Realizing that the agricultural tools could be put to good use, I entrusted them to the village chief for now and decided to move on to the next task. "Cody-san, may I use a corner of the field for a bit?" "Sure, we haven't planted anything there. But what's your plan?" "Just a little experiment." With that, I brought out the aforementioned fertilizer. "Hmm? Is that fertilizer?" "Yes, I made some." "You're quite the polymath, Grand Mage-sama." I'm not a Grand Mage-sama, though. "It's just a test." "Hand it over. I'll handle it." Taking his offer, I handed over the fertilizer to the professional. Cody then adeptly mixed the fertilizer with the soil. "You're quite skilled at this." "Well, yeah... there, that should do it. What will you plant?" "Ah, in that case, let's go with these." I took out the daikon radish seeds I bought at the hardware store and planted them. "We should water them." At Ruri's suggestion, water poured forth from her hands like a shower. She looked kinda cute like that. "Then, let's take a look at how things are going. Shall we head to the forest next?" "The forest? Is there something there?" The village chief asks. "I've been toying with the idea of using magic to chop down trees. Since I'm still in the midst of my training, I'm thinking it's a good opportunity to practice such spells. Besides, it would have the added benefit of expanding the fields, so it's like hitting two birds with one stone." "Ah, that would be a big help." "In that case, where should I start cutting?" "Please take care of the area to the west of the village." The village chief said so and pointed towards the right. "Got it. I'll be on my way." "Ah, may I come with you? I’d like to see the Grand Mage’s magic." Ask's Monica, who had been quietly observing all this time. "I don't mind." "Thank you very much." We head toward the west as the village chief directed. It looks like a barren piece of land yet to be cultivated, with several stumps still scattered around. "Those stumps will be quite the challenge, won’t they..." "Do we go with manual labor or employ horses or oxen?" "Do we have any?"

"It doesn't look like it." Ruri scans the surroundings with a restless gaze. "There are no cows or horses in this village. The petition for them is quite difficult..." Monica says with a hint of regret. "Um, so, is this place not really expected to succeed?" "Well, the trees in this forest, not just here, are thick and strong. That's why it's been deemed impossible from the get-go." I knew it. "Well, we'll manage somehow. I want to preserve the village at minimum." "Please, I'm depending on you." Monica lowers her head in gratitude. "Ruri, what should we do?" I ask Teacher Ruri for advice. "First off, for a magician, cutting trees is simple. Monica, you could probably do it as well." Is that so. "I'm sorry... My abilities are limited to healing and casting protective barriers..." ............. "... Well, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses." Ruri shows a clearly disappointed face. "Do you think I have a special talent?" "Eh? Oh... um... you have a large chest?" I've always thought they were quite large since we first met, but... does that count as a talent? "That's not magic...!" Ah, she got depressed. "I apologize for my child ..." Seriously! Bad girl! "No, it’s quite alright..." While I may not understand barriers, the ability to use healing magic seems quite impressive to me. I probably won't say it though; it might sound like sarcasm. After all, I’m also capable of using it. "I'm truly sorry..." "Ruri, go on." "Yes... well, to cut trees, we use attack magic. 'Air Cutter' is one such spell." Air Cutter... I'm sure it was mentioned in grandpa's book. It's a spell that sends forth blades of wind. "Should I use that?" I think I can manage it. "The concern here is the hazard posed by a falling tree, isn't it?"

Ah, that's true. Even in modern times, I've heard it's risky. "What do we do?" "Use it in conjunction with spatial magic." Ruri says this and touches the tree. "Use it together, huh?" I understand what she means. Since spatial magic can't store trees that are still rooted, the idea is to cut them with magic and then store them right away. "Here's how you do it." As Ruri says this, the tree vanishes in the blink of an eye. "Wow..." Ruri was using both Air Cutter and spatial magic simultaneously. Because of the training I've been through, I could understand what was happening. "Try it yourself." Encouraged by Ruri, I touch the tree. Then, as I unleash the Air Cutter, I simultaneously employ spatial magic to stow away the tree. And just like before, the tree seems to vanish instantly. "Oh! I did it!" "Well done." Ruri compliments me. But Monica looks at us as if she's seeing something unbelievable. "Simultaneous magic ... and without chanting ... At this point, i'm beyond jealousy. You truly are a Grand Mage." It seems it was quite a high-level feat. "That's no problem for Tatsuya-san... Now, let’s move on to this stump." Ruri looks at the remaining tree stump. "I guess earth magic?" "Yes. That's one way to do it, but this is the safer approach. All we need to do is move the soil, after all." As Ruri says this, the soil around the stump vanishes in an instant. "Spatial magic?" "Yes, you can use it this way too." "... No, you can't normally do that with spatial magic." Monica retorts, waving her hand in front of her face. "With Tatsuya’s spatial magic, it should be easy." Following that suggestion, I gazed upon the stump I had just cut. And then, employing spatial magic in the same manner, the soil encircling the stump is eradicated, leaving solely the roots. "As expected." "Amazing." Monica comments dryly. "Alright, let’s continue like this one after another" Motivated by Ruri's words, I tirelessly performed each step: slicing through trees with an air cutter augmented by spatial magic, carefully removing and preserving the soil with the same spatial magic, securing the leftover roots with spatial magic, and then restoring the soil to the empty pits.