Chapter 91.3 - The Second Year at the Academy - Remedial Assignment (3)
Several days had passed, and I headed to Katie's house.
Through repeated experiments in the forest, I gained a rough understanding of [Earth Wall].
I believed I could handle most situations with it.
Katie's house was located in the back alley of the craftsman district.
A small sign hung on the wall, engraved with the straightforward name "Katie's Shop". It served as a signboard.
Amidst the sounds of work around me, I could hear noises coming from the house in front of me.
It seemed like someone was at home, but based on the sounds and smells.
That person didn't appear to be a blacksmith.
I opened the door and glanced around inside the shop.
What kind of place was this?
The narrow interior was filled with a diverse array of items: jewelry, leather armor, chairs, and even empty scabbards adorned the space.
The shop seemed to have a wide range of offerings.
If I had to classify it, it might be an ornament shop.
The woman noticed my arrival and appeared from the back.
She looked to be in her mid to late twenties, with her hair tied back, and she exuded an aura reminiscent of Rag and Egil.
"Welcome."
"Are you Katie?"
"Yes, that's me, but..."
Katie gave me a skeptical look, and I bowed.
"I am Alter Les Reedwald. I've come under the instruction of Helena, the professor at Cartilard."
"Helena? It's not about that matter, is it?"
"If ‘that matter' refers to repairs, then yes."
As soon as I answered, Katie put her hand to her forehead.
"You must be joking. Can you use [Earth Wall]?"
"Of course. I could use it for the past few days."
Katie sighed and muttered to herself, her words filled with disdain for Helena.
It seemed Helena hadn't informed her about anything.
I guess it was all left to me in the end, as expected of her.
In any case, if the client refuses, I can't do anything.
After a moment of thought, I made a suggestion.
"Well then, I have another task to complete. In the meantime, could you contact Professor Helena for me?"
"That's not what I meant. Do you understand the implications? Repairing with [Earth Walll] involves advanced magic. Being able to cast it is a given; it requires a significant amount of magical power and talent."
Katie said this with exasperation evident in her voice.
It was certainly beyond my expectations.
"You can really do it."
"For now, yes. It's a bit angular, though."
The finished wall still had some sharp edges.
"This should be sufficient, right? And it's harder than Helena's, isn't it?"
"I'm not sure since I haven't compared them. So, shall we proceed?"
"Is your magic power okay?"
"No problem."
"Alright, then, please."
With that, she led me to the warehouse at the back of the shop this time. Katie moved a large plank and pointed to a brick wall with cracks.
"This crack here, can you fix it?"
I approached and observed the situation.
There were quite a few cracks, and strong winds, too powerful to be called drafts, were blowing through them.
The floor was quite dirty, so it seemed to have been in this state for a long time.
It must have been that board trying to pass as a wall.
They were in the same league.
Feeling a sense of camaraderie, I brought in some soil to fill the cracks. Most of the bricks were intact, so a bit of soil should suffice.
I used bricks and soil as catalysts and activated [Earthwall].
Compared to creating a fence, repairing a building was much easier.
The wall disappeared instantly, and a new, smooth stone wall appeared.
"It looks like you've put it back together nicely."
"I believe so, but could you also check it from the outside?"
"Oh, right. I'll take a look."
Katie left through the back door to inspect the repaired area.
Meanwhile, I headed to the storage area and used [Handy Soil] to fill in the holes I had dug.
I still had nearly half of my magical power left.
I had been worried about running out, so I had avoided excessive consumption, but it seemed that using my soil was not an issue.
I should do it that way next time.
"What are you doing while I was gone?"
Before I could finish the hole-filling work, Katie returned.
I explained, and she placed her hands on my shoulders, her expression filled with emotion.
"To think a splendid student could grow from such an unmotivated girl... I'm truly touched, big sister."
"Well, I'm not sure how to respond to that."
"Leave the rest to me. Despite appearances, I can handle at least [Handy Soil]. How about we have some tea?"
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