The embankments along Sutrena River had already been completely restored. People with magic useful for repairs and ones with great physical strength must have worked really hard.
I heard that the sculptors assisted too. Constructing levees also required work to improve safety, such as improving the ground underneath and installing foundational structures.
It was currently the middle of the dry season, which would make it early summer in the capital. Everyone worked hard to finish the job before the rainy season. It looks like we’ll make it with time to spare.
Lord Nazel’s plants covered the levees, improving the strength of the structures and preventing erosion caused by rain or the river’s water. There’s a new type of plant besides the usual vines. Cute white flowers with a sweet smell are blooming...
After I got down from Charite, I observed the area around me. Lord Nazel had also alighted from Geni. Even though Geni had descended so rapidly, Lord Nazel looked completely nonchalant.
Lord Nazel performs everything flawlessly, just like usual. If I had been in his shoes, I’d probably be stumbling around right now.
“What kind of plants are those, Lord Nazel?” I asked while pointing at the new plants covering the embankments.
“Those are jasmines. It’s a plant that can be found from Sutrena to Polpystan, though it’s relatively rare in Sutrena. I selectively bred these with my magic to make them grow well in this land too. They’re beautiful plants, so I thought I’d make it so they can be in bloom all year round.”
“They’re pretty and also smell nice.”
“I’ve heard that combining unfermented tea and shade-dried jasmine flowers makes flavored tea. It’s apparently a high-class product in Polpystan.”
“Could we make it using these flowers?”
“Most likely. However, we don’t cultivate tea leaves in Sutrena, so we’d have to procure them from elsewhere or develop tea trees that can grow here.”
“We purchase black tea from other territories... Should we sell the flowers, grow our own tea trees, or organize a joint venture to try and make flavored tea?”
“I’ve allowed the people of Sutrena to freely pick these flowers for personal use. I don’t know whether there’s a demand, but they bloom all year round and their quantity is massive.”
“They still smell great even if you don’t make them into tea. Maybe I should also take a few home with me.”
“Is that so? If you like them, let’s plant some in our garden too.” Lord Nazel was as soft on me as usual.
I stood before the levee and softly touched its stone wall with my hands. It was time to get to work. I activated my magic while imagining the embankment becoming harder and tougher to break.
“Get stronger!”
Perhaps because I’d been using my magic more frequently, I could now use my absolute reinforcement more efficiently than before. The types of things I could reinforce and the ways in which I could reinforce them had gradually increased.
I reinforced a wide area of the levee in one go. With the exception of the jasmines, which I’d intentionally excluded from my magic, both the inside and outside were now significantly tougher. Even with my magic applied to the structure, Lord Nazel’s vines and other plants could grow normally on it; that was the amazing thing about the plants he created with his magic. Incidentally, because they were difficult to care for, Lord Nazel had added a growth-suppressing trait to them during the selective breeding; he really could do anything.
“All right, I’m done! Let’s move on to the next spot.”
I was going to use my magic to reinforce the embankments, starting from the areas where there was a higher risk of damage. I’d just finished using my magic in an area where the river zigzagged a lot. Now that the most worrying part had been taken care of, I could relax a bit. Other areas prone to flooding included the spots where the river got narrower or where multiple smaller streams converged. When it came to topography, lowlands, basins, and alluvial fans were also flood-prone.
“Let’s head to the most upstream part next,” I said. I got on Charite again and flew upstream.
Eventually, a large waterfall came into view ahead of us. From high above where we were flying, a huge amount of water was sliding down the rock surface, accompanied by a thunderous roar. A large, curved rainbow also hung over the area lit by the sun. Even though we were still some distance away, cool water splashed at us.
“Wow!” I cried in surprise.
“Is this your first time seeing a waterfall, Agnes? This is the water flowing down from the mountains to the east of Desnim,” Lord Nazel explained as he flew near me.
“I see! It’s truly impressive!”
Geni and Charite also seemed to enjoy looking at the waterfall as they let out cries of joy.
I wanted to see the view from the top of the waterfall, so I had Charite land at the top of the cliff. When I looked down, I saw the water flowing next to me dropping into the basin below with incredible speed. The tiny droplets of water that danced around like mist felt pleasant. Lord Nazel also landed next to me and looked down at the waterfall basin with me. Geni and Charite, now free of their passengers, started playing together, flying around the waterfall.
“Is there a levee here too?”
“Yes, a little farther downstream, where the river becomes narrower. We plan to gradually adjust the river’s width to make it match its surroundings, but the work hasn’t caught up yet.”
“Ah, I see. It would be great if we had someone with suitable magic for the job.” If we couldn’t find anyone, we’d have to rely on pure manual labor. Torre’s magic should be a little useful, but it would take a long time if he worked alone, and we couldn’t have him permanently stationed here to work on the project.
There are many boulders around the river and the ground looks hard too. Even if I reinforced Torre’s arms with my magic, he wouldn’t finish the job right away. For now, we’d have to start with what we could do.
I looked at Lord Nazel, who seemed to be enjoying the coolness at the waterside. It was a truly picturesque scene; I continued watching over him. He can’t relax much most of the time, so I want him to at least take it easy now.
I slowly walked up to a nearby large rock, sat down, and talked to Lord Nazel.
“This is a pleasant location.”
“Yes, very much so.” Lord Nazel came and sat down next to me; time flowed quietly and leisurely between us.
At some point, Geni and Charite started splashing water at each other inside the waterfall basin.
“Heh heh, how cute. Lord Nazel, I wish I’d also brought my swimsuit.” I spoke what was on my mind as I looked at the wyverns.
Lord Nazel nodded.
“Yes, you’d be cute even in the basin, Agnes. You look adorable in your swimsuit, after all.”
“Hmm?” I somehow felt like we weren’t on the same page.
However, Lord Nazel nonchalantly continued.
“You’d be like the goddess of the waterfall. When we get home, I think I’ll personally ask the sculptors for a ‘Statue of the Waterfall Basin Goddess.’ How about displaying it at the fountain in our garden?”
“This isn’t about me. I was talking about how cute Geni and Charite are.”
“Of course, they’re also cute, but you’re number one in my eyes.” Recently, Lord Nazel had also been unreserved with his words, not just his actions.
“Thank you. Y-You’re also number one for me, Lord Nazel.”
“Can you say that again?” Lord Nazel’s request made me feel embarrassed.
“You’re my number one, Lord Nazel... Um, you’re really dashing. I love everything about you—both your looks and personality,” I replied hesitantly.
Lord Nazel hugged me tightly.
“Ah, I’m so glad to be alive!” he replied in an exaggerated way. Even so, I was happy Lord Nazel thought that way. “Now then, we’ve rested a bit, so I think it’s time to head to the next location.”
It looked like the wyverns had also had their fill of playing in the water, so we decided to depart for the nearest levee. Both of them were shivering and flapping their wings, splashing water around them. Then they flew back to the top of the waterfall. Lord Nazel and I got on their backs again and we flew off from the waterfall and along the river.
Polpystani territory stretched out on the other side of the river. The area close to Sutrena was also covered in forests, and people lived farther to the south. Both the forests and settlements fell under Duke Masroono’s jurisdiction.
“It’s right there, Agnes.” Lord Nazel pointed below from atop Geni.
When I followed his finger, I saw an embankment covered in jasmines. I instructed Charite to descend and she started slowly landing. Next to us, Geni once again swooshed down vertically.
Will they be okay? Lord Nazel was a rider who was fine no matter what happened, so Geni just did as he pleased.
Charite shot her partner a disapproving sidelong glance as she elegantly flew down and landed. Her movements were impeccable and beautiful.
The workers in charge of levee repairs were resting under the shade of nearby trees.
“Oh, Lord Nazelbart has come!”
“Lady Agnes is also with him.”
When they noticed us, they hurriedly stood up and came to greet us.
“Hello, we’ve come to reinforce the embankment!” I greeted them back.
“Ooh!” the men cried happily.
“You’re always such a great help, Lady Agnes. Your matter reinforcement magic is indispensable. It’s incredible that you can reinforce the levees.”
The people of Sutrena only knew about my magic vaguely. They didn’t have much interest in magic to begin with and were the type who didn’t sweat the small stuff, so they also unknowingly helped in covering up the truth behind my absolute reinforcement.
“I’m happy I could be of assistance to all of you.” I stretched out my arms toward the jasmine-covered embankment and lightly used my magic just like before. “Get stronger! Maybe I should also strengthen the jasmines a bit while I’m at it...” When I tried that, the jasmines’ stems grew thicker, and even their petals somehow became more resilient.
I’d had my magic make the jasmines harder rather than make them grow faster. Lately, I’d become able to freely make such adjustments to my magic. Apparently, magic needed practice for one to become used to it. Of course, I’d also made the inside of the embankment much sturdier.
“How about this?” I turned around and saw Lord Nazel and the workers nodding approvingly.
“It’s perfect, Agnes! Thank you!” Even though we had an audience, Lord Nazel hugged me like usual and thanked me in high spirits.
“I still have lots of strength to spare. I can reinforce much more than this.”
After that, Lord Nazel and I visited various locations where I reinforced the levees. At times like this, when I could be of help to others, I felt truly glad that I had this magic.