleil would arrive, we would conduct the experiment in the presence of General Raizenga.

　Just to be on the safe side, I’d better talk to Luquier about it.
　I would send a letter along with my application.

　I wrote the application to Prime Minister Kelve while in the carriage.
　I would write the letter here.
　As for the clothes for the winged fairy that would carry it… Mabel and Agnis have already started preparations to make them.

　One was for René. She was also the one who negotiated with us, so it would be easier if I gave her some clothes.
　The other two clothes… would depend on whether someone delivered the mail.
　Let’s hear your hopes.

“As I said before, I would like the letter to be delivered to the castle.”

　I said, looking up through the branches.

“I’d like to ask two of you winged fairies to help me out──”
“Thor-sama?!”
“Those words are dangerous. Thor Kanan-sama!?”

　I instinctively looked towards Mabel and Agnis.
　They both pointed overhead.

　…Ah, damn it.
　The moment I noticed my gaffe and looked over the branch of the tree──

「「「「「「「「「「I’ll be happy to help!!」」」」」」」」」」

　From directly above, many winged fairies rushed towards me.

　First of all, I had to remove the winged fairies that were sticking to me, clinging to me, and hiding inside my clothes──
　Before I knew it, I had woken up the child who had been sleeping in my pocket──
　I had to pull over a child who was trying to get into an ultra-compact simple warehouse (that was so hard)──

　In the end, I handed the application form and letter to the two winged fairies.
　After being given their new clothes, the two girls danced around us with glee, then took off towards the castle, with several of the children in leaves’s clothes chasing after them.

　The flight speed was different.
　The children wearing clothes made from leaves were being kept at a distance by the children wearing clothes made from magic woven fabric. As I thought, making auxiliary wings out of magic woven fabric really did work…

　Then we handed our clothes over to René and headed towards the exit from the forest.

　René promised to visit me from time to time.
　Soleil said that once her condition stabilised, she would come to conduct the experiment.

　And so, Mabel, Agnis, and I left the western forest, seen off by many winged fairies.

“I wonder if Luquier-sama and His Excellency the Prime Minister will give me permission about clothes.”
“I think Her Majesty will give to permission, but the Prime Minister… it may be difficult.”
“Agnis will ask the Father to send a letter to the castle.”

　While talking like that, we returned to General Raizenga’s mansion.
　Now we just have to wait for the decision from Luquier and the Prime Minister Kelve-san.

Translator Note:- If you are seeing too many 『I understood』 that’s because in Japanese it was something like an expression to show they just got the idea about the situation or something similar like 『Aa haa』.