Drawn Mochi Volume 4 Chapter 19: Dragon’s Bed*3

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　A lot of fairies came. Well, the forest is huge, so I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finding a place to live. Please feel free to live wherever you like. You’re welcome here.

　When I told the fairies that I would accept them, they were all excited… I don’t understand the language of the fairies, but their voices sound small and quiet.

　They seemed to be making some kind of noise all at once, and to my ears it sounded like the rustling of leaves in the forest, or the sound of thinly shaved shells touching each other, or some combination of those sounds.

“That’s great. You can live here!” (Ange)

　I wonder if Ange can hear all their words properly. “You’ve been very good to the fairies,” she says, smiling. …I’m a little jealous that she can understand fairy language.

“Still, there have been quite a lot of them … I wonder why the spirit vein has been dammed.” (Tougo)

　When I asked the fairies, they were saying something… Or rather, they were probably answering me…

　Sorry, I don’t understand fairy language…

　Then Ange tried her best to listen to the fairy language and translate it for me.

　…But listening through Ange, who is young and doesn’t have a large vocabulary yet, there are a lot of things that aren’t quite clear.

　But there is one thing I understand.

　It seems that if things continue as they are, the whole area around here is in a bit of danger.

　I called Fay in a hurry. I asked Houou to fly over and bring the news to him, and after about two hours, Fay arrived.

“What are you saying!? What do you mean the Redgarde territory is in trouble because of the fairies’ migration!?” (Fay)

　…I wrote the letter in a bit of a hurry, so Fay was confused. My bad.

　I explained it to Fay again.

　The fairies have evacuated in large numbers. The reason why they evacuated is because the spirit veins have been dammed and they have come to the place with the most magic power near here. And because the spirit vein has been dammed, the land around here is in danger.

　When I was talking about that… Fay’s expression became more and more grim.

“…I see.” (Fay)

　After hearing the whole story, Fay folds his arms and begins to think.

“…Hey, Tougo.” (Fay)

　And he asked me.

“Are you able to do something about this?” (Fay)

　…let’s see.

“In the first place, I don’t really understand what’s going on…” (Tougo)

　Maybe I’m not the only one left behind!

“For now, how much do you know?” (Fay)

“Well, all I know is that something is wrong.” (Tougo)

　When I answered, Faye started laughing. No, it’s not funny. I don’t understand at all.

“Then, how about an explanation about spirit veins?” (Fay)

“No need. I heard that from Lian. It’s a river where magical power flows.” (Tougo)

“That’s right. That’s about right. The line of magical power flowing through the land is the spirit vein. Naturally, it is said that the land where the magic power flows, the area becomes rich, and… spirits dwell there. Of course, It’s flowing through our territory as well. Apparently, this forest is right above that spirit vein.” (Fay)

　…Yeah. Spirits live here. I have become indebted to them.

“The land with more magic power is better for crops to grow and for living creatures to live in. Naturally, people want to live there, so major cities are often built on top of spirit veins. For example, the Royal Capital is located at the convergence of multiple spirit veins.” (Fay)

　I see. Does that mean that the Royal Capital is a place where crops grow very well and living creatures are very comfortable…?

　Ah. Maybe that’s why there were so many fairies in the Royal Capital. I had the impression that fairies were not so common in the city… but if that is the case, it makes sense.

“…So, when the spirit vein is dammed, it’s just as expected. Magical power stops flowing. If the spirit vein that passes under Redgarde territory is dammed, well, the cause is somewhere upstream. So, something must have happened.” (Fay)

“Well, what will happen if the magic doesn’t flow?” (Tougo)

“It’s winter now, so there’s not much of an effect, but if this keeps up, next year’s crop will probably be a disaster. This means we won’t be able to get taxes and to be honest, it’s going to be pretty tough. We still have some reserves, but if the spirit vein doesn’t return to normal anytime soon, we’ll have to think of something, or we won’t be able to pay anything to the royal family the year after next.” (Fay)

　…I guess the main point is that it is a disaster. It seems that as a result, crops are failing, and it is difficult to manage the territory.

　And if this continues for a long time, Fay’s house will probably be in danger. …I don’t like that.

“The other reason the fairies ran away is definitely because they can’t survive without magic power.” (Fay)

“Eh?” (Tougo)

“Magical beasts, fairies, and similar creatures, they are strong and smart because they have magical power. That’s why they can’t live without magical power.” (Fay)

　That’s… That’s tough! All the creatures in this forest are intelligent, but doesn’t that mean that if the spirit vein is dammed, the creatures in this forest will also die? The horses, birds, etc.

“Well, if fairies have taken refuge in this forest, then there must be a lot of magic here. Maybe it’s thanks to you!” (Fay)

　If that’s the case, then that’s good. The horses, birds, and fairies all seem to be safe for now.

　But… It’s not just a problem in this forest. The entire Redgarde territory will be suffering from poor harvests and all living things will be in trouble, hmm…

“Well, it’s fine. I can’t help it if it turns out like that. I’ll go right back and talk to my father and brother.” (Fay)

　Fay said and hopped onto the Red Dragon.

“Thank you! Thanks to you, we can make measures faster!” (Fay)

　Or rather, it’s all thanks to the fairies and Ange…

　…It’s probably a blessing in disguise that I figured it out early. If the fairies had not moved in, we might not have known that the spirit vein had stopped.

　Fay then rode back on the Red Dragon. …I wish I could come up with some kind of countermeasure.

“Spirit vein, hey… Is someone trying to use some sort of large-scale magic?” (Croix)

　After Fay left, I talked to Ms. Croix and Laocles about it. I asked Croix for advice, and that is what she told me.

“Large-scale magic?” (Tougo)

“Yes. When you gather a number of mages and use magic, you can borrow magical power from the land. In order to save up the magical power to use at that time, you can temporarily block the spirit vein. There are also other ways to save up magic power and then use it.” (Croix)

　…I still don’t understand much about magic in this world. I know that there are many types of magic, and I’ve seen Ms. Croix’s charm magic, and Lian’s ice magic, and I can also make pictures materialize myself. I guess that means I am using magic, but… Hmm. Is it possible to store magical power like a beaver that lives in a river?

　Hmm, could it be that this forest, a so-called “land with a lot of magical power”, has magical power dammed up like a beaver’s nest or a dam, and is now like a reservoir of magical power? …I might be like a beaver living in this forest.

“…Is it possible for spirit veins to be dammed up artificially?” (Laocles)

　Then, suddenly, Laocles asked that.

　Certainly, as Ms. Croix says, it is possible to dam the spirit veins by creating a situation where “a number of magicians are gathered together and use magic and so on,” then it is possible that someone did it intentionally.

“Argent?” (Laocles)

“I don’t know… but even if it was the Argents, it might be difficult to prove it. I don’t think they did anything just to harass us, and in general, if the Agents were really involved, there would be complaints from a very wide area.” (Croix)

　…What does she mean? As I tilted my head confused, Ms. Croix drew a simple map on paper with a pen.

“This is the Royal Capital. This is the center of the country. This is where the spirit veins are most concentrated, or where the spirit veins begin.” (Croix)

　In other words, it is a lake into which various rivers flow from or a source. I get it.

“So, this is the Argent family.” (Croix)

　Then Ms. Croix drew the emblem of the Agent Family next to the Royal Capital on a piece of paper.

“Well, it’s probably Argent territory up to this point.” (Croix)

“…that’s big.” (Tougo)

“That’s right. They have the second biggest territory after the Royal Family.” (Croix)

　The Argent territory is big. She drew a big circle with the Royal Capital at the center and made a fan shape that occupies about one-third of the circle, you can roughly say it is the Argent territory. Yeah.

“So… Redgarde territory is this way.” (Croix)

　Croix then drew another mark on the paper.

　… The area from 9 o’clock to 1 o’clock with the Royal Capital at the center is the Argent territory.

　And Redgarde territory is in the direction of about five o’clock. …Hmm.

“I see.” (Tougo)

“Do you understand? In other words, the spirit veins that flow through Argent territory and into Redgarde territory… It follows this path.” (Croix)

　Ms. Croix draws two lines.

　One line runs from Argent to Redgarde through the Royal Capital, and the other line runs from Argent to Redgarde.

　The other is a curve that runs from the Argent domain all the way around to the Redgarde domain.

“If we dam up the spirit vein that runs through the Royal Capital, it will also have an impact on the Royal Capital. There are other spirit veins running through the royal capital, so it probably won’t be that fatal… But as an Argent, that’s probably the number one thing they don’t want to happen. I don’t want the Royal Capital to become your enemy in the slightest.” (Croix)

“I see.” (Tougo)

“But I don’t think they’d dam up the one going around in circles. But I don’t think they’ll dam the one that goes around, because that would draw complaints not only from Redgarde but from many other territories as well.” (Croix)

　The curve goes through not only Redgarde territory but also Mr. Saphir’s Austkaia territory. Yeah. It’s too big a scale for them to be harassing me or Fay.

“So, I think if anyone is doing anything, it’s in the Royal Capital. The largest-scale magic would be done by the Royal Family, of course.” (Croix)

“Argent also has a certain amount of power. If he wants to do something, he can do it.” (Laocles)

“I agree. Maybe it’s Argent doing it. I think the royal family is definitely involved in this. It’s very likely that the royal family is doing this by borrowing the property and the spirit veins of the Argents.” (Croix)

“…Is it really necessary to go out of your way to do something outside the Royal Capital?” (Tougo)

“Yes. Because if we were to perform large-scale magic in the Royal Capital where spirit veins are gathered, it would be a big problem, right? This country might change drastically.” (Croix)

　I see. Well, I mean, it’s hard to imagine that he did something in the Royal Capital, but it’s also unlikely that Mr. Argent did it just to harass him.

“…If someone is doing something, is there no way to stop it?” (Tougo)

“There isn’t.” (Croix)

　However, Ms. Croix shrugs her shoulders.

“ If they’re doing something, they’re probably doing it secretly, underground or something, anyway. It’s a little difficult even for me to find out what they’re doing and beat them. If they are doing something on such a large scale, it’s not like they can be probed by a single spy.” (Croix)

　I see. If a professional says so, I have to give up.

“Well, it is possible that someone did something, but it could have been just a natural disaster to begin with, right?” (Tougo)

“That’s right. That’s why they can make any number of excuses. It would be difficult to question them.” (Croix)

　Well… it is better to know the cause, but somehow, I would like to think that it is not something that someone did, but just a disaster.

　It’s easier to think that way. …though this way of thinking may not be a good one.

　Then the next day. Fay is back in the forest.

“Hey.” (Fay)

“Fay. How are you?” (Tougo)

　When I ran up to Fay, who looked tired, he let out a deep sigh.

“…I asked him a little bit about it. I heard that the Saphir territory has been affected. I heard from his wife that the fairies who moved into the garden are getting restless.” (Fay)

　I see. …does that mean that the spirit vein that runs through Saphir’s house is also blocked?

“There are two main veins that run through our territory, one coming from Austkaia and the other from the Argent family to the Royal City. The other one comes directly from the Argents’ house through the Royal Capital.” (Fay)

“Yeah. I heard it from Ms. Croix.” (Tougo)

　This is it, right? I showed him the diagram Ms. Croix had drawn for me, and Fay nodded.

“Okay…And if you add in the spirit veins of Austkaia territory here, it’s like this.” (Fay)

　Another line was drawn on the map. The line goes through the area of Saphir Territory to the Royal Capital.

“Perhaps, looking at Mr. Saphir’s house and the surrounding land, it doesn’t seem like the spirit vein is all that bad. At least, it’s much better than ours. The Red Dragon says it, so I’m sure it’s correct.” (Fay)

　Fay patted Red Dragon and it purred with pride. I see. Red Dragon understands that kind of thing?

“…So, you’re saying that the two major spirit veins that run through the Redgarde territory are both dammed?” (Tougo)

“That’s what I’m thinking. My dad and brother looked into it, and it’s bad downstream from us, but not so bad in the rest of the veins.” (Fay)

　I see. So, the Redgarde territory is the only place where the spirit veins have been dammed up, as if they were targeted.

　…That means…

“You mean, it’s artificial?” (Tougo)

　When I asked that, Fay nodded with a grim expression.

“So.…Our prediction is this.” (Fay)

“The Royal Family is trying to kill our spirit veins, and even if Argent isn’t directly involved in it, he’s given the go-ahead. That’s how we see it.” (Fay)

T/N: Yep, sounds very government-like. GoOd jOb mR. CrOnY. Let’s be petty and tell Mr. government to ruin someone. BTW this seems like a ploy to steal the Red Dragon.