Volume 2 Chapter 4 Benjamin's Plan II
"Elder Brother Ben, that's amazing! Let's totally do it! I'll help out as much as you need!"
"Thanks, Cain. Having such a reliable little brother makes me happy too. Let's talk details after breakfast, alright?"
Benjamin and Cain headed back to the mansion together, chatting happily as they went to eat breakfast.
After breakfast, Benjamin and Cain were in the meeting room, picking up their discussion from that morning.
Benjamin used an intricate model he'd made when they paved the streets in town with stone to explain his plan for building a fortress on the Great Deep Forest side.
"We'll expand the current walls outward in a trapezoid shape. The two points at the top of the trapezoid will become watchtowers. I want the walls to be 6 meters thick and 12 meters high. On the extended top edge, we'll add a gate to draw enemies in. Normally, it can be used as a training yard. Also, I'm thinking of digging a 5-meter wide, 3-meter deep dry moat 100 and 50 meters in front of the fortress gate."
"Elder Brother Ben, is this the right way to add it to the model? 'Create Clay (expand)'!"
When Cain cast his magic, the fortress in a trapezoid shape appeared on the model of the town.
"How's this look?"
"Yeah, that's it. Now add 'hazama (gap)'──slits──on both the outside and inside fortress walls."
"What's a 'hazama'?"
"Those are the notched parts on the current ramparts, the bits that stick out and in."
"Oh, those! 'Create Clay'... Like this?"
New notches took shape along the top of the fortress walls.
"Exactly, Cain──you've got a good eye. This is just my rough idea, so let's show it to Father and Knight Captain Argyle and everyone and decide on the final design. We can't add the moat here so we'll have to figure it out at the actual site."
"How big are you thinking for the next wall expansion?"
"Hmm... Going by feel, I want it to cover about one and a half times the current area. But that's something to discuss with Father too. At the very least, it'd be nice to cover all the farmland outside the walls."
"What about the current walls? Are we tearing them down? If we leave them, connecting the old and new sections could be a pain."
"Let's just leave it as it is. If we do, the old wall becomes an extra barrier, so the defenses get even better. But I'm pretty sure we need His Majesty's okay for any wall expansions. I'll have to double-check with Father on that."
After that, the group kept tossing around ideas about how to build the walls, getting more lively with every suggestion between Benjamin and the others.
"I'm done with my stuff──so, what's up with you, Cain? You said you wanted to talk about something?"
"Yes! I actually have a few ideas to make life better for everyone in town, and I'd love some help from Elder Brother Ben, if that's okay!"
"Of course! Tell me your ideas. How many you got?"
"There's a bunch, but there are 2 I really want to do first. Number one is a bathhouse. And number 2 is... a sewer system."
Cain brought up the two ideas he'd wanted to try first, ones he'd been thinking about for a while, and explained them to Benjamin.
"So, the bathhouse──is that the thing where you fill a giant barrel with water and people hop in? And what's this sewer thing?"
"Right, but imagine the barrel even bigger──big enough for a dozen people at once. I want everyone in the territory to be able to use it every other day for a cheap price. That way everyone stays clean, and it should help cut down on illness. The sewer system's for taking rainwater, bathroom and kitchen waste, and running it through underground tunnels outside the town, where we treat it before it gets dumped in the river. I figure both things will make everyone's lives a lot healthier."
"Man, Cain, how do you even come up with this stuff? Seriously, where are these ideas coming from?"
Benjamin shot Cain a suspicious look, clearly trying to figure him out.
Cain thought, 'Uh-oh. Maybe I got a little too carried away. Wait──I've got it!'
"Uh, yeah, I got the ideas from the 'Book of the Hero' and some books in the library. So it wasn't really my idea in the first place. You caught me, Elder Brother Ben!"
"Hmm, well, whatever. If you've got that much from the 'Book of the Hero', you'll have to fill me in sometime. Anyway──what is it you need my help with, if you've already got all the details?"
"So, uh, about the bathhouse? I wanna use a magic tool to heat up the water, but honestly, I have no clue how these magic tools actually work. Could you teach me? Like, specifically, how to pull [Mana] out of a magic stone and use it for [magic]. Also, if Elder Brother Ben knows any [Fire magic] for making hot water, could you show me?"
"Pulling [Mana] from a magic stone? Yeah, I guess if it's with [engraving magic], I can tell you what [engravings] to use. As for making hot water with [Fire magic]... I don't really have a spell like that, but I've got some that can heat things up──or cool them down. You just wanna see, right? What are you planning after that, Cain?"
"Yup! Once I see it, I'll use My [Magic circle magic] to turn it into a magic circle and make a magic tool out of it."
"Wait, hold up... You're gonna do what with [Magic circle magic]?"
Benjamin's eyes shot wide open as he asked the question.
"Yep, exactly. I'm gonna turn it into a magic circle with my [Magic circle magic] and make a magic tool."
Cain flashed a cheerful smile.
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