Mages Are Better at Infrastructure Than Combat

When we reached our assigned area, it was clear the work had barely started.

The site supervisor walked over and gave us a thorough once-over, sizing us up to see if we'd be useful.

Blunt, maybe, but I was doing the same thing to him, so I wasn't in a position to complain.

"Three women and a scrawny guy. Well, whatever. Name's Kwad, site supervisor."

"Yohane. We accepted the quest through the Adventurer's Guild under Azu's name."

He scribbled something on a piece of parchment after we introduced ourselves.

"Right, adventurers. Odd bunch. The adventurer's proof lists the leader as Azu, but that's not you?"

"Got a problem with that?"

"None. Do the work and I've got no complaints. I'm sure you've heard the terms. Clear that area over there within four days at a minimum. If you can till the soil too, there's a bonus."

The spot Kwad pointed to had its trees cut down, but the stumps and roots had been left untouched. It looked like nothing more than rough scrubland.

Rough estimate, about fifty paces in each direction.

"Even if you don't finish, you'll still get meals and pay as long as you're not slacking. Duke's orders. But your wages get cut in half, so if that bothers you, put your backs into it."

With that, Kwad hurried off elsewhere. A site supervisor's work was never done, I supposed.

He also clearly wasn't expecting much from us.

I could understand the feeling, but being underestimated wasn't exactly pleasant.

"So even farming starts with soil preparation. Obvious when you think about it."

"Can't plant seeds in rough ground and expect them to grow."

"Same with people and plants. If you don't tend to them properly, they wither."

"Um, what should we start with?"

"Good question…"

I looked around at the other workers for reference, but everyone was just chipping away slowly and steadily.

When it came to digging up earth, there wasn't much room for clever shortcuts, apparently.

Still, I wanted to find an efficient approach if I could.

"Alexia, how long would it take to level all the soil here with magic?"

"For this much area… half a day, maybe? But the tree roots need to come out first, or they'll just get in the way."

"Half a day. That's fast. As expected of our brilliant mage."

"You only compliment me at times like these."

Alexia's tone said "oh, please," but the look on her face said she didn't mind one bit.

Simple praise got surprisingly far with her.

"Don't be like that. Start by handling the sections with nothing in the way. Azu, Elza, and I will deal with the tree roots."

"If you say so. I'll get to it, then. Call me if you need magic."

Alexia stepped aside and began her incantation.

When she activated her earth magic, the uneven ground around her began to shift and churn, transforming into something resembling freshly plowed soil.

Breaking earth with a hoe was backbreaking labor.

It demanded strength and put you in an awful posture.

And turning the soil back over afterward drained your stamina just as badly.

That was why the surrounding workers were taking their time, but Alexia could accomplish the same thing simply by walking and casting.

The mana cost was apparently negligible. Earth magic was efficient by nature, she explained, and what she was doing wasn't all that demanding.

As Alexia plowed ahead, the noise and pace drew the attention of the people around us.

Some of them just stared, dumbfounded.

The look on their faces said, "Then what was all that backbreaking work for?"

"All right, let's pull our weight so nobody has anything to complain about."

"Okaaay."

"Understood."

Normally, a tree root dug into the ground couldn't be lifted by just three people.

Azu and Elza might manage, but still…

After a moment's thought, I settled on a plan: Elza's blessing and Azu's sword.

The Sealed Sword Grungaus channeled the wielder's magic into each cut, delivering an additional follow-up strike. The stronger the magic, the more devastating the follow-up.

Azu had been cheerfully reporting her findings from all her experiments with it, so I'd ended up knowing the thing's specs in unnecessary detail.

Elza would buff Azu with her blessing, then Azu would cut the ground around each stump.

About six slashes in a circle, angled down beneath the roots.

She'd sever the root system by cutting through the earth itself.

Following my instructions, Azu finished the work.

"Done."

"Good. Now we should be able to pull it out."

The three of us grabbed the stump and heaved. Heavy as it was, it came free without resistance, soil and all.

We rolled it aside, and Elza looked impressed.

"Ahh, I see. You carved it right out of the ground."

"Easy enough, right?"

"Definitely. I was expecting it to be a lot harder, but this is manageable."

"Do we just repeat this?"

"Yep. Go for it."

Azu cut around the next stump in the same way.

There were about seven stumps in total, and we cleared them all without much trouble.

After that, it was all Alexia steadily tilling the earth.

When Elza buffed Alexia with her blessing, the pace accelerated even further.

"Maybe it's because of the Earth Elemental, but my magic's performing really well. Earth magic isn't even my specialty, though."

She said as much while rapidly expanding the area she'd covered.

I stood watching for a moment, only for Azu and me to get shooed away for being in the way.

At this rate, the whole thing would be done today.

She was tilling the soil thoroughly, too, so we could expect the bonus.

I'd figured on breaking a real sweat, but after our brief effort with the stumps, it seemed like Alexia would handle the rest.

I was thinking exactly that when Kwad came hurrying over.

"What happened?"

"If you've got a mage who can use earth magic, say so from the start!"

Everything about Alexia was on the adventurer's proof.

He just hadn't bothered reading it.

Apparently the commotion had finally gotten his attention.