80 – Muscle Brained Minecr@ft

[Brad’s Perspective]

I arrived at a rocky area near the capital. Why didn’t I think of something so simple… My own stupidity irritated me. Well, no use regretting now, so I started working while training.

The rocky terrain before me made the table mountains of Guyana Highlands seem cute, blocking humans and even magical beasts from reaching the summit… or so I heard.

The peak was shrouded in clouds, invisible from the base where I stood.

Moreover, magic power got absorbed by the rocks through some unknown mechanism, and those trying to reach the summit with levitation magic ran out of power and plummeted to their deaths.

Even climbing physically was near impossible. The walls weren’t just vertical but protruded forward like a bowl, as if rejecting ascent and emphasizing the difficulty.

In my previous life, acquaintances who saw my physique invited me to bouldering or free climbing, but my boss Ichinose piled on work like harassment, forcing me to decline repeatedly.

But now!

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with fresh air.

And then…

Like throwing a discus, I turned my back to the rocks. Twisting my hips in the opposite direction, my hands faced forward.

“Hmph!”

My twisted body released like a stretched rubber band, stepping forward as the twist unraveled. The momentum was tremendous!

My hand chop sliced through the air in front of the rocks.

WHOOOOOOSH!!

A vacuum blade spread in a straight line, eroding the rocky terrain. When done, I lowered my stance, taking an underhand throw form, and worked on slicing the table mountain.

After carving about twenty layers, I noticed something.

Did it reach the other side?

What I meant as a small cut extended through the rock, piercing to the other side.

I sliced through a table mountain larger than Tokyo’s 23 wards. By the way, I measured the distance Ino Tadataka-style, by steps…

Like playing daruma otoshi, I kicked the sliced rock layers, and they flew off cleanly, each segment sliding away. (TL/n: It’s like playing Jenga but you have a doll at top which you have to get the floor.)

The destination for the table mountain’s stone was Liebenrathia’s capital!

By the time I finished working on the table mountain, the clouds covering the peak lifted, faintly revealing the scenery.

Arriving at the capital, I carved the cut rocks into blocks I could carry with both hands and lined them up.

Speaking of rising stars, Hideyoshi! There’s a tale of him building a castle overnight for Nobunaga. That was built by his subordinates, but I, a prince, rebuilt it myself, which filled me with pride.

Well, since I destroyed it, rebuilding was only natural—more like natural muscle training than a natural exercise.

The Next Day

“Fwaa!”

Training alone didn’t tire me much, but Freesia and Lily drained my remaining energy, so I only woke up after noon. Evacuees emerged from their tents, staring at the capital.

I carried Freesia and Lily, half-forced, princess-style back to their tents…

“This… this is…”

Omoneil seemed at a loss for words. After witnessing their astonishment, I returned to my tent silently.

No wonder—the capital now had a new castle and city made of table mountain rock, surrounded by a completed wall.

The image mimicked the old capital.

The only difference was the building material, mostly table mountain rock. This made a fortress city highly resistant to both magic and physical attacks.

When I woke from a second nap…

“It’s urgent!”

After training, I napped in my tent to rest my muscles when Omoneil burst in.

“Huh!?”

Waking up, I saw Omoneil’s frantic expression, and my face paled as I glanced at my sides. I lay spread-eagled, my outstretched hands enveloped in soft sensations.

Like a soap shop’s hand-washing course, Freesia and Lily hugged my arms preciously to their chests. Even Megumi slept beside Freesia.

When did these girls sneak into my tent?

Freesia must have mistaken me for someone else and followed, lured along… But I needed to warn Megumi not to slip into a man’s bed she didn’t love.

“Megumi, was it? Sit there.”

“Already sitting, Brad.”

“I see, that’s right… Never mind the listening posture. The issue is your attitude. What’s with a girl your age sharing a bed with a man you don’t love?”

“What’s wrong, Brad? Preaching like that, you sound like an old man.”

My former-life sister looked at me curiously with wide eyes.

“Worried about Megumi?”

“N-No way! You and I are strangers! I don’t care who you dating or sleeping with.”

“Really?”

I wanted to scream, Of course I care! But saying so would expose that Brad is me.

“Sexual disorder is mental disorder! I’m just saying don’t disrupt public morals.”

“Uh, Brad… Sorry, I can’t agree with a single millimeter of what you’re saying.”

Right…

Freesia stroked my groin, and Lily caressed my chest, looking needy. I should’ve chased these two out before talking with Megumi…

[Christa’s Perspective]

“Lucky♪”