On The Eve Of Awakening

Thanks to Karan-san’s healing magic, I had completely recovered.

And once that happened, traveling became enjoyable.

I even had enough peace of mind to appreciate the changing scenery and sample the local cuisine, whose ingredients and seasonings varied from place to place.

It had been about ten days since we left the royal capital.

As we traveled west, the greenery gradually disappeared, giving way to vast stretches of barren wilderness dominated by jagged rocks.

The roads had grown increasingly terrible, and today our carriage was once again rocking and rolling in every direction.

“My lord, Gaurea Fortress has come into view.”

At Karan-san’s prompting, I poked my head out of the window.

“Wow! It’s much bigger than I expected!”

Beyond the road, I could see a deep valley nestled between two mountains.

Gaurea Fortress was an enormous structure resembling a dam that spanned the valley.

It reminded me of Hangu Pass, which I’d seen in a manga set in ancient China.

Apparently, the fortress was approximately seventy meters tall and 180 meters wide.

What particularly caught my attention were the two windmills protruding above the fortress walls, their blades turning slowly.

“It’s a much more impressive structure than I imagined. Since they were willing to make someone like me its lord, I thought it would be a much smaller fort.”

“Gaurea Fortress is a strategic stronghold in the west. Although monster invasions from that direction are infrequent, it remains an important base for our kingdom.”

That made me realize just how serious my responsibilities were, but would I really be able to serve as its lord?

My anxiety only continued to grow.

I’d begun to understand how to use my magical energy, but I was still nowhere near being able to control it properly…

When we arrived at the fortress, the general responsible for military affairs came out to greet me.

“I’m General Elietta Paimon. A pleasure to meet you.”

General Paimon was a tall, imposing woman with red hair.

She wore her elaborate military uniform in a stylishly casual manner, and her figure was outstanding.

When I’d heard the word “general,” I’d imagined a bearded middle-aged man, but she was nothing like that.

She looked to be in her late twenties at most.

“I’m Takeru Kinoshita. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Technically, I would be her superior, but in the military, ability was what mattered.

Karan-san had already informed me that General Paimon was the one who effectively held power here.

I made sure to treat her with appropriate respect.

“Hmm. So you don’t look any different from an ordinary human.”

General Paimon examined me with an unabashedly curious gaze.

The soldiers surrounding us also seemed extremely interested.

“Don’t take it personally. This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone summoned from another world. It’s not just me. Everyone here is excited.”

They seemed more frightened than excited, though.

Some of them even flinched and hunched their shoulders whenever I looked in their direction.

Karan-san leaned closer and whispered into my ear.

“Because they lack accurate information, people in remote regions tend to fear those from other worlds.”

So they were afraid of us because they didn’t really understand what we were.

Well, I supposed I could clear up their misunderstandings gradually.

“By the way, my lord.”

General Paimon addressed me with a challenging look in her eyes.

“I’ve heard that people summoned from other worlds possess powerful Jobs. If I recall correctly, yours was…”

“C-Construction Company.”

“Yes, that’s it. The report says you possess abilities similar to those of a carpenter, but I can’t quite imagine what that means. Would you mind demonstrating your powers for everyone?”

Here it comes!

For a moment, I felt as though someone had seized my heart, but I forced myself to remain composed.

Back in the royal capital, I’d endured the humiliation of being unable to accomplish anything.

But I wasn’t the same person I’d been yesterday.

Thanks to Karan-san grabbing my backside, I’d finally figured out how to use my magical energy.

I should now be able to demonstrate the true abilities of my Construction Company Job.

Probably…

After all, I’d been riding in a carriage this entire time, so I hadn’t actually had a chance to test my powers in practice yet.

“Construction Company is a special ability that allows me to build houses. I can construct and repair buildings entirely through magic, without needing any labor or building materials.”

“Oh…? Then let’s see what you can do.”

“All right.”

For now, showing them even a glimpse of my abilities should be enough.

I could theoretically construct an entire house, but with my current abilities, it would probably take so long that I couldn’t even estimate how many days I’d need.

The simplest thing I could make would be… a concrete block wall, perhaps.

“All right, then. I’ll make a wall appear right here.”

“Very well.”

With everyone watching, I began circulating the magical energy stored in my abdomen throughout my body.

Ten minutes later.

“Er… My lord…”

General Paimon approached me with a bewildered expression as I struggled to construct the concrete block wall.

“Y-Yes? What is it?”

“Is it ready yet?”

“Just a little longer. I’m almost there…”

I had both hands pressed against the ground and was continuously channeling magical energy into it.

Sparks of light had been crackling and flashing like electricity for some time, but there was still no sign of the concrete block wall taking shape.

Since this was my first attempt at creating something, I hadn’t gotten the hang of it yet.

My forehead was damp with sweat, not from exhaustion, but from anxiety.

Some of the soldiers were even struggling to suppress their yawns.

I knew I needed to finish it quickly, but things simply weren’t going according to plan.

Nevertheless, I finally managed to get close to completing it.

“All right, it’s finished!”

With a small explosive pop, the concrete block wall materialized in a puff of smoke.

It was approximately 150 centimeters tall and ninety centimeters wide.

“Oh, so this is your power, my lord.”

Paimon-san casually reached out her hand.

“Ah, be careful!”

I tried to warn her, but it was already too late.

I hadn’t constructed a proper foundation for the wall.

General Paimon had barely pushed it, but the entire concrete block wall toppled over effortlessly.

Worse still, because I’d made it without any steel reinforcement, it developed a large crack when it struck the ground.

“S-Sorry…”

“It’s fine…”

An indescribably awkward silence settled over us.

The soldiers’ faces also showed a mixture of disappointment and ridicule.

They had probably all concluded that I was incompetent.

But I wasn’t particularly discouraged.

Perhaps I’d actually obtained an incredible power…

Having caught my first glimpse of what my Construction Company Job could accomplish, I was tremendously excited.

Karan McWell’s Report

Evening of the twenty-third day, middle of the Earth Season. Arrived at Gaurea Fortress and was greeted by General Elietta Paimon.

A slight change was observed in the subject, Takeru Kinoshita. He appeared to have become capable of using magic, something he had previously been unable to do. However, his power remained extremely weak. He demonstrated the creation of an earthen wall through magic, but the activation was slow, and his performance was inferior even to that of an ordinary earth magic practitioner. It could be stated with certainty that his abilities were practically useless in combat.

In my personal assessment, further observation may be a waste of resources. Takeru Kinoshita’s talent is exceptionally poor compared to that of other summoned individuals. Although the possibility of his abilities developing cannot be ruled out entirely, expectations must remain exceedingly low.