A new house was being built in the city the very next day. With the giants as our main workers, other monster races worked together and capitalized on their strengths to speed up the construction work.
I watched them from a short distance away. “Looks like we’ll wrap up by tomorrow,” I muttered under my breath.
Though I was pretty much just talking to myself, Amelia picked up on my words and visibly wilted. “I’m so sorry...”
“What for?”
“For troubling everyone with my request...”
“Please, Amelia. It’s nothing. Besides, the monsters aren’t doing this just because of my orders.”
The songstress turned to me in surprise. She seemed to be under the assumption that the monsters would go to the ends of the earth so long as I, their king, gave the word.
“It’s all thanks to your concert,” I explained. “Your voice made a huge impression on them. They were more than glad to help you move in.”
“How could that—”
Before she could humble herself as always, two adorable slimes began bouncing around her feet.
“Amelia’s song!”
“We love it lots!”
“Oh...” Her expression softened. Their endearing encouragement slowly washed away the befuddlement on her face.
I returned my gaze to the partly constructed house.
Until now, Amelia had been a guest—a state guest, in fact—as I, her host, was none other than the king of this nation and her biggest fan. But things would be different moving forward—though not the part about me being her fan, of course. Since she had agreed to move in, it simply wouldn’t do for her to keep borrowing a room in the reception hall. So, we all got together to build her a home.
Incidentally, Asuna, Jodie, and Scarlet lived nearby. They had long grown accustomed to life in this city of monsters, but Amelia was still a new citizen. It only made sense to let her live near her fellow humans. Even if she wanted to relocate in the future, this was an ideal spot for her first home.
“Is there anything you need?” I asked her. “You never planned on staying long, after all. There must be a few things you’re missing now that you’re moving in permanently. Let me know, and I’ll have it all prepared. Whatever we don’t have in this city, my brother can procure for us.”
“Er, but...”
“Please, no need to hold back.” Sensing her hesitation, I added, “My brother is a merchant, so he’d be more than glad—grateful, even—for the extra business.”
That seemed to do the trick. With just some lingering reluctance, Amelia slowly spoke up. “I do have...one request.”
“Go on.”
“It’s, um... It’s about this city’s magic.”
“Hmm? Do you mean our spells for day-to-day life...?”
Amelia nodded gravely. The reluctance in her expression was replaced by a mix of discomfort and embarrassment.
“What’s wrong with them?”
“Well, until now, the maids have been casting them for me...because I cannot do it myself.”
“What? You can’t?”
“No. Apparently, I cannot use magic at all.”
“Not a single spell?”
“I’m afraid not...” Amelia hesitantly nodded. Now, the embarrassment was most stark in her expression.
“Strange,” I muttered. “It should be usable to even those unpracticed with magic... I made sure of it.”
Truth be told, there were two types of spells incorporated into our magic infrastructure. The first were vital ones like the Liamnet, which I made sure only my familiars could cast. The second were those for day-to-day use like Light—also vital in a different sense—which I made so anybody could use. And by “anybody,” I really meant anybody—even those who’d never wielded magic before.
We could compare it to lighting a fire. Skilled survivalists could light a fire with just some dried twigs, but most people couldn’t. Give them a flint, and more people could manage. Toss in a fire striker, and it became even easier. What I did with our magic infrastructure spells was basically preparing all three tools to ensure everyone could start a fire.
“Don’t tell me...” I whipped my face to Amelia, who looked back at me in confusion. “Amelia, may I have your hand, please?”
“Er, like this...?” She reluctantly offered me her hand.
“Excuse me.” I held her hand between mine and closed my eyes.
“Y-Your Majesty?!”
I scanned her body, and my suspicions were immediately confirmed. I opened my eyes and met Amelia’s gaze. For some reason, her cheeks were flushed. “It seems you have no mana.”
“No mana...?”
“Yes. It’s a rather rare case. Most people still have a minuscule amount of mana even if they can’t use magic. Hmm... This may not be the best example, but think of it like a canteen. Even if you empty it, some moisture would remain inside.”
“Oh...”
“But you, Amelia... Your canteen has nothing. It’s completely empty.”
Amelia visibly wilted in disappointment. “Then I suppose I cannot live here... I apologize for—”
“So,” I told her, “I’d like you to carry this with you.”
From my item box, I took out several grape-sized beads and offered it to her. Though surprised, she held her hand out palm facing upward, where I dropped around ten pieces.
“What are these?” she asked.
“A little something I’ve prepared for such cases. I’ve read about manaless people before, you see. Crush that, and it will provide just enough mana to moisten your canteen.”
“Wow...” She stared at the beads in a daze.
“Go on. Give it a try.”
“L-Like...this?” She crushed one. Immediately, her surroundings lit up thanks to the spell Light. She broke out into an equally bright smile. “Oh! It worked!”
“It did. There should be no problem, then.” I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Since she was a guest, I hadn’t realized that she’d been relying on the elven maids for these things. It was a weight off my shoulders to have fixed this issue so soon.